Phenotyping for heat tolerance in food crops

The global population is projected to increase by nearly 2 billion over the next three decades, rising from 8 billion to approximately 9.7 billion by 2050, with a potential peak of around 10.4 billion by the mid-2080s, presenting a significant challenge in meeting food security demands. Consequently, there is an urgent need for innovative technologies aimed at crop improvement and sustainable agricultural practices, as traditional methods of crop enhancement are often labor-intensive and time-consuming. Plant phenomics emerges as a promising solution by leveraging advanced imaging techniques, data analysis, robotics, and machine learning to facilitate a deeper understanding of gene function and environmental responses. Temperature assessments can be conducted at multiple scales using infrared thermometers, with portable sensors recording leaf, plant, and canopy temperatures, while larger-scale measurements are achieved through probes and cameras mounted on tractors, drones, and satellites. Additionally, the fluorescence of excited leaf pigments serves as a basis for evaluating photosynthetic activity, plant cover rates, and nitrogen nutrition indices. This review highlights the critical role of plant phenomics in understanding plant physiology and phenotyping various traits, detailing the tools and techniques employed in this field. By integrating these advanced methodologies, researchers can better characterize plant responses to abiotic and biotic stresses, ultimately contributing to the development of resilient food crops capable of thriving in changing environmental conditions—an essential step toward ensuring global food security for the future.