BELIS Webinar | Image processing: Pixels to phenotypes to advance legume breeding

On 22nd June 2026, the Horizon Europe BELIS Project (Breeding European Legumes for Increased Sustainability) organised a Webinar on “Image processing: Pixels to Phenotypes to advance legume breeding”. The webinar, with over 190 persons registered, addressed how high-resolution UAV imagery, combined with spectral, spatial, and AI concepts, enables non-destructive, time-efficient extraction of quantitative phenotypic information from crops. Through focused presentations, the webinar introduced fundamental remote sensing concepts, demonstrated how pixel‑level data can be translated into plot‑level phenotypic traits, and discussed the transformative role of automation and vision‑based AI in modern plant phenotyping. The session also presented practical case studies in lucerne, red clover, and pea, comparing drone‑based predictions with manual phenotyping and evaluating their impact on working conditions and equipment investment. The webinar featured Arno Kasprzak & Peter Lootens (ILVO) who talked about Pixels to Phenotypes: Spectral, Spatial, and AI Concepts in (UAV) Imagery, Eric Roy & Bernadette Julier (INRAE) who presented the lucerne case, Arno Kasprzak (ILVO) & Michelle Nay (WBF – Agroscope) who explained how to count flowers using drone images to non-destructively predict seed yield of red clover accessions, and Corina Oppliger (ETH) who discussed flower Detection in Pea. During the session, BELIS Project Coordinator, Bernadette Julier (INRAE) introduced the project, presenting the concept, objectives and partnership, as well as the stakeholder network being established within the BELIS project, highlighting its goals, activities, benefits of joining, and the steps to become a member. #breeding #innovation #sustainability 👉👉 More at http://www.belisproject.eu/ ➤ Subscribe to BELIS YouTube channel: / @belisproject 📩 Subscribe to BELIS newsletter: http://www.belisproject.eu/newsletter/ ✔ Follow us on LinkedIn: / belis-project ✔ Follow us on X: / belis_eu