A device and method for breeding a high-altitude corn variety with shade tolerance and disease resistance

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of corn breeding, in particular to a medium-high altitude corn shade-tolerant and disease-resistant nutrient variety breeding device and method, which comprises a material placing plate and a multispectral imaging module suspended above the material placing plate. The top surface of the material placing plate is provided with a plurality of material grooves in a dot matrix pattern for separately placing corn kernels. The multispectral imaging module is composed of a ring array of LED lamps, a visible light camera, a near-infrared sensor, and an ultraviolet excitation light source. The multispectral imaging module synchronously acquires RGB, NIR, and UV three-channel images of the kernels. Through the morphological analysis algorithm built in the image processing unit, the distribution coordinates of unqualified corn kernels are obtained. Then, the image processing unit activates the electromagnetic iron to make the connecting pipe, air hole, and air tube correspondingly communicate. At the same time, the air pump is started to supply air to each air tube, and then the identified corn kernels in the material grooves are blown out, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of screening shade-tolerant and disease-resistant nutrient variety kernels.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of maize breeding technology, specifically to a device and method for breeding shade-tolerant, disease-resistant, and nutrient-rich maize varieties at medium and high altitudes. Background Technology

[0002] Seed selection plays a crucial role in agricultural scientific experiments, serving as a key step in evaluating the characteristics of crop varieties. The accuracy and reliability of seed selection directly affect the results of breeding experiments and the breeder's correct evaluation of the biological characteristics of crop varieties.

[0003] Application number CN202322517445.4 discloses a breeding device for high-quality disease-resistant maize varieties. The key technical points of the device include a connecting and sealing mechanism, a screening component, a breeding box, and a vibration motor. The connecting and sealing mechanism includes a connecting component, a flipping component, and a sealing component. The connecting component can rotate and connect the flipping component, and also fix it. The flipping component can connect and fix the breeding box, thereby sealing the top of the breeding box. The sealing component can seal the front of the breeding box. Together with the flipping component, the device can achieve a complete sealing of the breeding box, thus preventing the material inside the breeding box from splashing out during the breeding of maize seeds. The screening component can store the screened maize seeds.

[0004] The aforementioned maize variety breeding device mainly achieves seed sorting through a closed breeding box combined with vibration screening. Its technical shortcomings are:

[0005] Relying on human experience for judgment: It is impossible to accurately identify intrinsic traits such as shade tolerance, disease resistance and nutrient efficiency by visual inspection or simple mechanical sieving alone;

[0006] Lack of multi-dimensional detection: It is difficult to distinguish between surface defects such as disease and internal quality such as embryo activity;

[0007] Low sorting accuracy: The use of vibrating screens for separation can easily lead to mechanical damage to the grains and makes it impossible to accurately remove individual grains.

[0008] The aforementioned problems make it difficult for existing equipment to meet the core requirements of precision, automation, and environmental adaptability in maize breeding in medium- and high-altitude areas. Summary of the Invention

[0009] To overcome the deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention aims to provide a breeding device and method for shade-tolerant, disease-resistant, and nutrient-rich maize varieties at medium and high altitudes. This device utilizes a gear-rack transmission system to rotate the unloading roller on a pallet, with precise alignment between the collection trough and the material trough, enabling automatic and individual placement of kernels. Furthermore, by integrating RGB, NIR, and UV three-channel imaging modules, it simultaneously acquires kernel morphology, embryo activity, and disease markers, achieving comprehensive detection from appearance to internal quality to address the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0010] To achieve the above objectives, on the one hand, the present invention provides a breeding device for shade-tolerant, disease-resistant, and nutrient-rich maize varieties at medium and high altitudes, including a platform and a multispectral imaging module suspended above it. The platform is composed of a bracket and a placement plate connected together. The top surface of the placement plate has several material slots arranged in a dot matrix pattern for individually placing maize kernels. The multispectral imaging module consists of an LED light in a ring array, a visible light camera, a near-infrared sensor, and an ultraviolet excitation light source, used to simultaneously acquire RGB, NIR, and UV three-channel images of the kernels. Through a morphological analysis algorithm built into the image processing unit, the device extracts data on the two-dimensional projected area, three-dimensional curvature, embryo proportion, and surface texture defect rate of the kernels, and obtains the distribution coordinates of unqualified maize kernels.

