High-Throughput Phenotyping for Assessing Drought Responses of Novel Citrus Rootstock Genotypes
摘要
The study utilized high-throughput phenotyping (HTP) techniques, including red-blue-green (RGB), infra-red (IR), near infra-red (NIR) imagings, and chlorophyll fluorescence, along with biochemical indices to evaluate the drought tolerance and recovery potential (after two weeks of rewatering) of novel citrus rootstock genotypes. The RGB imaging quantified geometric traits such as projected shoot area, convex hull area, object extent Y, compactness and eccentricity, revealing reductions in plant canopy size, height, and density under drought stress. IR imaging highlighted the plant canopy temperatures, while NIR imaging detected reduced water content, which provided an early indication of drought stress. Chlorophyll fluorescence analysis identified genotype-specific changes in photosynthetic activity, with a significant decline observed in drought-sensitive genotypes such as SCSH 17 − 12 and Cleopatra mandarin. Rewatering enabled partial recovery in several genotypes, with X639 demonstrating the highest drought tolerance and recovery, followed by the hybrid CRH 21 − 13, which emerged as a promising rootstock for water-limited conditions. The biochemical analysis of the tested rootstocks under normal and drought stress conditions also proved that the hybrid CRH 21 − 13 can be utilized in the drought-prone areas for citrus cultivation. The integration of advanced imaging technologies showed strong correlations between image-based traits and physiological drought responses, highlighting their utility for non-destructive screening of plants under drought stress and genetic evaluation.