For those who know better, beyond supermarkets, barcodes can be employed across a whole spectrum of settings, including by scientists in their research.
The accelerated breeding better banana project has therefore, developed and deployed a fully operational Banana breeding Tracking Tool (BTracT), using barcodes.
Researchers now use BTracT to routinely track each step of the breeding process of the breeding pipeline. Each plant in each location receives a specific barcode identity.
Apart from parental pedigree and taste details, BTracT records agronomic performance, pest resistance, plant stature, colour and feel of bananas.
All this data is then stored on the global banana breeding database called Musabase, for everyone to access.
The banana breeding process is extensive and the performance of plants studied over several years can help identify the best performing and most suitable bananas with the most desired traits.
BTracT allows data capture on handheld devices, synchronizes data from various locations and enables querying and analytics on a central dashboard.
“Having real time upload of data allows supervisors to keep track of operations while away from the station. If a problem occurs, I am aware of it almost at the same time as the people on the ground,” Allan Brown a banana breeder at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture’s Sendusu Farm in Namulonge told monitor.co.ug.