[0011] Several rows of air blowing groups are arranged directly below the platform to receive coordinate information fed back by the image processing unit and blow air toward the material tank to separate unqualified corn kernels; the air blowing group includes an air pipe leading to each row of material tanks and a sealing element arranged above the air pipe and leading into the material tank channel.

[0012] The sealing element consists of a connecting pipe for connecting the material tank and the air pipe, a sealing block that is horizontally inserted into the inner wall of the connecting pipe, and an electromagnet for magnetically attracting the sealing block to open the connecting pipe. The image processing unit touches the electromagnet to energize it, and at the same time starts the air pump to supply air to each air pipe, thereby blowing out the corn kernels in the identified material tank.

[0013] The aforementioned setup combines a storage platform and a vision system. By placing corn kernels individually, the vision system captures a precise top-down view. A multispectral imaging module simultaneously acquires RGB, NIR, and UV three-channel images of the kernels. A built-in morphological analysis algorithm in the image processing unit extracts data on the kernel's two-dimensional projected area, three-dimensional curvature, embryo proportion, and surface texture defect rate, determining the distribution coordinates of defective corn kernels. Then, the image processing unit activates a touch-sensitive electromagnet, causing a magnetically attracted block to detach from the connecting pipe, connecting the pipe, air vents, and air tubes. Simultaneously, an air pump supplies air to each air tube, blowing out the identified corn kernels from the material trough, improving the accuracy and efficiency of screening shade-tolerant and disease-resistant nutrient-rich varieties.

[0014] As a further improvement to this technical solution, the material trough has a size of 5×5mm, and an air hole is opened at the center of its bottom surface to connect with the connecting pipe. Several branch pipes are connected at equal intervals on the top surface of the air pipe, and the branch pipes are sleeved and fitted with the bottom end of the connecting pipe.

[0015] This setting is designed to adjust the size of the material trough according to the corn kernel diameter, so that only one corn kernel is placed in it, avoiding screening errors caused by overlapping shots.

[0016] As a further improvement to this technical solution, an opening is provided on one side wall of the connecting pipe and the opening extends to its inner side wall. The size of this opening is larger than the size of the inner wall of the connecting pipe. The sealing block is adapted to be inserted into the opening, and an elastic element is embedded in the inner end of the sealing block and the elastic element penetrates through the inner side wall of the connecting pipe.

[0017] This feature allows the sealing block to open promptly when ventilation is needed, and when sealing is required, the sealing block is limited and prevents airflow.

[0018] As a further improvement to this technical solution, a fixing sleeve is tightly fitted on the outer wall of the opening of the connecting pipe, the outer end of the elastic element is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the fixing sleeve, the side wall of the fixing sleeve at the opening is connected to a block box, the outer end of the block box is connected to a magnetic sleeve, and a flexible circuit strip is provided on the bottom surface of the bracket and on one side of each column of material troughs, and several electromagnets in each column are electrically connected to the flexible circuit on one side of it.

[0019] This setup allows several electromagnets to be energized individually in a confined space.

[0020] As a further improvement to this technical solution, guide rails are provided above the front and rear ends of the bracket, and a unloading assembly is slidably connected between a pair of guide rails. The unloading assembly includes a storage box, a transfer box connected to the lower port of the storage box, and an unloading roller adapted and rotatably connected inside the transfer box. The outer side of the unloading roller is provided with a number of collection grooves in a ring at equal intervals. The number and spacing of each column of collection grooves along the axial direction of the unloading roller correspond one-to-one with the number and spacing of each column of material grooves on the top surface of the stacking plate.

[0021] As a further improvement to this technical solution, transmission gears are sleeved at both ends of the central shaft of the unloading roller. The number of material collection grooves per revolution is n, so the number of teeth of the transmission gear is 2n, where n is a positive integer greater than or equal to 4. The tooth positions of the transmission gear are correspondingly set at the positions of several material collection grooves per revolution and between each pair of adjacent material collection grooves. Unloading racks are provided at both the front and rear of the top face of the bracket. The number of material grooves in each row is m, so the number of tooth grooves of the unloading rack is 2m-1, where m>2n. The tooth grooves of the unloading rack are evenly distributed between several rows of material grooves, and the transmission gears and unloading racks are adapted to mesh.

