Plant Biotechnology Equipment Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Plant Phenotyping, By Plant Genotyping, By Cell Culture, By Smart Farm Equipment, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2018 - 2025

Industry Insights

The global plant biotechnology equipment market size was valued at USD 6.91 billion in 2017 and is projected to expand at a CAGR of 12.8% from 2018 to 2025. The market consists of four markets, namely, plant phenotyping, plant genotyping, plant cell culture, and smart farm equipment.

Global population is projected to surpass 9 billion by 2050 and it would be a challenge to ensure adequate crop production to meet growing food needs. This would create potential opportunities for crop improvement and plant science. However, the objective is challenging, particularly because average crop production has been rising by around 1.3% per year. This speed is not enough to meet the pace of population growth. Nevertheless, the industry is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period owing to initiatives undertaken to overcome this challenge.

Climate change is also one of the key challenges for ensuring global food security. According to a study conducted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2016, global warming and increasing frequency of extreme weather events would adversely affect livestock, crops, forestry, and aquaculture productivity during the years to come.

Efforts to ensure food security include strengthening the adaptive capacity of rural communities to withstand variations in climate. Rising use of mobile technology to access information about farming practices, pest control, crop diseases, and land management is expected to help farmers increase their profitability and productivity. It is also anticipated to help them reduce environmental footprint.

Plant biotechnology delivers tangible and significant environmental benefits. It also works in favor of consumers and farmers around the world. Plant breeders have managed to leverage the knowledge of genetics and plant biotechnology instruments to enhance crop quality and overall yield. Moreover, sustainable development goals to secure human needs, such as healthcare, adequate food supply, and provision of accessible, affordable, and clean energy, are also expected to contribute to market growth.

Plant Phenotyping Equipment Insights

Based on type, the plant phenotyping equipment market has been segmented into hardware, software, end use, and application. The hardware segment has been further segmented into sensor modules, imaging devices, automated systems, drones, LED lighting, and portable devices. The imaging devices segment held the largest market share in 2017 and is expected to dominate the market over the forecast period. The use of imaging techniques in plant phenomics has allowed scientists to develop a new approach to discover functionality and features of living plants by gaining insights on the root physiology, growth rates, photosynthesis rates, and temperature profiles.

Plant researchers have been working on different strategies to develop plants that possess high nutritional content and can resist diseases and environmental stresses. High-throughput, automatic, and reliable phenotyping platforms have been developed to meet the different needs of ongoing research. Existing phenotyping platforms consist of a wide range of imaging methodologies that offer high-throughput phenotype data for quantitative studies of complex traits, such as yield, physiology, architecture, resistance, tolerance, and growth.

The imaging-based plant phenotyping platform has led to the development of various tools for plant biotechnology. Imaging methodologies, such as imaging spectroscopy, infrared imaging, fluorescence imaging, and visible light imaging, among others; are increasingly being used to aggregate multi-level phenotype data ranging from macroscopic to molecular scale for a duration ranging from a few seconds to a few weeks.

Plant Genotyping Equipment Insights

Based on plant genotyping equipment, the market has been segmented into end use and application. The end use segment has been further divided into the greenhouse, field, and laboratory. Similarly, the application segment has been further fragmented into plant research, breeding, product development, and quality assessment. The availability of genomic resources and tools has revolutionized plant breeding by helping in studying the relationship between genotype and phenotype, particularly for complex traits.

Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) techniques have emerged as exceptional tools for assessment, validation, and discovery of genetic markers. They are facilitating the development of array-based genotyping platforms and genome-wide Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) genotyping markers. Various benefits offered by high-throughput SNP genotyping include the availability of different genotyping systems for different needs, rapid processing for large populations, and an abundance of markers. Expansion of SNP genotyping techniques has prompted life science companies to invest on a large scale in the development of genotyping and sophisticated sequencing platforms leveraging recent developments in automation, computer science, and nanotechnology.

Cell Culture Equipment Insights

Based on cell culture equipment, the market has been segmented into equipment, end use, and application. The equipment segment has been further fragmented into incubators, centrifuges, seed germinators, microscopes, sterilizers, cell counters, and others. The centrifuges segment dominated the plant cell culture market in 2017. The incubators segment is anticipated to grow at the highest CAGR from 2018 to 2025.

Plant cell culture can be used as an alternative to cultivation or collection of plants. The number of natural products isolated using plant cell cultures is huge and is rising gradually. On a large scale, unlike the culture of microorganisms, these cells are cultured in a fermenter. The fermentation process offers certain advantages over the collection or cultivation of plant material for the isolation of high-value chemicals. The advantages include the production of entirely new compounds, continuous supply of plants as raw material, and production of plant cells under controlled conditions.

Smart Farm Equipment Insights

Based on smart farm equipment, the market has been segmented into hardware, software, end use, and application. The application segment has been further divided into plant research, breeding, product development, and quality assessment. The quality assessment segment accounted for the largest market share in 2017. The product development segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 14% from 2018 to 2025.

Smart and connected farms are gaining traction in the agriculture industry as the growers are increasingly realizing the potential of automation and control devices, sensing devices, guidance systems, and drones, and other such advanced technologies. The adoption of these technologies helps farmers minimize operational costs while still achieving better results. To increase yields, the Internet of Things (IoT) technology providers are developing platforms that can sense, process, and communicate aggregated data. An array of components such as transmitters, drones, LED lights, and microcontrollers, among others, need to be deployed to drive these IoT platforms.

