SEPTEMBER 2026  SEEDWORLD.COM /  33
Ganapathysubramanian says AI will not replace 
field trials or breeder intuition, but it will dramatically 
expand what is testable and what is targetable. 
“Ideotype breeding, in particular, is finally 
becoming tractable because of these tools,” he 
says, “and not only for light interception, but poten­
tially for many of the architectural and physiologi­
cal traits that determine yield and resilience.”
Beyond Leaf Angle
The team notes that off-parallel configuration con­
sistently captured more PAR, regardless of plant 
spacing or row orientation. This suggests that 
adjusting leaf angles may be an underused tool in 
breeding and agronomic measurement, although 
there may be other leaf-related architectural 
parameters to consider. 
Zhou reports that in their ongoing research, his 
team is already employing state-of-the-art pheno­
typing and modeling technologies to explore the 
impacts of leaf canopy traits such as leaf number, 
spacing, length, width and curvature on light inter­
ception and grain yield. 
“Using the resulting 3D canopy models, it will 
be possible to investigate the fraction of light 
captured by canopies at different times of day, on 
different dates and at different geographical posi­
tions across the planet,” he says. “Similarly, these 
3D canopy models can be used to test the impacts 
of various agricultural practices, such as planting 
density, row and plant spacing, and row orientation 
(e.g., North-South vs. East-West) on overall light 
capture efficiency.” 
Zhou explains such information help let breed­
ers make better selection decisions while also help­
ing farmers make better agronomic decisions.
Looking ahead, Zhou notes that there have 
already been successful applications in maize 
breeding to develop shorter hybrids with more 
upright leaf angle from several seed companies. “It 
will be interesting,” he says, “to see how these new 
architectures perform in farmers’ fields.” SW
Right: Comparing 
canopy orientations 
helps researchers 
understand how leaf 
arrangement influences 
light interception in 
high-density corn 
production. AI-powered 
virtual fields allow these 
architectures to be 
evaluated before 
extensive field testing.
PHOTO: YAN ZHOU, IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
Left: Researchers found 
that corn plants with off-
row parallel leaf 
orientation intercepted 
more photosynthetically 
active radiation (PAR) 
than plants with other 
canopy orientations, 
making the trait a 
promising target for 
future breeding efforts.
PHOTO: YAN ZHOU, IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
“AI is becoming a major force multiplier for breeders.” 
—Baskar Ganapathysubramanian

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