[0022] The above settings are designed so that when the unloading roller rotates to unload, it can release material in accordance with the material trough; whenever the transmission gear convex tooth corresponding to the collection trough is fully engaged with the unloading rack tooth groove corresponding to the material trough, the corn kernels in each row of collection troughs fall into each row of material troughs, completing the automatic individual placement of corn kernels.

[0023] As a further improvement to this technical solution, the upper half of the air hole is fitted with a plug, and the center of the plug is provided with a slit. The front and rear ends of the storage box are symmetrically provided with sliders, and the sliders are inserted and slidably connected to the guide rail frame.

[0024] On the other hand, the present invention provides a method for breeding shade-tolerant, disease-resistant, and nutrient-rich maize varieties at medium and high altitudes, using the aforementioned breeding device for shade-tolerant, disease-resistant, and nutrient-rich maize varieties at medium and high altitudes, comprising the following steps:

[0025] S1. Place the cleaned corn kernels to be tested into several material troughs on the display board;

[0026] S2. Simultaneously acquire RGB, NIR, and UV three-channel images of the grains using a multispectral imaging module with a camera, near-infrared sensor, and ultraviolet excitation light source, with a resolution of not less than 0.01 mm / pixel.

[0027] S3. Calculate the embryo activity index of corn kernels: kernels with an embryo ratio ≥15% and an NIR absorbance slope >2.5 are marked as high-nutrient products;

[0028] S4. Detect surface defects: Grains with fluorescence intensity >1000 a.u. in the 420-480nm band under UV channel are identified as products at risk of bacterial contamination.

[0029] S5. Establish a real-time mapping module with several material troughs through the camera's vision system, and obtain the coordinates of the material trough where the unqualified grains are located based on the analysis results of step S4, thereby triggering the opening of the seal under this material trough.

[0030] S6. Simultaneously, start the air pump to supply air to the material trough opened in step S5, thereby blowing out unqualified corn kernels, and then pull out the lifting plate to pour out qualified corn kernels for collection.

[0031] As a further improvement to this technical solution, step S1 includes the following steps:

[0032] S11. Pour the corn kernels into the storage box and push the storage box over the shelf.

[0033] S12. During this process, the transmission gears at both ends of the unloading roller mesh with a pair of unloading racks, thereby driving the unloading roller to rotate and collect material and unload it into the material trough.

[0034] As a further improvement to this technical solution, the verification method for the embryo activity index in step S3 is as follows:

[0035] S31. Randomly select 10% of corn kernels for germination experiment and establish a linear regression model between NIR absorbance slope and germination rate over 7 days.

[0036] S32. Perform PCR detection on seeds identified by UV channel to verify the correlation between fluorescence intensity and Fusarium DNA copy number;

[0037] S33. The qualification of corn kernels is determined by the comprehensive scoring formula of the above indicators:

[0038] S = 0.4 × color score + 0.3 × embryo activity + 0.2 × surface defect rate + 0.1 × morphological symmetry;

[0039] Threshold setting: S≥80 is considered a qualified product, and S<60 is considered a non-qualified product.

[0040] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0041] 1. The device and method for breeding shade-tolerant, disease-resistant, and nutrient-rich maize varieties at medium and high altitudes utilizes a set unloading group. When the unloading roller rotates and shifts above the swaying plate, whenever the convex tooth of the transmission gear corresponding to the collection trough is fully engaged with the tooth groove of the unloading rack corresponding to the material trough, the maize kernels in each row of several collection troughs fall into each row of several material troughs, completing the automatic individual placement of maize kernels, improving material discharge efficiency, and facilitating the improvement of subsequent shooting accuracy.

