Make reliable results faster

“Boxeed does the work so you can enjoy making science”

Create Science with Ease

The benefits of seeding with Boxeed touch every part of your results

Be in Control

Whether you are making preps for phenotyping or the routine planting – Boxeed puts the control into your hands to make sterile and precise work with reliable results. Precise robotic seeding or sorting with Boxeed opens the possibility of data creation suitable for a new generation of phenotyping including seed-to-plant tracking analysis.

Simple seeding or seed-sorting control guides you to make with ease perfectly seeded plates with minimal risk of human mistake or sample contamination.

Get Maximum 

Seed sorting based on user-defined phenotypical parameters…
   ….or just simple seeding process with image data analysis?

… It’s up to You!

“Why we don’t process swollen seeds?”

There are several reasons to do so. One is the inability of long-term storage of seeds that have not been used for sowing. Another one is, that the swollen seeds give different phenotypical traits than the dry ones. For example, information about the seed-shape or the patterns like puckering is lost using the swollen seeds.

Furthermore, work with dry seeds brings the possibility of non-invasive sorting, with the possibility of their long-term preservation and for the following categorisation. This is ideal for fluorescent seed sorting as well as for the controlled plant growth analysis according to individual seed traits sorted to user-defined categories.

Using dry seeds it is possible, in a special mode, to robotically sow and analyze almost all of the seeds in a tube. Thus processing of lines with limited seed count or even siliques is not a reason to be excluded from the automation process and can be used.

Arabidopsis Thaliana seeded in raster of 2mm 1/2MS media

Arabidopsis Thaliana seeded in raster of 2mm 1/2MS media

Arabidopsis Thaliana seeded in raster of 2mm 1/2MS media

Arabidopsis Thaliana phenotypical analysis of single seed stock. Dataset represents seed population of Col-0 line, captured within 20min interval (90° side view).

Sort to understand variability

Distribution of traits as seed shape, size or curvature are used to understand individual lines variability. However, seed properties are directly influencing early postembryonal growth. Using the seed phenotyping it is possible to do both seed-to-plan tracking analysis (phenotyping of seeds during seeding) as well as the analysis of seed stocks distribution (phenotyping during sorting).

Seed phenotypical analysis is performed with a 90 ° spatial rotation, with the option of parameterized sorting by the user-defined thresholds. Histograms are automatically generated during sorting allowing the immediate data inspection. To get maximum of data, we provide advanced image analysis using the cloud service. The export of individual datasets to .csv files for further post-processing is available for each type of experiments.

Arabidopsis Thaliana (Col-0) phenotypical analysis of single seed stock. Dataset represents the analysis of 3000 seeds. Multi-metric and individual morphometric analysis of parameters describing seed roundness (L/S ratio), seed surface (SSE distribution) and seed size in (px). The average values from both projections of individual seeds are used.

Be Creative

Optimal seeding randomization, study of neighborhood effects, seeding to exact positions for sensitive analyzing approaches or using gradient plates, that is what you can do with Boxeed.

Precise seeding opens new possibilities in plant science. With 8 possible plate type platforms and 11 stock positions, Boxeed seeding system opens the endless possibilities of your experimental setup.

Less Prep Time

We know you love and hate seeding…

Boxeed is like a second pair of hands in the lab: hands with professional seeding skills, robotic vision and preciseness to give you all the credit.

More Scientific Time

If there was a time-consuming routine for making fully seeded plates and you simply resigned to do it precisely, Boxeed would do it precisely with ease for you.

Simple device control allows you to make seeding quickly while doing other things, like focusing on other experimental work, data evaluation or reading scientific papers. Focus on things that, with time turns into better publication results.

Your research data will be optimally archived for future use by seeding with Boxeed. Let your biological data to be integrated into optimal data processing forever using QR code data archiving.

Save your biological data and keep them to be analyzed by others for example by computer specialists in modeling or let them reanalyze once new scientific ideas and methods appear.

Left: Example of the live image analysis during seeding or sorting process. Quinoa original image (left – such image data are used for archiving), AND processed image (right – for phenotypical analysis)
Right: Example of QR data archiving, (Arabidopsis Thaliana, Col-0). Each spot represents seeded seed and its -X, -Y coordinates on a plate. For the quick orientation in growth chambers, scan the QR code and click to the seed (plant) you are interested (red dot), original image data get visualize.
(Note: Coordinates can be exported in .csv for direct implementation to other automated systems as vertical microscopes, plant phenotyping systems etc.).

Boxeed

You won’t believe how easy it is to transform the way you prepare new experiments.

Boxeed combines precise seeding under sterile conditions using 11 individual stocks and most common formats for planting with smart functions that include automatic nozzle sterilization, QR code plates description and data archiving.

Boxeed Seeding System Integrates

  • Seeding of various seed types (Arabidopsis, Nicotiana, Brassica)
  • Arabidopsis protocols for seeding and sorting included
  • Formates: microscopic slides, multiwell plate formats, square plates and two types of rounded Petri dishes
  • Minimal risk of sample contamination
  • Robotic preciseness of seeding
  • Morphometric phenotypical analysis
  • Scientific time saving
  • QR printed plate description for plant data archiving
  • Automatic gel height measurement
  • Intuitive software

On request:

  • Fluorescence Module 
    + Filter for GFP detection
    + Filter for RFP detection
  • Custom Plate Holder
  • Custom Sample Holder 

Basic specifications

Height:  355mm
Width: 425mm
Depth: 390mm
Weight: ~15kg
Connected load: 100-240V; 50/60Hz; 2.2A

References

The Boxeed seeding robotic system was introduced  to the scientific community within ACPD 2018 conference in Praha 

Samuel W.H. KohCarlisle S. BascomEduardo BerenguerGwyneth IngramMark Estelle, Christian S. Hardtke (2022) Heterologous expression of a lycophyte protein enhances angiosperm seedling vigor. doi: 10.1101/2022.05.06.490942