The Plant Accelerator

The Plant Accelerator is a world-leading plant growth and analysis facility based at the Waite Campus of the University of Adelaide. It will accelerate pure and applied plant science research Australia-wide and internationally.

The high technology glasshouse, with over 1km of conveyor systems and state-of-the art imaging, robotic and computing equipment, allows continuous measurements of the physical attributes (phenotype) of plants automatically and non-destructively.

The facility accommodates 160,000 plants a year, in programs such as those aimed at increasing drought and salinity tolerance in wheat and barley. Research on other economically important crops such as grapevines will also be accommodated.

The Plant Accelerator serves as the national headquarters of the Australian Plant Phenomics Facility. The APPF has two nodes, one in Adelaide and the other in Canberra. Funding has been provided by the Commonwealth, as part of the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS), the South Australian State Government and the University of Adelaide.

One of the world's newest and most sophisticated plant research facilities, the Plant Accelerator, is set to receive a multi-million-dollar upgrade to boost its research output and save on energy use.

The glasshouse opened in January 2010.