[0042] 2. The breeding device and method for shade-tolerant and disease-resistant nutrient-rich maize varieties at medium and high altitudes uses a multispectral imaging module to simultaneously acquire RGB, NIR, and UV three-channel images of the kernels. A built-in morphological analysis algorithm in the image processing unit is used to extract data on the two-dimensional projected area, three-dimensional curvature, embryo proportion, and surface texture defect rate of the kernels, thus determining the distribution coordinates of unqualified maize kernels. Then, by energizing the electromagnet controlled by the image processing unit, the magnetically attracted block detaches from the connecting tube, connecting the connecting tube, air vents, and air pipes. Simultaneously, an air pump is activated to supply air to each air pipe, thereby blowing out the identified maize kernels from the material trough, improving the accuracy and efficiency of screening shade-tolerant and disease-resistant nutrient-rich variety kernels. Attached Figure Description

[0043] The accompanying drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. Furthermore, the shapes and proportions of the components in the drawings are merely illustrative to aid in understanding the invention and do not specifically limit the shapes and proportions of the components. Those skilled in the art, guided by the teachings of this invention, will select various possible shapes and proportions to implement the invention according to specific circumstances.

[0044] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall assembly structure of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 2 For the present invention Figure 1 The main view;

[0046] Figure 3 For the present invention Figure 1 Top view;

[0047] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the oscillating plate and several air blowing units of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the air blowing assembly structure of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the sealing component of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 7 This is an exploded view of the sealing component of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the guide rail frame structure of the present invention;

[0052] Figure 9 This is a breakdown diagram of the unloading assembly of the present invention;

[0053] The meanings of the labels in the diagram are as follows:

[0054] 100. Storage platform; 110. Bracket; 111. Unloading rack; 120. Stacking board; 121. Material trough; 1211. Air vent; 1212. Hole plug; 130. Multispectral imaging module;

[0055] 140. Air blowing assembly; 141. Air pipe; 1411. Branch pipe; 142. Sealing element; 1421. Connecting pipe; 1422. Sealing block; 1423. Electromagnet; 1424. Fixing sleeve; 1425. Block holder; 1426. Magnet sleeve; 143. Elastic element; 144. Flexible circuit strip; 150. Guide rail frame; 151. Limiting platform;

[0056] 200. Unloading assembly; 210. Storage box; 211. Transfer box; 212. Sliding block; 220. Unloading roller; 221. Collection trough; 222. Transmission gear. Detailed Implementation

[0057] The details of the present invention can be more clearly understood by referring to the accompanying drawings and the description of specific embodiments. However, the specific embodiments of the present invention described herein are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the invention in any way. Under the teachings of this invention, those skilled in the art will conceive of any possible variations of the invention, all of which should be considered within the scope of the invention. The terms "installation" and "connection" should be interpreted broadly, referring to direct connection as well as indirect connection through an intermediate medium.

[0058] The terms "central axis," "vertical," "horizontal," "front," "rear," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer" used herein to indicate orientation or positional relationships are based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are used only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. Furthermore, in the description of the invention, "a number" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0059] Please see Figures 1-3 As shown, this invention provides a breeding device for shade-tolerant and disease-resistant nutrient-rich maize varieties at medium and high altitudes, including a platform 100 and a multispectral imaging module 130 suspended above it. The platform 100 is composed of a bracket 110 and a placement plate 120 connected together. The top surface of the placement plate 120 has several material troughs 121 arranged in a dot matrix pattern for individually placing maize kernels so that they can be individually photographed and identified as shade-tolerant and disease-resistant nutrient-rich varieties. The multispectral imaging module 130 consists of an LED light in a ring array, a visible light camera, a near-infrared sensor, and an ultraviolet excitation light source, used to simultaneously acquire the RG of the kernels. B, NIR, and UV three-channel images are used to align the three-channel images at the pixel level using a feature point matching algorithm (such as SIFT) to establish a multi-dimensional data matrix for the same kernel. The image processing unit uses a built-in morphological analysis algorithm to extract data on the kernel's two-dimensional projected area, three-dimensional curvature, embryo proportion, and surface texture defect rate, thus obtaining the distribution coordinates of unqualified corn kernels. The extracted indicators are two-dimensional projected area, perimeter, aspect ratio, and roundness; three-dimensional curvature: a 3D model is reconstructed through multi-angle shooting; embryo proportion: embryo area / total kernel area, associated with the expression of stress resistance genes.

[0060] The correspondence between spectral channels and hardware components is as follows:

[0061]

[0062] In summary, a 365nm ultraviolet excitation light source, a 940nm near-infrared light source, and a visible light camera are integrated into the same imaging cavity, and three-channel synchronous acquisition is achieved through a beam splitter. Based on the registered multi-channel image data, a weighted decision model is used with the following weights: UV disease 0.4, NIR nutrients 0.3, and RGB morphology 0.3, to output the grain grade.

[0063] like Figures 4-7 As shown, several rows of air blowing groups 140 are arranged directly below the platform 100, which are used to receive coordinate information fed back by the image processing unit and blow air towards the material tank 121 to separate unqualified corn kernels; the air blowing group 140 includes an air pipe 141 leading to each row of material tanks 121 and a sealing member 142 arranged above the air pipe 141 and leading to the channel of the material tank 121.

[0064] The sealing element 142 consists of a connecting pipe 1421 for connecting the material tank 121 and the air pipe 141, a sealing block 1422 that is horizontally inserted into the inner wall of the connecting pipe 1421, and an electromagnet 1423 for magnetically attracting the sealing block 1422 to open the connecting pipe 1421.

[0065] Furthermore, the material trough 121 has a size of 5×5mm, which is suitable for accommodating corn kernels. Its bottom center has an air hole 1211 that connects to the connecting pipe 1421. The air hole 1211 penetrates the top surface of the bracket 110. The top surface of the air pipe 141 is connected with several branch pipes 1411 at equal intervals. The branch pipes 1411 are sleeved and fitted with the bottom end of the connecting pipe 1421. When the image processing unit touches the electromagnet 1423 and is energized, the magnetic block 1422 is disengaged from the inside of the connecting pipe 1421, so that the connecting pipe 1421, the air hole 1211 and the air pipe 141 are connected. At the same time, the air pump is started to supply air to each air pipe 141, thereby blowing out the corn kernels in the identified material trough 121.

[0066] Furthermore, the upper half of the air hole 1211 is fitted with a plug 1212, and the plug 1212 has a slit at the center. The plug 1212 is made of silicone material so that when air is blown, it can be opened to push the corn kernels into the material tank 121. The plug 1212 is used to prevent corn kernel impurities from falling into the connecting pipe 1421 under normal conditions to avoid blockage.

[0067] Furthermore, one side wall of the connecting tube 1421 has an opening that extends to its inner side wall. The size of this opening is larger than the inner wall size of the connecting tube 1421. The sealing block 1422 is fitted into the opening, so that the sealing block 1422 is limited and resists the flow of air when sealing the connecting tube 1421. An elastic element 143 is embedded in the inner end of the sealing block 1422 and penetrates the inner side wall of the connecting tube 1421. A fixing sleeve 1424 is tightly fitted on the outer wall of the opening of the connecting tube 1421. The outer end of the elastic element 143 is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the fixing sleeve 1424. The elastic element 143 is an elastic rib or a spring, which is used to rebound the sealing block 1422 to reset and insert it into the opening after it loses its magnetic attraction, thus forming a sealing state.

[0068] The side wall of the fixed sleeve 1424 at the opening is connected to a block box 1425, which is adapted to be inserted into the sealing block 1422. The outer end of the block box 1425 is connected to a magnetic sleeve 1426, which is sleeved with the electromagnet 1423 and suspended on one side of the connecting pipe 1421. The bottom surface of the bracket 110 and one side of each column of material troughs 121 are provided with a flexible circuit strip 144. Several electromagnets 1423 in each column are electrically connected to the flexible circuit strip 144 on one side, so that several electromagnets 1423 can be energized individually. The flexible circuit strip 144 is existing technology and will not be described in detail here.

[0069] like Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, guide rails 150 are provided above the front and rear ends of the bracket 110. A unloading assembly 200 is slidably connected between a pair of guide rails 150. The unloading assembly 200 includes a storage box 210, a transfer box 211 connected to the lower port of the storage box 210, and an unloading roller 220 adapted and rotatably connected inside the transfer box 211. The outer side of the unloading roller 220 is provided with a number of collection grooves 221 at equal intervals in a ring. The number and spacing of each column of collection grooves 221 along the axial direction of the unloading roller 220 correspond one-to-one with the number and spacing of each column of material grooves 121 on the top surface of the stacking plate 120. The width of the upper and lower ports of the transfer box 211 is equal to the width of the collection grooves 221, so that when the unloading roller 220 rotates, each column of collection grooves 221 collects corn kernels when it rotates to the upper port of the transfer box 211, and continues to rotate along the side wall of the transfer box 211 until it rotates to the lower port of the transfer box 211 and the corn kernels fall out.

