Robot measures leaf angle and helps select better corn plants
AGDAILY Contributors*
Image : Bjorn Beheydt, Shutterstock
Researchers from North Carolina State University and Iowa State University demonstrated a automated technology able to accurately measure leaf angle of corn plants in fields. This technology makes leaf angle data collection much more efficient than conventional techniques, providing plant breeders with useful data sooner.
« The angle of a plant’s leaves relative to its stem is important because it influences the plant’s photosynthesis efficiency. explains Mr. Lirong Xiang, first author of a paper on this work and assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering at NC State. « For example, in the case of maize, it is necessary that the leaves located at the top are relatively vertical and that the leaves located lower are more horizontal. This allows the plant to capture more sunlight. Plant breeding researchers monitor this type of plant architecture because it helps them in their work. »
« However, conventional methods of sheet angle measurement involve measuring sheets by hand using a protractor, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive. says Xiang. ” We wanted to find a way to automate this process, and we did. »
The new technology, called AngleNethas two key components: hardware and software.
The hardware, in this case, is a robotic device mounted on wheels. The device is manually steered and is narrow enough to move between crop rows which are spaced 30 inches (76 centimeters) apart – the standard width used by farmers. The device itself consists of four levels of cameras, each set at a different height to capture a different level of leaves on surrounding plants. Each tier includes two cameras, making it possible to capture a stereoscopic view of the leaves and model the plants in 3D.
/image%2F1635744%2F20230408%2Fob_b3c2ab_capture-robot-3.PNG)
When the camera is pointed along a row of plants, it is programmed to capture multiple stereoscopic images, at multiple heights, of each plant it passes.
All of this visual data is fed into software which then calculates the angle of each plant’s leaves at different heights.
« For plant breeders, it is important to know not only the angle of the leaves, but also the distance between these leaves and the ground. says Xiang. ” This gives them the information they need to assess the leaf angle distribution for each row of plants. This can help them identify genetic lines that exhibit desirable — or undesirable — characteristics. »
To test the accuracy ofAngleNetthe researchers compared leaf angle measurements made by the robot in a cornfield to leaf angle measurements made by hand using conventional techniques.
« We found that the angles measured by AngleNet were within 5 degrees of hand-measured angles, which is well within the accepted margin of error for plant breeding purposes says Xiang.
« We are already working with some crop scientists to use this technology, and we are hopeful that other researchers will be interested in adopting this technology in their work. Ultimately, our goal is to accelerate plant breeding research to improve crop yield. »
____________
* Source : Robot measures leaf angles, helping breed better corn plants | AGDAILY
