A new study led by researchers from the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the Hebrew University and the Volcani Institute is transforming how scientists identify wheat varieties that can withstand hot, dry climates. By using drones equipped with advanced thermal and hyperspectral imaging technologies, the team has developed a faster, more accurate method for pinpointing resilient wheat — an urgent need amid growing global food insecurity and climate change.
The research, recently published in Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, was conducted by Ph.D. candidate Roy Sadeh under the supervision of Dr. Ittai Herrmann and Prof. Zvi Peleg of the Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture at Hebrew University. The team deployed drones over experimental wheat plots at the Pheno-IL research and education facility’s rain-out shelter. The drones captured high-resolution images of both emitted heat and reflected light, enabling researchers to measure key traits such as stomatal conductance, leaf area index, and chlorophyll content — critical indicators of a plant’s water-use efficiency and stress response.
Using machine learning models to analyze the data over two growing seasons, the team successfully identified 16 genetic markers associated with improved performance under both optimal and drought conditions. These genomic regions were further validated in subsequent field trials, offering promising tools for breeding climate-resilient wheat varieties, according to a press release.
“Until now, measuring stomatal conductance, the plant’s ability to regulate water—was slow and required manual tools,” said Sadeh, first author of the study. “This drone-based approach offers a fast and powerful new way to identify drought-tolerant plants, without touching the plants.”
Study Highlights Path to Climate-Resilient Wheat Through Drones and Genetic Mapping
The findings provide a practical and promising approach for plant breeders aiming to develop high-yield, climate-resilient wheat. By integrating drone-based imaging with advanced genetic analysis, the study demonstrates how breeding programs can be significantly accelerated—an essential step in meeting rising global food demand under increasingly challenging environmental conditions.
About the Study
The research examined 300 genetically diverse wheat lines grown under both optimal and drought conditions at a rain-out shelter facility. Using support vector machine models, the team analyzed drone-captured thermal and hyperspectral images to estimate plant traits. This approach improved water-use estimation accuracy by 28%. Notably, the study is the first to use UAV-derived measurements of stomatal conductance to map genetic markers in wheat.
As climate change continues to pressure global food systems, such innovations offer powerful tools to adapt agriculture for the future. By merging advanced phenotyping technologies with genetic insight, the research sets a foundation for developing wheat varieties that are more resilient to heat, drought, and other climate-related stresses — supporting long-term food security.
The study was supported by the Israeli Council for Higher Education (Future Crops for Carbon Farming project), the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Chief Scientist of the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
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