[0070] Specifically, transmission gears 222 are fitted at both ends of the central shaft of the unloading roller 220. The number of collection grooves 221 per revolution is n, therefore the number of teeth on the transmission gears 222 is 2n, where n is a positive integer greater than or equal to 4. The tooth positions of the transmission gears 222 are correspondingly set at the positions of several collection grooves 221 per revolution and between each pair of adjacent collection grooves 221. Unloading racks 111 are provided at both the front and rear of the top face of the bracket 110. The number of material grooves 121 per row is m, therefore the number of tooth slots on the unloading racks 111 is 2m-1. Where m > 2n; and the tooth grooves of the unloading rack 111 are evenly distributed among several rows of material troughs 121, and the transmission gear 222 is adapted to mesh with the unloading rack 111; thus, when the unloading roller 220 rotates and shifts above the sway plate 120, whenever the convex tooth of the transmission gear 222 corresponding to the collection trough 221 is completely engaged with the tooth groove of the unloading rack 111 corresponding to the material trough 121, the corn kernels in each row of several collection troughs 221 fall into each row of several material troughs 121, completing the work of automatically and individually placing the corn kernels.

[0071] Furthermore, the storage box 210 has symmetrical sliders 212 on its front and rear ends. The sliders 212 are inserted and slid in correspondence with the guide rail frame 150, so that the storage box 210 is suspended and moved stably. The bottom plate of the guide rail frame 150 has symmetrical limiting platforms 151 on its left and right sides. The left and right sides of the bracket 110 are engaged with the limiting platforms 151, so that the bracket 110 can be disassembled for the installation and maintenance of the air blowing assembly 140.

[0072] This invention also provides a method for breeding shade-tolerant, disease-resistant, and nutrient-rich maize varieties at medium and high altitudes, using the aforementioned breeding device for such varieties, comprising the following steps:

[0073] S1. Place the cleaned corn kernels to be tested into several material troughs 121 of the display plate 120;

[0074] S11. Pour the corn kernels into the storage box 210 and push the storage box 210 over the shelf 120.

[0075] S12. During this process, the transmission gears 222 at both ends of the unloading roller 220 mesh with a pair of unloading racks 111, thereby driving the unloading roller 220 to rotate and collect material and unload it into the material trough 121.

[0076] S2. The RGB, NIR, and UV three-channel images of the grains are simultaneously acquired through the camera, near-infrared sensor, and ultraviolet excitation light source of the multispectral imaging module 130, with a resolution of not less than 0.01 mm / pixel.

[0077] The screening criteria for shade-tolerant varieties are as follows:

[0078] RGB: Seed color saturation of 80% → associated with chlorophyll synthesis capacity.

[0079] NIR: Absorbance slope at 1300 nm in the embryonic region > 2.5 → Characterizes nitrogen metabolism efficiency.

[0080] UV: Excludes surface microbial contamination (fluorescence intensity < safety threshold);

[0081] Rapid diagnosis of disease resistance:

[0082] The fluorescence intensity at 450 nm under UV excitation for aflatoxin detection is positively correlated with the toxin concentration.

[0083] Since pathogens are prone to parasitize cracks, RGB images are used to help determine the degree of damage to the surface of the grains.

[0084] Nutrient-efficient screening: RGB morphology verification shows that high-starch varieties typically exhibit round grain shape;

[0085] S3. Calculate the embryo activity index of corn kernels: kernels with an embryo ratio ≥15% and an NIR absorbance slope >2.5 are marked as high-nutrient products;

[0086] Methods for validating embryo activity indicators:

[0087] S31. Randomly select 10% of corn kernels for germination experiment and establish a linear regression model between NIR absorbance slope and germination rate over 7 days.

[0088] S32. Perform PCR detection on seeds identified by UV channel to verify the correlation between fluorescence intensity and Fusarium DNA copy number;

[0089] S33. The qualification of corn kernels is determined by the comprehensive scoring formula of the above indicators:

[0090] S = 0.4 × color score + 0.3 × embryo activity + 0.2 × surface defect rate + 0.1 × morphological symmetry;

[0091] Threshold setting: S≥80 is considered a qualified product, and S<60 is considered a non-qualified product;

[0092] S4. Detect surface defects: Grains with fluorescence intensity >1000 a.u. in the 420-480nm band under UV channel are identified as products at risk of bacterial contamination.

