Crop Seed Phenomics: Focus on Non-Destructive Functional Trait Phenotyping Methods and Applications

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Plant Biology
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Seeds are vital for global food security, necessitating efficient methods for quality assessment and crop improvement.
• Significant biodiversity in seed traits requires robust, high-throughput, non-destructive phenomics techniques.
• Recent advancements focus on non-destructive seed phenomics to meet these demands.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advances in non-destructive seed phenomics techniques.
• To discuss the applications, advantages, and limitations of various methods for seed quality evaluation.
• To highlight the potential of these techniques in accelerating crop improvement and sustainability.

Main Methods:

• Fourier Transform near infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy
• Dispersive-Diode Array (DA-NIR) spectroscopy
• Single-Kernel (SKNIR) spectroscopy
• Micro-Electromechanical Systems (MEMS-NIR) spectroscopy
• Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI)
• Micro-Computed Tomography Imaging (micro-CT)

Main Results:

• These non-destructive techniques offer powerful tools for analyzing seed nutritive traits.
• NIR spectroscopy shows increasing adoption for seed quality phenomics.
• Methods facilitate trait identification, measurement, classification, and screening/sorting.

Conclusions:

• Non-destructive seed phenomics techniques are crucial for enhancing crop improvement and ensuring food security.
• Continued adoption and development of these methods will benefit breeders and the agricultural industry.
• Addressing current limitations will further accelerate progress in sustainable agriculture.