Maize Ear Height and Ear–Plant Height Ratio Estimation with LiDAR Data and Vertical Leaf Area Profile

Abstract

Ear height (EH) and ear–plant height ratio (ER) are important agronomic traits in maize that directly affect nutrient utilization efficiency and lodging resistance and ultimately relate to maize yield. However, challenges in executing large-scale EH and ER measurements severely limit maize breeding programs. In this paper, we propose a novel, simple method for field monitoring of EH and ER based on the relationship between ear position and vertical leaf area profile. The vertical leaf area profile was estimated from Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) and Drone Laser Scanner (DLS) data by applying the voxel-based point cloud method. The method was validated using two years of data collected from 128 field plots. The main factors affecting the accuracy were investigated, including the LiDAR platform, voxel size, and point cloud density. The EH using TLS data yielded R2 = 0.59 and RMSE = 16.90 cm for 2019, R2 = 0.39 and RMSE = 18.40 cm for 2021. In contrast, the EH using DLS data had an R2 = 0.54 and RMSE = 18.00 cm for 2019, R2 = 0.46 and RMSE = 26.50 cm for 2021 when the planting density was 67,500 plants/ha and below. The ER estimated using 2019 TLS data has R2 = 0.45 and RMSE = 0.06. In summary, this paper proposed a simple method for measuring maize EH and ER in the field, the results will also offer insights into the structure-related traits of maize cultivars, further aiding selection in molecular breeding.

Plant phenotyping relevance

LiDAR点群とボクセル解析によりトウモロコシの穂高・穂高比を推定する方法を開発し、複数年・圃場プロットで精度検証しており、表現型取得手法が研究の中心である。

Code and data availability

The paper's Data Availability Statement explicitly states 'Data sharing not applicable.' No public phenotype datasets, LiDAR point clouds, in situ measurements, analysis code, or trained models are deposited or linked. All other URLs in the text are cited prior-work references, not paper-specific assets.

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