Integrating solar induced fluorescence with high throughput plant screening for advanced phenotyping of plants

• High resolution spectroradiometer was added into large-scale phenotyping system • Plant transpiration and biomass production were compared with vegetation indices • Solar Induced Fluorescence based indices correlated with daily biomass accumulation • Photosynthesis Response Index showed high correlation with plant drought stress • Quantum Yield related indices correlated with final produce weight There is an urgent need to address the escalating impacts of climate change, particularly the exacerbation of drought conditions, which pose significant threats to global food security and agricultural sustainability. Innovative solutions are imperative, and one such solution involves integrating advanced technologies like the "PlantArray" system to monitor and enhance plant physiological responses to water scarcity. The "PlantArray" system enables the precise measurement of critical whole-plant physiological traits such as transpiration rate, canopy stomatal conductance (Gs canopy), and growth rate with an exceptional spatiotemporal resolution. Augmenting this system with photosynthesis measurements offers an additional layer of information, facilitating a more focused interpretation of the system parameters. To overcome the limitations of single-leaf photosynthesis measurement techniques, this study employs a remote sensing approach to rapidly scan numerous samples at multiple time points, revealing insights into drought stress responses of S. licopersicum lines. An ultra-spectral spectroradiometer mounted on a mobile cart was positioned above an experimental matrix comprising drought-stressed S. licopersicum obsolete and mutagenic lines. Our findings reveal that the vegetation index PRI exhibited greater sensitivity to drought stress compared to other vegetation and photosynthesis remote sensing indices. Photosynthesis indices demonstrated increased sensitivity to daily biomass accumulation and served as predictors of final plant yield. Interestingly, Solar-Induced Fluorescence (SIF) parameters, solely indicative of photosynthesis-emitted fluorescence, exhibited no correlation with stress levels or final biomass production. This study articulates the potential to monitor plant responses to agricultural stressors through real-time physiological tracking across complete diel cycles, thereby enriching our understanding of plant-environment interactions. Ultimately, this integrated system shows promise in screening and developing crop cultivars with ideal physiological and photosynthetic traits, vital to cultivating resilient crops in extreme droughts and weather conditions.