High-throughput seed quality analysis in faba bean: leveraging Near-InfraRed spectroscopy (NIRS) data and statistical methods.

Abstract

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) provides a high-throughput phenotyping technique to assist breeding for improved faba bean seed quality. We combined chemical analysis of protein, oil content (and composition) with NIRS through chemometrics, employing Partial Least Squares (PLS), Elastic Net (EN), Memory-based Learning (MBL), and Bayes B (BB) as prediction models. Protein was the most reliably predicted trait (R2 = 0.96–0.98) across field trials, followed by oil (R2 = 0.82–0.86) and oleic acid (R2 = 0.31–0.68). Samples for training the models were selected using K-means clustering. The optimal statistical approach for prediction was compound-specific: PLS for protein (Root Mean Squared Error - RMSE = 0.46), BB for oil (RMSE = 0.067), and EN for oleic acid content (RMSE = 2.83). Reduced training set simulations revealed different effects on prediction accuracy depending on the model and compound. Several NIR regions were pinpointed as highly informative for the compounds, using the shrinkage and variable selection capabilities of EN and BB.

Plant phenotyping relevance

NIRSと複数の予測モデルにより、ソラマメ種子のタンパク質・油・脂肪酸含量を高スループット推定し、精度比較と検証を行う方法論研究である。

Code and data availability

The paper's NIRS spectral data, chemical reference measurements, and analysis pipeline are not publicly deposited; the authors state data will be made available on request. No public code, datasets, or trained models with URLs are provided.

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