Dr. Viktor Sydoruk

At the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, Plant Sciences (IBG-2) at Forschungszentrum Jülich we focus on sustainable solutions to improve plant production for a sustainable agriculture. Key areas include plant phenotyping, analysis of plant-environment interactions, and the development of technologies for the utilization of alternative biomass. By integrating molecular, physiological, and ecological approaches, we support the bioeconomy and promote resource efficiency and adaptation to changing climate conditions. Learn more at FZ Jülich IBG-2.

I joined IBG‑2 in 2012 as part of the DPPN project, contributing to the development of noninvasive biomass determination methods. To meet the project requirements, we developed the phenoCave family of resonators, which enables noninvasive estimation of plant biomass while the plants remain growing in their pots.

Since then, I have been working on various sensors and measurement techniques for plant investigations, including microstrip patch antennas for noninvasive soil moisture determination, acoustic volumeters for measuring the volume of seeds or seedlings, and individual seed moisture sensors.

Currently, my focus is on reprogramming the 3D reconstruction pipeline for individual seeds using multi‑angle projections/images acquired with phenoSeeder. The goal is to enhance reconstruction quality and improve the reliability of extracting diverse seed traits such as volume, surface area, length, width, height, and color. In parallel, I am involved in both improving the phenoSeeder system itself and integrating additional stations into it.

I am also taking over responsibility for the micro‑CT, which can be used to investigate seeds, small parts of mature plants, and soil columns. Across all these technologies, my main interest lies in analyzing different types of volumes and densities—particularly for individual seeds, whose surface topology, internal structure, and other traits strongly depend on both seed phenotype and genotype.