Digitalised phenotyping of pepper (Capsicum spp.) using effective RGB imaging and optimised camera positioning.

Area of Science:

• Plant science
• Agricultural technology
• Imaging science

Background:

• High-throughput phenotyping is crucial for plant trait selection and reducing manual data collection errors.
• The impact of camera-to-object distance on plant phenomics imaging requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze imaging parameters for defining pepper plant morphological characteristics.
• To determine the effects of camera-to-object distance on imaging plant growth, leaf dimensions, fruit, and seed traits.

Main Methods:

• Investigated three camera-to-object distances (0.8, 1.0, 1.2 m) for vegetative stage imaging.
• Utilized six camera-to-object distances (0.35-0.85 m) for reproductive stage imaging.
• Analyzed imaging parameters like Major, Minor, and Height for trait assessment.

Main Results:

• Imaging Height strongly correlated with actual plant height (r=0.9).
• An optimal 0.8 m distance improved vegetative trait correlations across pepper genotypes.
• Shorter distances (0.55-0.65 m) were optimal for fruit and seed traits, with high correlations between image area and fruit weight.

Conclusions:

• Imaging parameters accurately capture plant characteristics, offering a potential replacement for traditional assessment methods.
• Optimal camera-to-object distances vary depending on the plant growth stage and traits being measured.
• This imaging approach enhances precision in plant phenotyping for various applications.