About the project
RE-IMAGINE-CROPS is a Horizon Europe-funded project that brings together leading research institutions, imaging specialists, and agricultural industry partners to advance sustainable crop management. The project focuses on developing the first real-time, in-field portable multimodal multiscale imaging system that combines Positron Emission Tomography (PET) with Multiphoton Endoscopy (ME).
This integrated technology will enable precise, non-invasive measurements of plant responses to nitrogen (N) fertiliser at both metabolic and cellular levels directly in the field. By linking imaging data with plant physiological processes, the project will support the development of optimised fertilisation strategies that reduce ecological impact and improve resource efficiency.
The consortium includes nine partner institutions: Euro-BioImaging ERIC (coordination), BF Educational, University of Turku, University of Maastricht, CNRS (in connection with the University of Lille), LIGHTCORE Technologies, VRVis, and University of Teramo; combining expertise in plant science, bioimaging, modelling, and agri-food innovation to ensure both scientific excellence and real-world impact.
Abstract
As global food demand grows, sustainable agricultural strategies are crucial. Current technologies optimise nitrogen (N) fertiliser use in stressed fields but often mismanage amounts, causing nitrogen dispersion and ecological losses. The EU-funded RE-IMAGINE-CROPS project will enhance crop management by using in-field measurements of biophysical processes at tissue and cellular levels.
The project introduces a portable multimodal technology combining positron emission tomography (PET) to measure metabolic processes at micrometre-scale precision and multiphoton endoscopy (ME) for real-time cellular analysis. This technology will measure crop signalling pathways triggered by N fertilisers shortly after application, providing insights into interactions through real-time PET reconstruction and spatial resolutions.
Our main goal:
Develop and implement a mobile multimodal (PET-ME) imaging system to help address fertiliser overuse through Precision Agronomy
The mobile PET-ME is capable of:
- Metabolic Imaging: Utilising PET to measure metabolic processes in crops at a scale of hundreds of micrometres.
- Cellular Visualization: Employing ME to observe functional mechanisms at the cellular level.
- Real-Time Data Acquisition: Achieving spatial resolutions of 0.6 mm and 1 µm, with real-time functionality at rates of 2 Hz and 10 Hz, respectively.
- Fertiliser Optimisation: Tailoring N-fertiliser application by monitoring crop signal pathways activated shortly after fertiliser application.
This approach is expected to reduce ecological and economic losses associated with improper fertiliser use and promote sustainable agricultural practices.