Qsorter® Explorer Installed at NMBU: Training Completed and Sample Testing Underway

NMBU has reached an important milestone in its research infrastructure upgrade: the Qsorter® Explorer from QualySense is now fully installed at Vollebekk, and the first training sessions have been successfully completed two weeks ago. Christian Winterflood from QualySense visited NMBU to carry out the installation and guide our engineers and researchers through the initial training.

The team has already begun testing barley samples, using the instrument to predict protein content and comparing the results with data from existing analytical tools. These early tests are helping us validate performance and ensure that we can deliver a reliable, high‑quality service to researchers.

The arrival of the Qsorter® Explorer at the end of last year was announced as a major step forward for NMBU’s capabilities in seed quality, phenotyping, and precision agriculture. With installation and onboarding now complete, the instrument is officially operational — and early results are confirming its potential.

Developed by the Swiss technology company QualySense, the Qsorter® Explorer provides non‑destructive, single‑kernel analysis using advanced imaging and machine‑learning algorithms. The system supports a wide range of traits across several important crops, including:

• Barley: color, moisture, protein
• Faba beans: color
• Green peas: color
• Groats: color
• Oats: color, geometry
• Wheat: color, fusarium damage, geometry, hardness, moisture, protein

These capabilities enable detailed, kernel‑level phenotyping and quality assessment, strengthening research in breeding, grain quality, and trait characterization.

During the training sessions, participants explored the instrument’s workflow, calibration procedures, and data outputs. Initial test runs have already demonstrated the system’s precision and throughput, giving researchers a clear sense of how the platform will support upcoming projects.

With the Qsorter® Explorer now in active use, NMBU is well positioned to expand its research in plant and grain sciences. Further updates will follow as more datasets are generated and new applications are explored.