IoT envisages a network of interconnected devices that can transfer data without human intervention. To meet growing food demand, farmers and agricultural companies are adopting IoT so that they can leverage analytics to augment their production capabilities. IoT can play a significant role in driving smart farm equipment market growth by increasing productivity and helping breeders get acquainted with the latest trends in farming and agriculture. This factor is anticipated to drive the market growth in the forthcoming years.

Regional Insights

Based on region, the plant biotechnology equipment market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, and South America. North America is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period owing to the increasing number of initiatives being undertaken by governments and private players for the development of advanced plant phenotyping research. These initiatives include the establishment of associations, such as the North American Plant Phenotyping Network (NAPPN), an association of researchers and scientists working toward accelerating the development of plant phenotyping research.

Asia Pacific is expected to open new growth avenues for key players operating in the plant biotechnology market. The region is home to several agricultural cooperatives and research centers. Besides, a large proportion of the regional population derives its livelihood from agriculture. Various conferences being convened in Asia Pacific are also helping in increasing penetration of plant biotechnology in the region. For instance, the Asia-Pacific Plant Phenotyping Conference 2018, which is convened in Beijing, China, would provide a platform for plant phenotyping professionals to exchange ideas and accelerate the development of plant phenotyping in the region.

Europe has already developed a plant phenotyping network for establishing the automation and phenotyping infrastructure in the region. It includes projects such as the European Plant Phenotyping Network (EPPN), International Plant Phenotyping Network (IPPN), Deutsche Pflanzen Phänotypisierungs Netzwerk (DPPN), Phenome French Plant Phenotyping Network (FPPN), and U.K. Plant Phenomics Network.

Plant Biotechnology Equipment Market Share Insights

Some of the key industry participants include Keygene N.V. (Netherlands); Heinz Walz GmbH (Germany); LemnaTec GmbH (Germany); Photon Systems Instruments, spol. s.r.o (Czech Republic); Qubit Systems (Canada); Thermo Fisher Scientific (U.S.); Tecan Group Ltd. (Switzerland); LabRepCo (U.S.); Geneq, Inc. (Canada); Illumina, Inc. (U.S.); LGC Limited (U.K.); and Evogene Ltd. (Israel).

These market players are forming strategic alliances, thereby boosting the market growth. These alliances have established an infrastructure facilitating continuous support to the market participants. For instance, in January 2016, LG Chem, a chemical company based in South Korea, announced the acquisition of FarmHannong, a company operating in business areas of crop protection, agrochemical, technical, fertilizers, potting soils, and seeds. The acquisition is expected to help LG Chem in diversifying its business portfolio, boosting its global competitiveness, and evolving it into an advanced global chemical processor.

Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends and opportunities in each of the sub-segments from 2013 to 2025. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global plant biotechnology equipment market report based on plant phenotyping equipment, plant genotyping equipment, cell culture equipment, smart farm equipment, and region:

• Plant Phenotyping Equipment Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2013 - 2025)

  • Hardware

    • Sensors Modules

      • Ultrasonic Distance Sensors

      • NDVI Sensors

      • RGB Web Cameras

      • Portable Spectrometers

      • Temperature Sensors

      • Humidity Sensors

    • Imaging devices

      • Infrared Imaging

      • Fluorescence Imaging

      • Structural Tomography

      • Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

      • Hyperspectral Imaging

      • Others (Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Forster Resonance Energy Transfer, NIR imaging)

    • Automated System

      • Bench-based

      • Conveyor-based

    • Drones

    • LED Lighting

    • Portable Devices

  • Software

  • End Use

    • Greenhouse

    • Field

    • Laboratory

  • Application

    • Plant Research

    • Breeding

    • Product Development

    • Quality Assessment

• Plant Genotyping Equipment Outlook (Revenue, USD Thousand, 2013 - 2025)

  • End Use

    • Greenhouse

    • Field

    • Laboratory

  • Application

    • Plant Research

    • Breeding

    • Product Development

    • Quality Assessment

• Cell Culture Equipment Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2013 - 2025)

  • Equipment

    • Incubators

    • Centrifuges

    • Seed Germinators

    • Microscopes

    • Sterilizer

    • Cell Counter

    • Others (autoclave, shaker, refrigerator, pH meter, cell culture vessels, syringes & needles)

  • End Use

    • Greenhouse

    • Field

    • Laboratory

  • Application

    • Plant Research

    • Breeding

    • Product Development

    • Quality Assessment

• Smart Farm Equipment Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2013 - 2025)

  • Hardware

    • Automation & Control System

      • Drones

      • Application Control Devices

      • Guidance System

        • GPS

        • GIS

      • Remote Sensing

        • Hand Held

        • Satellite Sensing

      • Driverless Tractors

      • Mobile Devices

      • Variable Rate Technology

        • Map-based

        • Sensor-based

      • Wireless Modules

      • Bluetooth Technology

        • Wi-Fi Technology

        • Zigbee

        • RF Technology

    • Sensing Devices

    • Soil Sensor

    • Nutrient Sensor

    • Moisture Sensor

    • Temperature Sensor

    • Water Sensor

    • Climate Sensor

    • Others

    • Antennas/Access Points

  • Software

    • Web-based

    • Cloud-based

  • End use

    • Greenhouse

    • Field

    • Laboratory

  • Application

    • Plant Research

    • Breeding

    • Product Development

    • Quality Assessment

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2013 - 2025)

  • North America

    • The U.S.

    • Canada

    • Mexico

  • Europe

    • The U.K.

    • Germany

    • France

  • Asia Pacific

    • India

    • China

    • Japan

    • South Korea

  • Middle East & Africa

  • South America

    • Brazil