School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602, United States of America.
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602, United States of America.
Sci Rep. 2018 Jan 19;8(1):1213. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-19142-2.
Imaging sensors can extend phenotyping capability, but they require a system to handle high-volume data. The overall goal of this study was to develop and evaluate a field-based high throughput phenotyping system accommodating high-resolution imagers. The system consisted of a high-clearance tractor and sensing and electrical systems. The sensing system was based on a distributed structure, integrating environmental sensors, real-time kinematic GPS, and multiple imaging sensors including RGB-D, thermal, and hyperspectral cameras. Custom software was developed with a multilayered architecture for system control and data collection. The system was evaluated by scanning a cotton field with 23 genotypes for quantification of canopy growth and development. A data processing pipeline was developed to extract phenotypes at the canopy level, including height, width, projected leaf area, and volume from RGB-D data and temperature from thermal images. Growth rates of morphological traits were accordingly calculated. The traits had strong correlations (r = 0.54-0.74) with fiber yield and good broad sense heritability (H = 0.27-0.72), suggesting the potential for conducting quantitative genetic analysis and contributing to yield prediction models. The developed system is a useful tool for a wide range of breeding/genetic, agronomic/physiological, and economic studies.
成像传感器可以扩展表型分析能力，但它们需要一个系统来处理大容量数据。本研究的总体目标是开发和评估一种基于现场的高通量表型分析系统，以适应高分辨率成像仪。该系统由一个高间隙拖拉机和传感与电气系统组成。传感系统基于分布式结构，集成了环境传感器、实时运动学 GPS 和多个成像传感器，包括 RGB-D、热和高光谱相机。定制软件采用多层架构开发，用于系统控制和数据采集。该系统通过扫描 23 个基因型的棉田来评估，以量化冠层生长和发育。开发了一个数据处理管道，从 RGB-D 数据中提取冠层水平的表型，包括高度、宽度、投影叶面积和体积，并从热图像中提取温度。相应地计算了形态特征的生长速率。这些特征与纤维产量具有很强的相关性(r = 0.54-0.74)，具有良好的广义遗传力(H = 0.27-0.72)，这表明它们有可能进行数量遗传学分析，并有助于产量预测模型的建立。开发的系统是进行广泛的育种/遗传、农艺/生理和经济研究的有用工具。
