Non-invasive imaging and biochemical profiling reveal genotypic variation in Tagetes erecta L. to cold stress

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to establish a phenomic-based screening protocol for cold tolerance in African marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) by integrating non-invasive imaging with physiological and biochemical analyses, addressing the gap between field crop and ornamental breeding applications where cold stress significantly constrains cultivation by affecting growth, development, and productivity. Methodology: Ten marigold genotypes were evaluated under controlled polyhouse and natural cold stress conditions across two growing seasons. High-throughput plant phenotyping utilizing RGB, near-infrared, and thermal imaging quantified key traits including morphological characteristics (via RGB), tissue water content (via near-infrared), and thermal regulation (via thermal imaging), complemented by targeted physiological and biochemical analyses. Results: Significant genotypic variation was observed, as cold stress caused 70.7% reduction in plant area and 24.3% decrease in the photosynthetic rate. Genotype Af./W-4 exhibited superior cold tolerance through enhanced photosynthetic maintenance, minimal reductions in greenness (4.4%), membrane stability (11%), and photosynthetic rate (14.2%), followed by genotypes PB and Af./W-6. Multivariate analysis indicated that key determinants of cold stress performance include traits like plant area, caliper length, greenness, and photosynthetic rate. Interpretation: Integration of non-invasive imaging with biochemical analysis successfully differentiated cold-tolerant from the susceptible genotypes. This comprehensive approach provides an efficient screening methodology for identifying climate-resilient genotypes in ornamental crops, potentially accelerating cold-tolerant genotype development for sustainable floriculture production. Key words: African marigold, Cold tolerance, Genotypic-variation, High through put phenotyping, Tagetes erecta L.

Plant phenotyping relevance

非侵襲イメージングを用いた高スループット植物表現型解析とスクリーニングプロトコルの確立が中心であり、冷ストレス耐性の形質抽出・評価に実質的に関与している。

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