Prediction of Growth and Quality of Chinese Cabbage Seedlings Cultivated in Different Plug Cell Sizes via Analysis of Image Data Using Multispectral Camera

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This study (horticulturae-2723871) investigated the use of multispectral imaging to find that the leaf area and growth quality of Chinese cabbage seedlings can be non-destructively assessed, although accuracy decreases when leaves overlap in denser trays, and the mrNDVI index was notably correlated with seedling dry weight.

The Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion sections are well written and informative, requiring only minor corrections. The objectives are clear, as are reproducible methods.

'Plug cell trays' needs rewording.

Please include the prediction values found and how they were classified, such as average, medium, or good, based on a criterion in the abstract. In addition, we report the metrics used. Lines 58-66 need references.

The introduction requires a better characterisation of multispectral sensors and their applications. In addition, information on PLS prediction models or other models must be included.

Figure 1 describes all image elements and the analysis of the objective.

Figure 4 is of low quality. Why was there no prediction of leaf area on the fifth day? The advantages and disadvantages of using the vegetation indices applied in this study should be discussed. Why have the authors not discussed this point? What were the limitations of the simple linear methods and equations proposed in the modelling?

How do vegetation indices, such as GNDVI and CIgreen, which are sensitive to chlorophyll concentration, compare to NDVI in terms of assessing plant growth and chlorophyll content in Chinese cabbage seedlings?

Given that mrNDVI showed a high correlation with shoot dry weight of Chinese cabbage seedlings later in the cultivation period, the potential of mrNDVI to improve non-destructive growth assessment in greenhouse seedling production, and what limitations were identified when using vegetation indices for early growth determination?

References need to be checked for the most recent updates.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Minor changes in grammar and spelling

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This study aimed to investigate the use of multispectral imaging to predict the growth and quality of Chinese cabbage seedlings. The researchers grew seedlings in plug trays of different cell sizes and used a multispectral camera to capture images of the seedlings at various stages of growth. They then analyzed the images to extract data on leaf area, color, and other characteristics, and compared this data to measurements of seedling growth and quality taken manually. The study found that multispectral imaging could accurately predict seedling growth and quality and that the accuracy of these predictions was affected by factors such as the size of the plug cell tray and the vegetation index used. Overall, the study suggests that multispectral imaging could be a useful tool for predicting seedling growth and quality in various crops.

 

I think the paper is well written and can be accepted for publication.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf