Created by the CSIRO's High Resolution Plant Phenomics Centre (HRPPC), it’s affectionately known as the ‘Phenomobile’ (pictured).

Engineered by Tatura Engineering to meet CSIRO's requirements, the modification revolves around a club car golf buggy with its frame used for raised photography work, imaging, sensing and in-crop measurements.

This Phenomobile is used to traverse crops, capturing images and data, later used to understand how they perform during periods of stress.

With only a limited ground speed, courtesy of its chain-driven rear wheels, but with plenty of underbelly clearance (about 1m), this crop growth monitoring machine is set to pay dividends for researchers.

An HRPPC spokesman said technology of this calibre was needed when, for example, measuring crops impacted by salt, drought or heat stress.

The aim is to select and develop plants that can cope with Australia’s harsh environment.

CSIRO researchers already have made progress by developing a salt-tolerant durum wheat that yields 25 percent more grain than the parent variety in saline soils.

Salinity, a major environmental issue affecting much of Australia’s prime wheat-growing areas, often prevents farmers from growing durum wheat.

Researchers soon will have an aerial blimp to help them in the quest to develop salt-tolerant wheats.