Method of improved plant breeding

A plant breeding system for high throughput analysis of genetic traits in plants, comprising:

• (a) an array of containers charged with growing medium of uniform characteristics in an environment of controlled conditions with a controlled supply of nutrients and feed water, each container comprising one or more plants and each plant or container being associated with a machine-readable identification that distinguishes the plant or container from other plants or containers;
• (b) a transporter system comprising a plurality of co-extensive storage transporters and a transfer conveyor,
• wherein a storage transporter provides support for a row of several containers,
• wherein each storage transporter comprises a belt which is moved by a motor, and wherein the belt of the storage transporter can be pulled back or forth by the motor allowing the transport of containers to or from the storage transporter;
• wherein the transfer conveyor is adjacent to an end portion of a storage transporter and cooperates with the storage transporter;
• (c) one or more motors associated with the transporter system, where the end of the storage transporter communicates with the transfer conveyor allowing containers to be transported back and/or forth from storage transporter to storage transporter and back and/or forth to specific areas in the array;
• (d) a continuous system for digital imaging of a plant comprising a transporter system for moving one or more plants at one or more intervals during its growing cycle through the system for digital imaging while being turned and imaged in a controlled manner, a belt mechanism for turning the containers in a controlled manner, and one or more digital imaging devices;
• and
• (e) a computer apparatus for analyzing images and/or information obtained from the digital images and/or information taken with the one or more digital devices of one or more characteristic of the plant while the plant is being moved through the digital imaging system.