Given the increasing frequency, severity, and socioecological impacts of wildfires, there is an urgent need for robust frameworks to better characterize fire behavior and flammability patterns across ecosystems to support early warning, mitigation, and management strategies. However, flammability remains difficult to quantify and scale, as it involves multiple interacting components that are typically measured at the bench scale. This study aimed to establish empirical links between spectral information, plant traits, and flammability metrics, and to scale these relationships to satellite imagery to translate these metrics into a spatial context. We combined laboratory spectroscopy, plant trait measurements including leaf mass per area, carbon, and cellulose, and combustion experiments using a simple and reproducible burning device. In total, 84 samples were collected and analysed, allowing us to characterise how spectral signatures relate to vegetation traits and fire behaviour. Spectral indices were developed to estimate plant traits, which were subsequently used as predictors in flammability models. These models were then transferred to Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program (EnMAP) hyperspectral imagery to derive spatial estimates across eucalypt forests and grasslands of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Spectral information distinguished fuel types and captured variability of the plant traits, while these traits showed associations with combustion behaviour. Based on these links, the best-performing model predicted the rate of temperature increase, a combustibility metric, in eucalypt forests (R2 = 0.70; Root Mean Square Error = 32.48 °C/s). In contrast, grassland models showed limited predictive performance, likely due to weaker relationships between plant traits and flammability metrics. Overall, this study demonstrates a practical and scalable approach for deriving flammability maps from hyperspectral and in situ data, highlighting the potential of plant-trait-based remote sensing. The resulting maps should not be interpreted as standalone fire risk products, but rather as a characterization of the structural and biochemical drivers of flammability. The main constraint of this work is the limited sample size. Future research should expand spatial and temporal coverage to better capture vegetation variability and enable the inclusion of independent validation datasets. Exploring alternative combustion protocols and testing more advanced spectral modelling approaches for trait estimation would provide additional insights.
Why it matches plant phenotyping methods植物形質を分光情報から推定し、ハイパースペクトル画像へ展開して可燃性関連の植物状態を評価する手法が研究の中心であり、モデル性能も検証しているため。
abstractSpectral indices were developed to estimate plant traits, which were subsequently used as predictors in flammability models.
Reproduction assets foundThe paper's supplementary materials (hosted publicly by MDPI) contain the paper-specific plant phenotype measurements: sampled species lists, fractional cover, and measured vegetation traits across dates and plots, plus combustion replicate variability and trait–flammability relationship data. The raw underlying data,谱Supplement · publicbroader environmental coverage, improved plant trait retrieval meth-
ods, and independent validation. Future work should also explore non-linear modelling
frameworks to better capture the complexity of vegetation flammability across ecosystems.
Supplementary Materials: The following supporting information can be downloaded at:
https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/rs18101546/s1, Supplementary Table S1 provides the list of
sampled plant species and their percentage cover across sites, paddocks, plots, and fuel types; Table
S2 presents the fractional cover of each species and litter component; Figure S1 shows the study-site
vegetation map; Figures S2–S6 show the measured vegetation traits acrosOpen asset ↗pdf-raw-page:22 lines:1-49Code / dataset availability confirmedEurope PMC · checked 15 Sept 2026
Genomic and phenomic selection have transformed modern breeding by enabling data-driven prediction of complex traits. Deep learning (DL) can further enhance predictive ability by capturing nonlinear patterns that classical and Bayesian approaches often fail to represent. However, despite its potential, the adoption of DL in breeding programs remains limited due to its computational demands and the lack of accessible tools for users without extensive programming experience. This study introduces the MTMEGPS (Multi-Trait and Multi-Environment Genomic and Phenomic Selection), an R package that provides a streamlined end-to-end workflow for Uni- and Multi-Trait (UT and MT, respectively) and Uni- and Multi-Environment (UE and ME, respectively) genomic and phenomic prediction. The package supports data preparation, hyperparameter optimization, model training, and DL-based evaluation. To assess its performance, MTMEGPS was applied to the two default datasets included in the package: Maize (genomic data) and Eucalyptus (near-infrared spectroscopy, NIR, data), as well as to an independent publicly available multi-environment validation dataset. Across most scenarios, MTMEGPS showed superior predictive ability compared with all benchmark models, particularly under UT for the internal datasets and MT for the independent multi-environment dataset. Mean squared error (MSE) values were similar across models, all falling within a moderate range. Overall, these results demonstrate the efficiency and practical utility of MTMEGPS for genomic and phenomic selection, even in scenarios where prediction errors remain moderate.
