DIGITAL CANOPY HEIGHT MEASURED WITH RGB-UAV DRONE REVEALED THE TIME SEQUENCE ACTIVATION OF RHT AND VRN GENES IN BREAD WHEAT
Author(s)
Date Issued
2025
Type
conferenceObject
Abstract
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based high-throughput phenotyping offers unprecedented
opportunities to monitor crop development with high temporal and spatial resolution. In this
study, UAV-derived canopy height data were integrated into a breeding-oriented workflow for
wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) via remote sensing plus genetic signature.
To capture both elite diversity and segregating variation, a panel collection of 173 elite Italian
cultivars and a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population comprising 164 genotypes were
phenotyped over two growing seasons under Mediterranean conditions, using an augmented
design to ensure robust trait assessment. UAV flights were conducted regularly from sowing to
harvest, and RGB imagery was processed using Structure-from-Motion (SfM) to generate digital
canopy height (DCH) models. Ground-truth canopy height was manually measured and used to
validate the DCH accuracy.
Quantile-based metrics extracted from DCH rasters achieved high prediction accuracy (R² =
0.89–0.95 for the diversity panel and R² = 0.94–0.98 for the RILs with Root Mean Square Error
(RMSE) ranging between 0.07 - 0.20 m, respectively, with a greater precision at higher canopy
percentiles.
Time-series data of canopy height and derived growth rates were then combined through
genome-wide association (GWAS) and QTL mapping approaches, revealing a dynamic genetic
architecture, with important loci including Rht-1 and Vrn-1 showing stage-specific effects across
the growing season.
Overall, this study demonstrates how UAV-based phenotyping, combined with temporal
quantitative genetics, enables high-resolution dissection of plant growth dynamics and the
timing of key gene activities—paving the way for the integration of temporal traits into wheat
breeding pipelines.
This work was carried out within the Agritech National Research Center, funded by MIUR
European Union PNRR – MISSIONE 4 COMPONENTE 2, INVESTIMENTO 1.4 -SPOKE 1
INVESTIMENTO 1.4
Conference(s)
LXVIII SIGA Annual Congress