[0093] S5. A real-time mapping module is established between the camera's vision system and several material troughs 121. Based on the analysis results of step S4, the coordinates of the material trough 121 where the unqualified grains are located are obtained, and the seal 142 below the material trough 121 is opened.

[0094] S6. Simultaneously, start the air pump to supply air to the material trough 121 opened in step S5, thereby blowing out unqualified corn kernels, and then pull out the sway plate 120 to pour out qualified corn kernels for collection.

[0095] Application Examples

[0096] Objective: To screen shade-tolerant, disease-resistant, and nutrient-rich varieties.

[0097] Input: 1000 candidate corn kernels

[0098] System output: 230 qualified kernels, embryo percentage 16.2±1.1%, color saturation 82%;

[0099] Reasons for elimination: 412 grains showed abnormal UV fluorescence, indicating that the grains were infected with bacteria; 358 grains showed weak NIR signal in the embryo, indicating that the grains had insufficient germination potential.

[0100] It should be noted that the above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and features of the present invention, and are intended to enable those skilled in the art to understand the content of the present invention and implement it accordingly. They should not be used to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. All equivalent changes or modifications made in accordance with the spirit and essence of the present invention should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A breeding device for shade-tolerant and disease-resistant maize varieties suitable for medium- and high-altitude areas, characterized in that: It includes a platform and a multispectral imaging module suspended above it. The platform is composed of a bracket and a placement plate that are snapped together. The top surface of the placement plate has several material slots in a dot matrix pattern for placing corn kernels individually. The multispectral imaging module consists of a ring array of LED lights, a visible light camera, a near-infrared sensor, and an ultraviolet excitation light source. It is used to simultaneously acquire RGB, NIR, and UV three-channel images of the kernels. The image processing unit uses a built-in morphological analysis algorithm to extract data on the two-dimensional projected area, three-dimensional curvature, embryo proportion, and surface texture defect rate of the kernels, and to obtain the distribution coordinates of unqualified corn kernels. Several rows of air blowing groups are arranged directly below the platform to receive coordinate information fed back by the image processing unit and blow air toward the material tank to separate unqualified corn kernels; the air blowing group includes an air pipe leading to each row of material tanks and a sealing element arranged above the air pipe and leading into the material tank channel. The sealing element consists of a connecting pipe for connecting the material tank and the air pipe, a sealing block that is horizontally inserted into the inner wall of the connecting pipe, and an electromagnet for magnetically attracting the sealing block to open the connecting pipe. The image processing unit touches the electromagnet to energize it, and at the same time starts the air pump to supply air to each air pipe, thereby blowing out the corn kernels in the identified material tank.

2. The breeding device for shade-tolerant and disease-resistant maize varieties suitable for medium- and high-altitude areas according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material trough is 5×5mm in size, and an air hole is opened at the center of its bottom surface to connect with the connecting pipe. Several branch pipes are connected at equal intervals on the top surface of the air pipe, and the branch pipes are sleeved and fitted with the bottom end of the connecting pipe.

3. The breeding device for shade-tolerant and disease-resistant maize varieties suitable for medium- and high-altitude areas according to claim 2, characterized in that: The connecting pipe has an opening on one side wall that extends to its inner side wall. The size of this opening is larger than the size of the inner wall of the connecting pipe. The sealing block is fitted into the opening. An elastic element is embedded in the inner end of the sealing block and penetrates the inner side wall of the connecting pipe.

4. The breeding device for shade-tolerant and disease-resistant maize varieties suitable for medium- and high-altitude areas according to claim 3, characterized in that: A fixing sleeve is tightly fitted on the outer wall of the opening of the connecting pipe. The outer end of the elastic element is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the fixing sleeve. A block box is connected to the side wall of the fixing sleeve at the opening. A magnetic sleeve is connected to the outer end of the block box. A flexible circuit strip is provided on the bottom surface of the bracket and on one side of each column of material troughs. Several electromagnets in each column are electrically connected to the flexible circuit on one side of the electromagnet.