Why it matches plant phenotyping methods植物の複雑形質を予測するゲノム・フェノミック選抜用Rパッケージを開発し、データ準備からモデル評価までの再利用可能なワークフローを提供・検証しているため、フェノタイピング関連ソフトウェアとして中心的です。
abstractThis study introduces the MTMEGPS (Multi-Trait and Multi-Environment Genomic and Phenomic Selection), an R package that provides a streamlined end-to-end workflow for Uni- and Multi-Trait (UT and MT, respectively) and Uni- and Multi-Environment (UE and ME, respectively) genomic and phenomic prediction.
Reproduction assets foundThe paper's authors publicly released the MTMEGPS R package (analysis code/workflow) on GitHub, and the independent multi-environment maize validation dataset (phenotypes and genotypes) is publicly available via the Genomes to Fields initiative DOI. Both are paper-specific, public, and actionable.Dataset · publicnal phenotypic information.
2.2
Independent multi-environment maize validation dataset
The datasets analyzed in this study were obtained from the Genomes to Fields (G2F) initiative ( www.genomes2fields.org ). The dataset comprises 135 unique maize hybrids evaluated across nine experimental sites during the 2018 growing season ( https://doi.org/10.25739/anqq-sg86 ). Phenotypic measurements were collected following standardized protocols provided by the G2F consortium, as detailed in the accompanying documentation available on the project website.
The traits evaluated in this study included plant height (distance from the plant base to the ligule of the flag leaf), ear height (distance fOpen asset ↗10.25739/anqq-sg86lines:51-61Code / dataset availability confirmedEurope PMC · checked 9 Sept 2026
Herbivore foraging decisions are closely related to plant nutritional quality. For arboreal folivores with specialized diets, such as the vulnerable greater glider ( Petauroides volans ), the abundance of suitable forage trees can influence habitat suitability and species occurrence. The ability to model and map foliar nitrogen would therefore enhance our understanding of folivore habitat use at finer scales. We tested whether high-resolution multispectral imagery, collected by a lightweight and low-cost commercial unoccupied aerial vehicle (UAV), could be used to predict total and digestible foliar nitrogen (N and digN) at the tree canopy level and forest stand-scale from leaf-scale chemistry measurements across a gradient of mixed-species Eucalyptus forests in southeastern Australia. We surveyed temperate Eucalyptus forests across an elevational and topographic gradient from sea level to high elevation (50-1200 m a.s.l.) for forest structure, leaf chemistry, and greater glider occurrence. Using measures of multispectral leaf reflectance and spectral indices, we estimated N and digN and mapped N and favorable feeding habitat using machine learning algorithms. Our surveys covered 17 Eucalyptus species ranging in foliar N from 0.63% to 1.92% dry matter (DM) and digN from 0.45% to 1.73% DM. Both multispectral leaf reflectance and spectral indices were strong predictors for N and digN in model cross-validation. At the tree level, 79% of variability between observed and predicted measures of nitrogen was explained. A spatial supervised classification model correctly identified 80% of canopy pixels associated with high N concentrations (≥1% DM). We developed a successful method for estimating foliar nitrogen of a range of temperate Eucalyptus species using UAV multispectral imagery at the tree canopy level and stand scale. The ability to spatially quantify feeding habitat using UAV imagery allows remote assessments of greater glider habitat at a scale relevant to support ground surveys, management, and conservation for the vulnerable greater glider across southeastern Australia.
Why it matches plant phenotyping methodsUAVマルチスペクトル画像と機械学習により、樹冠レベル・林分スケールの葉面窒素を推定・検証する手法が研究の中心であり、植物形質の取得方法に該当する。
abstractWe tested whether high-resolution multispectral imagery, collected by a lightweight and low-cost commercial unoccupied aerial vehicle (UAV), could be used to predict total and digestible foliar nitrogen (N and digN) at the tree canopy level and forest stand-scale
Reproduction assets foundThe paper's data availability statement deposits all datasets and analysis scripts on Dryad (public DOI), while UAV imagery, point clouds and raster data are only available upon request. The Victorian Biodiversity Atlas is a third-party public database of animal observations, not a paper-specific phenotyping asset.Dataset · publicAll other datasets and scripts are available on Dryad via https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.k0p2ngf9d .Open asset ↗Dryad · 10.5061/dryad.k0p2ngf9dlines:600-681