b'TURNING INSIGHT INTO IMPACT: HOW PHENOLYTICS IS REDEFINING SEED PHENOTYPINGEUROSEEDS 2025 INNOVACTION STAGE WINNER BRINGS 3D AND 4D CLARITY TO SEED QUALITY, BREEDING AND PROCESSING.BY: MARCEL BRUINSW hen phenoLytics stepped onto thetions in a modular lego system where you Euroseeds InnovAction Stage incan build these technology blocks increas-2025, it wasnt just another prom- ingly into the end-to-end approach which ising technology pitch, it was a clear signalunlocks value for all functions across the that advanced seed phenotyping is ready tovalue chain.move from potential to practice. Awarded first prize for its high-throughput 3D andSWE:WHYDOYOUBELIEVE 4D X-ray CT phenotyping solutions, theTHERE IS A REAL NEED TODAY FOR company impressed the jury with a technol- HIGH-THROUGHPUT 3D/4D PHENO-ogy ecosystem that delivers ground-truthTYPING AND SEED/PLANT DATAseed and seedling data across the entireWHAT ARE THE MAIN CHALLENGES seed sector value chain. In this interview,IN TRADITIONAL SEED QUALITY TEST-Johannes Wolff, founder and CEO ofING, BREEDING OR SEED PROCESSING phenoLytics, explains how phenoLyticsTHAT YOU ARE SOLVING? approach is changing the way seed qualityJW: All processes in the seed industry rely is measured, decisions are made, and valueon seed quality data, because only a high is unlocked from breeding to productionseed quality can unlock the real genetic and beyond. potential of plants. However, seed testing for now over 100 years still relies on visual, SEED WORLD EUROPE: JOHANNES,manual and, unavoidably, objective germi-COULD YOU EXPLAIN IN YOUR OWNDr. Antje Wolff and her son Johannes Wolff. nation and purity testing. A germination WORDS WHAT PHENOLYTICS DOES,test provides only a percentage, but no phe-WHAT IS THE CORE IDEA BEHINDnotypic data and no diagnostic insights YOUR 3D/4D-PHENOTYPING TECHNOL- As there were no suitable technolo- because they do not measure seed quality OGY, AND WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TOgies available to provide this ground-truthdirectly on the seed. You know that there is DEVELOP THIS SOLUTION?high-throughput phenotypic data, oura problem, but not what the problem is and JOHANNES WOLFF (JW): Our entirefounder, Dr. Antje Wolff, developed ourwhat to do against it. And with widespread technology portfolio was developed totechnology portfolio at a breeding companylabour shortages, relying on labour-inten-address a key challenge in the seed industry:with the help of the Fraunhofer Institute tosive and seasonal manual tests for business the lack of ground-truth high-throughputsolve these daily, real-life challenges. Overcritical processes become a real operational phenotypic data of seeds and plants whichthe last 30 years, our technology portfoliochallenge and risk.is needed for all processes across the valuewas created and refined, growing into anDue to these limitations, we see signif-chain, from breeding to production to pro- interconnected technology ecosystem oficant challenges in the way the seed indus-cessing to seed treatment, quality control3D X-ray CT technologies (phenoChecktry currently operates, and our end-to-end and salesbecause you can only optimize& phenoTest) linked to advanced, patentedtechnology portfolio is designed to provide what you can measure. While it may not3D sorting technologies (phenoScort). solutions and unlock value across the entire always be called phenotyping, all pro- We, as phenoLytics, are now fur- seed value chain: cesses rely on it: quality and purity testingther developing this portfolio for all cropsLack of globally harmonized quality relies on classifying seeds and plants, forand broad applications. With our part- data across labs and decentralized produc-processing you need to distinguish betweenners PhenoKey and the Fraunhofer IIS,tion that predict performance in the field. good and bad seeds and for assessing theunder our newly established, joint brandGround-truth phenotypic data of seed and effects of seed treatments you need to meas- SeedTelligence, we now sell and imple- seedling quality, germination speed and ure their effects on germination and vigour.ment these technologies as turn-key solu- vigour, allowing data-driven, objective and 6ISEED WORLD EUROPEISEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPE | FEBRUARY 2026'