The University of North Texas, Research and Innovation Division, was awarded a $294,000 Project Grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (CFDA 10.310) program. The award will fund the development of a microscope-based imaging system to rapidly measure key phenotypic traits of cotton fibers, including biological fineness and ribbon shape. The system will enable high-throughput phenotyping of cotton samples to support cotton improvement efforts. The project aims to develop automated image analysis software using deep learning and image fusion algorithms to classify fiber ribbon shapes, scan profiles, and calculate 3D phenotypic features. The researchers will validate the new fiber phenotyping tool by comparing measurements to traditional testing methods across two diversity panels of cotton species and upland cotton. This advanced, high-throughput fiber phenotyping system is expected to enable cotton geneticists to assess fiber quality traits more efficiently for cotton breeding programs.
Generated 12/3/24, 8:05 AM