How to help Socrates find the most beautiful flower?

Once upon a time, there was a story that told the true meaning of love: "A student asked Socrates what love is. Socrates asked him to go to the garden to find the most beautiful rose. At that time, the roses in the garden were blooming and they all looked very beautiful. It was really hard to tell which was better. In the end, the student returned empty-handed!"

It’s a pity that this story takes place in ancient Greece. If it happened now, I would say: “No matter what kind of flower you want, I can find it for you!”

In fact, when we discuss how to help Socrates find the most beautiful flower, we will enter the world of plant phenomics.

Plant phenotype refers to the form of a plant, which is the result of the interaction between genes and the environment. When Yan Zi sighed, "Oranges grown in the south of the Huai River are oranges, while those grown in the north of the Huai River are tangerines", have you ever wondered, "Why do oranges with the same genes grow different fruits in two different environments in the south and north of the Huai River?" Plant phenomics can help you answer this question.

Specifically, plant phenomics is an emerging interdisciplinary subject that uses engineering technology and scientific methods to measure and analyze the external characteristics of plants, such as shape, color, size, growth rate, disease resistance, etc., and then find out the relationship between these characteristics and plant genes, environment, management and other factors. This can help us better understand the functions of plants, improve the yield, quality, resistance, resource utilization efficiency of crops, protect plant diversity, and respond to challenges such as climate change.

For example, in order to quickly and comprehensively understand the phenotypic characteristics of plants, we can use the power of modern technology. With the help of high-resolution digital cameras, we can quickly and comprehensively take photos of plants and capture details such as plant morphology, color, texture, etc., understand the growth laws of plants, and then assist in variety selection.

**Figure 1.** High-resolution IoT cameras automatically capture life-cycle photos of different wheat varieties

In addition to photos, we can also use other high-throughput technologies to obtain more phenotypic data. For example, through LiDAR technology, we can obtain the three-dimensional structure of plants and calculate plant height, width and other information. By monitoring the chlorophyll fluorescence of leaves, we can study the photosynthesis efficiency of plants. By monitoring the degree of stomatal closure, we can study the stress resistance of plants...

Figure 2. LiDAR technology reconstructs the "digital field" to obtain the detailed "figure" of corn (soybeans, rice, wheat), etc., and understand the sleep patterns of crops.

Figure 3. Put a bracelet on the leaves and give each stoma an "ID card" to observe its circadian rhythm and response to adversity

For roses, by integrating these multi-dimensional data, we can build a model of the beauty of roses that Socrates likes. Then use artificial intelligence methods to perform target detection and statistical analysis. In this way, we can quickly evaluate the beauty of all roses in the garden and then select the most beautiful rose!

Figure 4. Automatic identification of the “territory” of different varieties based on deep learning technology, i.e. identification of breeding plot boundaries

Plant phenomics can not only help us quickly find the most beautiful flowers, but also play a role in many other directions. It can provide scientific basis and technical support for the discovery of excellent germplasm resources, intelligent design breeding, biodiversity protection, agricultural disease prevention and control, etc., and escort humans to cope with climate change, increase food production, and improve human health. It is an interdisciplinary subject with broad application prospects.

Through plant phenomics, we can gain a deeper understanding of the mysteries of the plant world and explore the diversity and adaptability of plants. Such scientific exploration not only makes us love nature more, but also provides valuable knowledge and inspiration for human life and future. Let us step into the world of plant phenomics and discover the infinite possibilities of the beauty of nature!