Digital Technologies for Precision Phenotyping in Pulse Crops for Climate Adaptation

Pulse crops are central to global food and nutritional security providing proteins, carbohydrates and micronutrients while also enriching soil health through nitrogen fixation. However, their productivity is increasingly constrained by a number of factors including climate change with stresses such as drought, heat and emerging pathogens reducing yield stability. Conventional phenotyping methods are slow, labour-intensive and unable to fully capture the complex genotype-environment interactions required for modern breeding. In response, digital technologies for precision phenotyping have emerged as powerful tools to accelerate the development of climate-resilient and nutritionally enhanced pulse varieties. High-throughput phenotyping platforms that integrate spectroscopy, imaging and remote sensing now enable rapid, non-destructive and precise measurement of plant traits. Spectroscopic methods such as FT-MIR and FT-NIR support biochemical and nutritional profiling, while imaging approaches, including RGB, thermal, fluorescence and hyperspectral, provide insights into morphology, stress physiology and canopy dynamics. Remote sensing platforms such as UAVs and satellites extend scalability by capturing field-level variation across environments. The incorporation of machine learning and artificial intelligence further strengthens data analysis enabling predictive modelling and improved genotype-phenotype mapping. Together, these technologies provide new opportunities to develop pulse crops that combine high yield, nutritional quality, and stress resilience. While challenges, such as cost, data integration and limited accessibility remain, precision phenotyping represents a paradigm shift in crop improvement and is poised to play a critical role in advancing climate-smart agriculture.