Cereal growth and yield are one of the main issues in sustainable agriculture due to climate change. Based on its solid scientific results, the I3 consortium proposes to consolidate the first industrial platform for functional plant imaging for early detection of stress symptoms in plants. Compared to previous methods, a portable PET/MRI imaging system for plants simultaneously measures the space-time dynamics of metabolism and high-resolution plant morphology. This allows the extraction of new digital biomarkers correlated with early signs of plant stress before symptoms become obvious and irreversible. The I3 consortium has already developed and established the technology thanks to regional, national and European funding, and now aims to promote its adoption in sustainable agriculture and forestry. Two technology partners from transition regions (OVGU from Saxony-Anhalt, DE and Innomed from Molise, IT) will create an interregional technological production platform for the imaging system. VRVis, as a research institution from Vienna (AUS) will integrate an AI-based segmentation method for combined imaging. Bonifiche Ferraresi (IBF), a large Italian agricultural company based in the developed region of Emilia Romagna, will use the system in sustainable crop management and research. In the short term, I3 will integrate the existing PET/MRI system into a multimodal plant imaging device that is innovative compared to existing solutions. Deploying in agriculture-dependent developing regions is a huge investment in sustainable agriculture. In the long run, the EU value chain and competitiveness in agronomy will be strengthened. PET/MRI technology for crops is in line with European Green Deal goals as it optimizes agricultural strategies to improve sustainability. New employment in the field of agriculture is created and the project partners' developing regions are strengthened. The participation of recognized SMEs ensures economic and market suitability of the project.
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