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Dryad

UAV cotton flower counting dataset

Data files

Feb 05, 2025 version files 2.65 GB

Abstract

Many perennial plants make important contributions to agroeconomies and agroecosystems, but have complex architecture and/or long flowering duration that hinders measurement and selection. Iteratively tracking productivity over a long flowering/fruiting season may permit the identification of genetic factors conferring different reproductive strategies that might be successful in different environments, ranging from rapid early maturation that avoids stresses, to late maturation that utilizes the full seasonal duration to maximize productivity. In cotton, a perennial plant that is generally cultivated as an annual crop, we apply aerial imagery and deep learning methods to novel and stable genetic stocks, identifying genetic factors influencing the duration and rate of fruiting. While these factors may have different relationships with crop productivity and quality in different environments, their determination adds potentially important information to breeding decisions. With transfer learning of the deep learning models, this approach could be applied widely, potentially improving gains from selection in diverse perennial shrubs and trees essential to sustainable agricultural intensification.