Integrated web portal for non-destructive salt sensitivity detection of Camelina sativa seeds using fluorescent and visible light images coupled with machine learning algorithms

Abstract

Climate change has created unprecedented stresses in the agricultural sector, driving the necessity of adapting agricultural practices and developing novel solutions to the food crisis. Camelina sativa (Camelina) is a recently emerging oilseed crop with high nutrient-density and economic potential. Camelina seeds are rich in essential fatty acids and contain potent antioxidants required to maintain a healthy diet. Camelina seeds are equally amenable to economic applications such as jet fuel, biodiesel and high-value industrial lubricants due to their favorable proportions of unsaturated fatty acids. High soil salinity is one of the major abiotic stresses threatening the yield and usability of such crops. A promising mitigation strategy is automated, non-destructive, image-based phenotyping to assess seed quality in the food manufacturing process. In this study, we evaluate the effectiveness of image-based phenotyping on fluorescent and visible light images to quantify and qualify Camelina seeds. We developed a user-friendly web portal called SeedML that can uncover key morpho-colorimetric features to accurately identify Camelina seeds coming from plants grown in high salt conditions using a phenomics platform equipped with fluorescent and visible light cameras. This portal may be used to enhance quality control, identify stress markers and observe yield trends relevant to the agricultural sector in a high throughput manner. Findings of this work may positively contribute to similar research in the context of the climate crisis, while supporting the implementation of new quality controls tools in the agri-food domain.

Keywords: AI; Camelina sativa; abiotic stress; artificial intelligence; image analysis; phenomics; phenotyping; salinity.