Optical sensors: deciphering plant phenomics in breeding factories

Rapid, scalable, noninvasive, and high-throughput optical sensors and sensing methods have been widely used to elucidate plant phenomics for agriculture and ecosystems. Plant reflectance spectra acquired by spectrometers or spectral imaging measure and capture variations in electromagnetic radiation after interactions with leaves or canopy, which can uncover the fingerprints of structural, chemical, and functional traits of a large plant population. The recent development of miniaturized sensors further promotes using this technology, especially for accelerating crop breeding.