Below is a list of selected publications in which GEMINI members have participated as co-authors. Please reference Google Scholar for the most up-to date records.

Ismael K. Mayanja, Christine H. Diepenbrock, Vincent Vadez, Tong Lei, Brian N. Bailey,
Practical Considerations and Limitations of Using Leaf and Canopy Temperature Measurements as a Stomatal Conductance Proxy: Sensitivity across Environmental Conditions, Scale, and Sample Size,
Plant Phenomics, Volume 6, 2024, 0169, ISSN 2643-6515,
https://doi.org/10.34133/plantphenomics.0169. 
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2643651524002693)
Abstract: Stomatal conductance (gs) is a crucial component of plant physiology, as it links plant productivity and water loss through transpiration. Estimating gs indirectly through leaf temperature (Tl) measurement is common for reducing the high labor cost associated with direct gs measurement. However, the relationship between observed Tl and gs can be notably affected by local environmental conditions, canopy structure, measurement scale, sample size, and gs itself. To better understand and quantify the variation in the relationship between Tl measurements to gs, this study analyzed the sensitivity of Tl to gs using a high-resolution three-dimensional model that resolves interactions between microclimate and canopy structure. The model was used to simulate the sensitivity of Tl to gs across different environmental conditions, aggregation scales (point measurement, infrared thermometer, and thermographic image), and sample sizes. Results showed that leaf-level sensitivity of Tl to gs was highest under conditions of high net radiation flux, high vapor pressure deficit, and low boundary layer conductance. The study findings also highlighted the trade-off between measurement scale and sample size to maximize sensitivity. Smaller scale measurements (e.g., thermocouple) provided maximal sensitivity because they allow for exclusion of shaded leaves and the ground, which have low sensitivity. However, large sample sizes (up to 50 to 75) may be needed to differentiate genotypes. Larger-scale measurements (e.g., thermal camera) reduced sample size requirements but include low-sensitivity elements in the measurement. This work provides a means of estimating leaf-level sensitivity and offers quantitative guidance for balancing scale and sample size issues.

Ismael K Mayanja, Heesup Yun, Brian N Bailey, 
Automated calibration of stomatal conductance models from thermal imagery by leveraging synthetic images generated from Helios 3D biophysical model simulations,
Journal of Experimental Botany, 2025;, eraf420, 
https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf420 
Abstract: Stomatal conductance (gs) is indicative of plant carbon dioxide uptake via photosynthesis and water loss via transpiration, making it a crucial plant biophysical trait. Direct measurement of gs is labor-intensive and usually not scalable to large fields. Using manual measurements to estimate parameters of gs models is even more labor-intensive and prone to sampling errors. This study aimed to develop an automated pipeline for gs measurement and model calibration using thermal imagery data, which not only disentangles the impacts of genotype-specific stomatal traits and environmental conditions but also enables the prediction of gs in new environments. The methodology involved using simulated thermal imagery data generated from a 3D biophysical model to train a machine learning model that could be applied to real thermal images to predict stomatal model parameters and gs itself. The method was evaluated by comparing predictions against manual gs measurements, all of which were not part of the model training process, as the model was trained against only simulated images. When compared against manual gs measurements using a porometer, the prediction R2 was 0.7, which is likely comparable to the accuracy of the manual porometer-based gs measurements (relative to a leaf gas exchange system). The developed pipeline enables high-throughput gs model parameter calibration and gs estimation.

Berlingeri, J., Fuentes, A., Ranario, E. et al. 
Integration of crop modeling and sensing into molecular breeding for nutritional quality and stress tolerance. 
Theor Appl Genet 138, 205 (2025). 
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-025-04984-y 
Abstract: Integrating innovative technologies into plant breeding is critical to bolster food and nutritional security under biotic and abiotic stresses in changing climates. While breeding efforts have focused primarily on yield and stress tolerance, emerging evidence highlights the need to also prioritize nutritional quality. Advanced molecular breeding approaches have enhanced our ability to develop improved crop varieties and could be substantially informed by the routine integration of crop modeling and remote sensing technologies. This review article discusses the potential of combining crop modeling and sensing with molecular breeding to address the dual challenge of nutritional quality and stress tolerance. We provide overviews of stress response strategies, challenges in breeding for quality traits, and the use of environmental data in genomic prediction. We also describe the status of crop modeling and sensing technologies in grain legumes, rice, and leafy greens, alongside the status of -omics tools in these crops and the use of AI with directed evolution to identify novel resistance genes. We describe the pairwise and three-way integration of AI-enabled sensing and biophysically and empirically constrained crop modeling into breeding to enable prediction of phenotypic and breeding values and dissection of genotype-by-environment-by-management interactions with increasing fidelity, efficiency, and temporal/spatial resolution to inform selection decisions. This article highlights current initiatives and future trends that focus on leveraging these advancements to develop more climate-resilient and nutritionally dense crops, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness of molecular breeding.