The More Fractal the Architecture the More Intensive the Color of Flower: A Superpixel-Wise Analysis towards High-Throughput Phenotyping

Abstract

A breeder can select a visually appealing phenotype, whether for ornamentation or landscaping. However, the organic vision is not accurate and objective, making it challenging to bring a reliable phenotyping intervention into implementation. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop an innovative solution to predict the intensity of the flower’s color upon the external shape of the crop. We merged the single linear iterative clustering (SLIC) algorithm and box-counting method (BCM) into a framework to extract useful imagery data for biophysical modeling. Then, we validated our approach by fitting Gompertz function to data on intensity of flower’s color and fractal dimension (SD) of the architecture of white-flower, yellow-flower, and red-flower varieties of Portulaca umbraticola. The SLIC algorithm segmented the images into uniform superpixels, enabling the BCM to precisely capture the SD of the architecture. The SD ranged from 1.938315 to 1.941630, which corresponded to pixel-wise intensities of 220.85 and 47.15. Thus, the more compact the architecture the more intensive the color of the flower. The sigmoid Gompertz function predicted such a relationship at radj2 > 0.80. This study can provide further knowledge to progress the field’s prominence in developing breakthrough strategies toward improving the control of visual quality and breeding of ornamentals.