Hyperspectral–machine learning framework enables early and non-destructive prediction of plant resistance to pest

Abstract

The brown planthopper ( Nilaparvata lugens ) is one of the most destructive pests of rice and poses a threat to yield stability and food security. Although host-plant resistance is the most sustainable strategy for BPH management, conventional resistance phenotyping remains labor-intensive, destructive, and poorly suited for large-scale breeding. Here, we combined hyperspectral reflectance profiling of 50 rice varieties with an interpretable machine learning framework to enable non-destructive prediction of resistance phenotypes. Using post-infestation spectral profiles, we established classification models that captured resistance states shaped by constitutive traits and inducible defense responses. Among 13 evaluated algorithms, a radial basis function support vector machine achieved the best performance on full-spectrum data within the sampled variety panel, with an average accuracy of 0.939 ± 0.015 and a maximum of 0.972. Predictive wavelengths were concentrated in the green, red-edge, and near-infrared regions, corresponding to variation in pigment regulation, canopy structure, and water status. Spectral and network analyses showed that resistant genotypes exhibited more complex but less stable spectral co-occurrence networks, consistent with physiological trade-offs associated with defense. We also tested whether resistance could be predicted before pest infestation. Pre-infestation spectra retained significant predictive power, with accuracies of 0.572 ± 0.021 for five-class classification and 0.667 ± 0.021 for binary classification, indicating that constitutive defense-associated physiological states are optically detectable before visible damage occurs. Together, our results show that hyperspectral reflectance encodes both inducible responses after infestation and constitutive defense baselines present beforehand. This work establishes a scalable, non-invasive phenotyping strategy for early resistance screening within evaluated germplasm panels, while future validation across independent and variety-level held-out populations will be required before broader deployment.

Plant phenotyping relevance

イネの害虫抵抗性という植物状態を、ハイパースペクトル計測と機械学習で非破壊推定する方法を開発・評価しており、表現型取得が研究の中心である。

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