5. The breeding device for shade-tolerant and disease-resistant maize varieties suitable for medium- and high-altitude areas according to claim 4, characterized in that: The bracket has guide rails above its front and rear ends. A unloading assembly is slidably connected between a pair of guide rails. The unloading assembly includes a storage box, a transfer box connected to the lower end of the storage box, and an unloading roller adapted and rotatably connected inside the transfer box. The outer side of the unloading roller has several collection grooves at equal intervals in a ring. The number and spacing of each column of collection grooves along the axial direction of the unloading roller correspond one-to-one with the number and spacing of each column of material grooves on the top surface of the stacking plate.

6. The breeding device for shade-tolerant and disease-resistant maize varieties suitable for medium- and high-altitude areas according to claim 5, characterized in that: The unloading roller has transmission gears fitted at both ends of its central shaft. The number of material collection slots per revolution is n, so the number of teeth on the transmission gear is 2n, where n is a positive integer greater than or equal to 4. The tooth positions of the transmission gear are correspondingly set at the positions of several material collection slots per revolution and between each pair of adjacent material collection slots. The bracket has unloading racks at both the front and rear of its top surface. The number of material slots in each row is m, so the number of tooth grooves on the unloading rack is 2m-1, where m>2n. The tooth grooves on the unloading rack are evenly distributed between several rows of material slots. The transmission gear and the unloading rack are adapted to mesh.

7. The breeding device for shade-tolerant and disease-resistant maize varieties suitable for medium- and high-altitude areas according to claim 6, characterized in that: The upper half of the air hole is fitted with a plug, and the center of the plug has a slit. The front and rear ends of the storage box are symmetrically equipped with sliders, and the sliders are inserted and slidably connected to the guide rail frame.

8. A method for breeding shade-tolerant and disease-resistant maize varieties suitable for medium- and high-altitude areas, using the breeding device for shade-tolerant and disease-resistant maize varieties suitable for medium- and high-altitude areas as described in any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Place the cleaned corn kernels to be tested into several material troughs on the display board; S2. Simultaneously acquire RGB, NIR, and UV three-channel images of the grains using a multispectral imaging module with a camera, near-infrared sensor, and ultraviolet excitation light source, with a resolution of not less than 0.01 mm / pixel; S3. Calculate the activity index of corn kernel embryo: kernels with an embryo ratio ≥15% and NIR absorbance slope >2.5 are marked as high-nutrient products; S4. Detect surface defects: Grains with fluorescence intensity >1000 a.u. in the 420-480nm band under UV channel are identified as products at risk of bacterial contamination. S5. Establish a real-time mapping module with several material troughs through the camera's vision system, and obtain the coordinates of the material trough where the unqualified grains are located based on the analysis results of step S4, thereby triggering the opening of the seal under this material trough. S6. Simultaneously, start the air pump to supply air to the material trough opened in step S5, thereby blowing out unqualified corn kernels, and then pull out the lifting plate to pour out qualified corn kernels for collection.

9. The method for breeding shade-tolerant and disease-resistant maize varieties suitable for medium- and high-altitude areas according to claim 8, characterized in that, Step S1 includes the following steps: S11. Pour the corn kernels into the storage box and push the storage box over the shelf. S12. During this process, the transmission gears at both ends of the unloading roller mesh with a pair of unloading racks, thereby driving the unloading roller to rotate and collect material and unload it into the material trough.

10. The method for breeding shade-tolerant and disease-resistant maize varieties suitable for medium- and high-altitude areas according to claim 9, characterized in that, The verification method for embryonic activity indicators in step S3 is as follows: S31. Randomly select 10% of corn kernels for germination experiment and establish a linear regression model between NIR absorbance slope and germination rate over 7 days. S32. Perform PCR detection on seeds identified by UV channel to verify the correlation between fluorescence intensity and Fusarium DNA copy number; S33. The qualification of corn kernels is determined by the comprehensive scoring formula of the above indicators: S = 0.4 × color score + 0.3 × embryo activity + 0.2 × surface defect rate + 0.1 × morphological symmetry; Threshold setting: S≥80 is considered a qualified product, and S<60 is considered a non-qualified product.

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