摘要：The innovation, led by Yu Yinghong, a researcher at the Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, is embodied in a prototype device

After eight years of groundbreaking interdisciplinary collaboration, a Chinese research team has pioneered a revolutionary leap in agricultural technology: a nondestructive testing system that performs "seed CT scans" to assess the vitality of individual seeds.

经过8年开创性的跨学科合作，一支中国研究团队在农业技术领域实现了巨大突破：研发出了一种能够对单个种子进行“CT扫描”评估其活力的无损检测系统。

The prototype of the nondestructive testing and sorting instrument for the vitality of rice seeds. (Photo provided by the interviewee)

The innovation, led by Yu Yinghong, a researcher at the Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, is embodied in a prototype device that combines cutting-edge laser spectroscopy and artificial intelligence to reveal the biological secrets within seeds — without damaging them — ushering in a new era of precision agriculture.

这项创新成果由湖南省农业科学院研究员余应弘带领团队研发。其核心体现在一款融合了尖端激光光谱技术与人工智能的原型样机设备上，该设备能够在不损害种子的前提下，揭示种子内部的生物学奥秘，开启了精准农业的全新篇章。

Collaborating with the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the CAS Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, the interdisciplinary team established an optical nondestructive testing system based on supercontinuum laser spectroscopy.

研发过程中，团队与中国科学院合肥物质科学研究院、中国科学院长春光学精密机械与物理研究所携手合作，建立了基于超连续激光光谱技术的作物种子光学无损检测技术体系。

They collected transmission spectra and germination phenotype data from hundreds of thousands of crop seeds, building a comprehensive "spectrum-vigor" database.

他们采集了数十万颗不同作物种子的透射光谱与发芽表型，建立了作物种子“光谱-活力”的数据库。

By harnessing the supercontinuum laser beams to capture detailed spectral "fingerprints" of seeds, this system detects microscopic indicators — from metabolic activity to structural integrity — hidden beneath the seed coat.

通过利用超连续谱激光束捕捉种子详细的光谱“指纹”，该系统能够检测到隐藏在种皮之下，从代谢活动到结构完整性等方面的微观指标。

"Everything has its spectrum and for seeds, its vitality is determined by the things it contains, which can be reflected in the spectrum," he said. "We do not know what each spectrum means, but when we collected the information of enough seeds, the correlation becomes clear, so the research cannot be done without big data and AI."

余应弘表示：“万物皆有其光谱，对于种子而言，其活力由种子所含物质决定，而这些物质能够在光谱中得到反映。我们一开始并不知道每条光谱意味着什么，但当我们收集了足够多种子的信息后，其中的相关性就变得清晰了，所以没有大数据和人工智能，这项研究就无法开展。”

Once commercialized, this technology is expected to significantly enhance seed quality for crops such as corn, cotton, rice and soybeans, thereby boosting large-scale yield improvement, he said.

余应弘表示，一旦这项技术实现商业化，预计将显著提升玉米、棉花、水稻和大豆等农作物的种子质量，从而推动大规模的产量提升。

Emphasizing that seeds with superior vitality possess greater potential for yield improvement and stress resistance, Yu said that achieving nondestructive, single-seed vitality detection and sorting could break through current bottlenecks in the seed industry by ensuring higher-quality seeds for cultivation.

余应弘强调，活力更强的种子在提高产量和增强抗逆性方面具有更大的潜力。他表示，实现无损、单粒种子活力检测和分选，能够通过确保用于种植的种子质量更高，突破当前种子行业的瓶颈。

Data shows the technology achieves almost 100 percent accuracy in predicting seed vitality when applied to rice, corn, soybeans and cotton.

数据显示，当应用于水稻、玉米、大豆和棉花时，这项技术在预测种子活力方面的准确率几乎达到100%。

Using this breakthrough, the team engineered the world's first prototype for nondestructive rice seed vitality detection and sorting.

利用这一突破，该团队研制出了世界上首台用于水稻种子活力无损检测分选仪样机。

Post-sorting germination rates also reach almost 100 percent, with the results validated by the Hunan Provincial Agricultural Society. Experts concluded that the achievement fills a critical gap in optical nondestructive seed testing and holds substantial scientific and agricultural value.

分选后的种子发芽率也几乎达到100%，这一结果得到了湖南省农学会组织的验证。专家一致认为该成果填补了光学无损检测分选水稻种子活力研究的空白，具有重大的科学和农业价值。

Yu said the team is working hard on the commercialization of the technology, which he hopes can be achieved within five years.

余应弘表示，团队正在努力推进这项技术的商业化，他希望能在5年内实现这一目标。

More than 20 patents have been obtained for the technology and the team is actively applying for more government support, especially to have more seeds for testing, he said.

他表示，这项技术已经获得了20多项专利，团队正在积极申请更多的政府支持，尤其是希望能获得更多用于检测的种子。

来源：湖南日报一点号1