Bridging scales: integrated multi-omics and deep phenotyping for climate resilience in crop plants

Global changes in agricultural and environmental systems will necessitate new crop research methodologies in the future years to ensure more effective use of natural resources and food security. The progress in next-generation sequencing has led to the emergence of multi-omics techniques as successful crop improvement strategies. Multi-omics studies using high-throughput techniques have been critical in understanding growth, senescence, yield, and biotic and abiotic stress responses in an array of crops. When multi-omics provide a high-resolution map of the molecular frameworks governing stress responses, advanced deep phenotyping systems can utilize advanced sensors to quantify dynamic physiological and morphological traits non-destructively. The systematic integration of these multi-layered datasets through association mapping and machine learning frameworks allows for the identification of superior alleles and regulatory hubs. Currently, the non-invasive imaging methods have effectively incorporated computer vision, machine learning, and deep learning components of AI. The use of machine learning and deep learning have progressively increased the effectiveness of data gathering and analysis. The supervised, unsupervised, and deep learning architectures have become effective tools for overcoming the genotype-to-phenotype gap, enabling more accurate predictions of yield and stress tolerance. Despite challenges related to data dimensionality, high infrastructure costs, and the need for standardized protocols, the convergence of these fields offers a robust architecture for predictive breeding. By linking microscopic molecular shifts to macroscopic field performance, integrated strategies accelerate the discovery of adaptive traits and the delivery of high-yielding, climate-smart cultivars. This review examines the revolutionary potential of combining deep phenotyping and multi-omics data for developing a thorough, high-throughput crop improvement strategy that can revolutionize crop breeding.