Phenological characterization of grapevines through computer vision

• Grant number: 25/18697-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: April 01, 2026
• End date: March 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Crop Science
• Principal Investigator: Mara Fernandes Moura Furlan
• Grantee: Felipe Roberto Francisco
• Supervisor: Roberto Fritsche Neto
• Host Institution: Instituto Agronômico (IAC). Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios (APTA). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: North Carolina State University (NC State), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/09468-7 - IMAGE-BASED PHENOTYPING APPLIED TO GRAPEVINE BREEDING, BP.PD

Abstract

Grapvines, one of the most important and oldest fruit species in the world, are considered an exotic species in Brazil. The success of their cultivation is mainly due to the efforts of genetic improvement programs, which, despite having brought significant results, still have limitations mainly related to the time required to launch a new cultivar from a controlled cross until an improved genotype is obtained. In this context, tools such as marker-assisted selection (MAS) are quite promising. Such tools require the use of a large number of molecular markers and also accurate phenotyping of the individuals. Regarding the field of molecular biology, this has seen significant advances in recent years, mainly due to the development of the advent of next-generation sequencing technologies. Despite this, such advances have not been accompanied by the development of high-throughput phenotyping, thus this field still lacks research and technological development. In this sense, image phenotyping emerges as a promising technique, as it allows obtaining fast and accurate results, reducing human bias. Thus, the present project aims to use the most advanced computer vision technologies to characterize the main phenological stages of the genotypes maintained in the grapevine germplasm of the Agronomic Institute of Campinas (IAC). This proposal is quite innovative with prospects of results that can be used directly in the genetic improvement programs of the species or even implemented in software useful for the day-to-day use of producers.