Accelerating Role of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics in Crop Improvement

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a promising technology with the potential to transform conventional farming into smart agriculture by optimizing resource use, reducing human labor, and improving supply chain management, crop improvement, weed control, and disease management. 188Rapid technological advancement, particularly in automation and robotics, offers attractive solutions to meet rising food demands. Plant breeders play a central role in leveraging AI to enhance the sustainability and efficiency of breeding systems through advanced phenotyping and precision farming techniques. The integration of robots, smart sensors, and AI enables non-invasive measurement of physiological plant data, evaluation of complex traits, and prediction of plant performance and yield across various management scales. Machine learning (ML) algorithms can surpass the forecasting accuracy of traditional genotype-to-phenotype models by autonomously identifying data characteristics and relationships at multiple levels of abstraction. Deep learning, a subset of ML, employs artificial neural networks for model training using densely connected networks. AI also has applications in comparative genomics and knowledge transfer from model plants to target crops. To capitalize on the digital revolution, plant breeders must remain informed and evaluate AI-driven insights in alignment with farmers’ needs. AI holds significant potential to revolutionize future breeding studies, including omics integration and management through advanced technologies.