After eight years of groundbreaking interdisciplinary collaboration, a Chinese research team has pioneered a revolutionary leap in agricultural technology: a nondestructive testing system that performs "seed CT scans" to assess the vitality of individual seeds.

經(jīng)過(guò)8年開(kāi)創(chuàng)性的跨學(xué)科合作，一支中國(guó)研究團(tuán)隊(duì)在農(nóng)業(yè)技術(shù)領(lǐng)域?qū)崿F(xiàn)了巨大突破：研發(fā)出了一種能夠?qū)蝹€(gè)種子進(jìn)行“CT掃描”評(píng)估其活力的無(wú)損檢測(cè)系統(tǒng)。

The prototype of the nondestructive testing and sorting instrument for the vitality of rice seeds. (Photo provided by the interviewee)

The innovation, led by Yu Yinghong, a researcher at the Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, is embodied in a prototype device that combines cutting-edge laser spectroscopy and artificial intelligence to reveal the biological secrets within seeds — without damaging them — ushering in a new era of precision agriculture.

這項(xiàng)創(chuàng)新成果由湖南省農(nóng)業(yè)科學(xué)院研究員余應(yīng)弘帶領(lǐng)團(tuán)隊(duì)研發(fā)。其核心體現(xiàn)在一款融合了尖端激光光譜技術(shù)與人工智能的原型樣機(jī)設(shè)備上，該設(shè)備能夠在不損害種子的前提下，揭示種子內(nèi)部的生物學(xué)奧秘，開(kāi)啟了精準(zhǔn)農(nóng)業(yè)的全新篇章。

Collaborating with the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the CAS Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, the interdisciplinary team established an optical nondestructive testing system based on supercontinuum laser spectroscopy.

研發(fā)過(guò)程中，團(tuán)隊(duì)與中國(guó)科學(xué)院合肥物質(zhì)科學(xué)研究院、中國(guó)科學(xué)院長(zhǎng)春光學(xué)精密機(jī)械與物理研究所攜手合作，建立了基于超連續(xù)激光光譜技術(shù)的作物種子光學(xué)無(wú)損檢測(cè)技術(shù)體系。

They collected transmission spectra and germination phenotype data from hundreds of thousands of crop seeds, building a comprehensive "spectrum-vigor" database.

他們采集了數(shù)十萬(wàn)顆不同作物種子的透射光譜與發(fā)芽表型，建立了作物種子“光譜-活力”的數(shù)據(jù)庫(kù)。

By harnessing the supercontinuum laser beams to capture detailed spectral "fingerprints" of seeds, this system detects microscopic indicators — from metabolic activity to structural integrity — hidden beneath the seed coat.

通過(guò)利用超連續(xù)譜激光束捕捉種子詳細(xì)的光譜“指紋”，該系統(tǒng)能夠檢測(cè)到隱藏在種皮之下，從代謝活動(dòng)到結(jié)構(gòu)完整性等方面的微觀指標(biāo)。

"Everything has its spectrum and for seeds, its vitality is determined by the things it contains, which can be reflected in the spectrum," he said. "We do not know what each spectrum means, but when we collected the information of enough seeds, the correlation becomes clear, so the research cannot be done without big data and AI."

余應(yīng)弘表示：“萬(wàn)物皆有其光譜，對(duì)于種子而言，其活力由種子所含物質(zhì)決定，而這些物質(zhì)能夠在光譜中得到反映。我們一開(kāi)始并不知道每條光譜意味著什么，但當(dāng)我們收集了足夠多種子的信息后，其中的相關(guān)性就變得清晰了，所以沒(méi)有大數(shù)據(jù)和人工智能，這項(xiàng)研究就無(wú)法開(kāi)展。”

Once commercialized, this technology is expected to significantly enhance seed quality for crops such as corn, cotton, rice and soybeans, thereby boosting large-scale yield improvement, he said.

余應(yīng)弘表示，一旦這項(xiàng)技術(shù)實(shí)現(xiàn)商業(yè)化，預(yù)計(jì)將顯著提升玉米、棉花、水稻和大豆等農(nóng)作物的種子質(zhì)量，從而推動(dòng)大規(guī)模的產(chǎn)量提升。

Emphasizing that seeds with superior vitality possess greater potential for yield improvement and stress resistance, Yu said that achieving nondestructive, single-seed vitality detection and sorting could break through current bottlenecks in the seed industry by ensuring higher-quality seeds for cultivation.

余應(yīng)弘強(qiáng)調(diào)，活力更強(qiáng)的種子在提高產(chǎn)量和增強(qiáng)抗逆性方面具有更大的潛力。他表示，實(shí)現(xiàn)無(wú)損、單粒種子活力檢測(cè)和分選，能夠通過(guò)確保用于種植的種子質(zhì)量更高，突破當(dāng)前種子行業(yè)的瓶頸。

Data shows the technology achieves almost 100 percent accuracy in predicting seed vitality when applied to rice, corn, soybeans and cotton.

數(shù)據(jù)顯示，當(dāng)應(yīng)用于水稻、玉米、大豆和棉花時(shí)，這項(xiàng)技術(shù)在預(yù)測(cè)種子活力方面的準(zhǔn)確率幾乎達(dá)到100%。

Using this breakthrough, the team engineered the world's first prototype for nondestructive rice seed vitality detection and sorting.

利用這一突破，該團(tuán)隊(duì)研制出了世界上首臺(tái)用于水稻種子活力無(wú)損檢測(cè)分選儀樣機(jī)。

Post-sorting germination rates also reach almost 100 percent, with the results validated by the Hunan Provincial Agricultural Society. Experts concluded that the achievement fills a critical gap in optical nondestructive seed testing and holds substantial scientific and agricultural value.

分選后的種子發(fā)芽率也幾乎達(dá)到100%，這一結(jié)果得到了湖南省農(nóng)學(xué)會(huì)組織的驗(yàn)證。專家一致認(rèn)為該成果填補(bǔ)了光學(xué)無(wú)損檢測(cè)分選水稻種子活力研究的空白，具有重大的科學(xué)和農(nóng)業(yè)價(jià)值。

Yu said the team is working hard on the commercialization of the technology, which he hopes can be achieved within five years.

余應(yīng)弘表示，團(tuán)隊(duì)正在努力推進(jìn)這項(xiàng)技術(shù)的商業(yè)化，他希望能在5年內(nèi)實(shí)現(xiàn)這一目標(biāo)。

More than 20 patents have been obtained for the technology and the team is actively applying for more government support, especially to have more seeds for testing, he said.

他表示，這項(xiàng)技術(shù)已經(jīng)獲得了20多項(xiàng)專利，團(tuán)隊(duì)正在積極申請(qǐng)更多的政府支持，尤其是希望能獲得更多用于檢測(cè)的種子。

責(zé)編：唐煜斯

一審：唐煜斯

二審：秦慧英

三審：禹振華

來(lái)源：掌上長(zhǎng)沙