Integrating genomics, phenomics, and deep learning improves the predictive ability for Fusarium head blight-related traits in winter wheat.

Fusarium head blight (FHB) remains one of the most destructive diseases of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), causing considerable losses in yield and end-use quality. Phenotyping of FHB resistance traits, Fusarium-damaged kernels (FDK), and deoxynivalenol (DON), is either prone to human biases or resource expensive, hindering the progress in breeding for FHB-resistant cultivars. Though genomic selection (GS) can be an effective way to select these traits, inaccurate phenotyping remains a hurdle in exploiting this approach. Here, we used an artificial intelligence (AI)-based precise FDK estimation that exhibits high heritability and correlation with DON. Further, GS using AI-based FDK (FDK_QVIS/FDK_QNIR) showed a two-fold increase in predictive ability (PA) compared to GS for traditionally estimated FDK (FDK_V). Next, the AI-based FDK was evaluated along with other traits in multi-trait (MT) GS models to predict DON. The inclusion of FDK_QNIR and FDK_QVIS with days to heading as covariates improved the PA for DON by 58% over the baseline single-trait GS model. We next used hyperspectral imaging of FHB-infected wheat kernels as a novel avenue to improve the MT GS for DON. The PA for DON using selected wavebands derived from hyperspectral imaging in MT GS models surpassed the single-trait GS model by around 40%. Finally, we evaluated phenomic prediction for DON by integrating hyperspectral imaging with deep learning to directly predict DON in FHB-infected wheat kernels and observed an accuracy (R² = 0.45) comparable to best-performing MT GS models. This study demonstrates the potential application of AI and vision-based platforms to improve PA for FHB-related traits using genomic and phenomic selection.