Cell to whole-plant phenotyping: the best is yet to come

• Throughput, dimensionality, and resolution characterize plant phenotyping systems.
• Throughput is high in whole-plant phenotyping because of automated workflows.
• Dimensionality is improved by high-resolution organ and cellular level phenotyping.
• Novel sensor technologies give access to 3D structural and physiology-related traits.

Imaging and image processing have revolutionized plant phenotyping and are now a major tool for phenotypic trait measurement. Here we review plant phenotyping systems by examining three important characteristics: throughput, dimensionality, and resolution. First, whole-plant phenotyping systems are highlighted together with advances in automation that enable significant throughput increases. Organ and cellular level phenotyping and its tools, often operating at a lower throughput, are then discussed as a means to obtain high-dimensional phenotypic data at elevated spatial and temporal resolution. The significance of recent developments in sensor technologies that give access to plant morphology and physiology-related traits is shown. Overall, attention is focused on spatial and temporal resolution because these are crucial aspects of imaging procedures in plant phenotyping systems.