Digital twins for plant and crop improvement.

Authors

Duke Pauli, Brennan Huppenthal, Diane Wang, James Schnable, Bedrich Benes

Published in

Trends in plant science. Jul 08, 2026. Epub Jul 08, 2026.

Abstract

Plant digital twins (DTs) are dynamic, data-aware virtual representations that integrate plant structure, physiology, and environmental inputs to simulate plant function, growth, and performance. By combining process-based models, phenomics data, and environmental states in a continuous feedback loop linking physical and virtual plants, DTs offer a novel approach for investigating complex biological systems. In this opinion article, we outline the conceptual foundations of DTs and how they offer new opportunities to bridge the genotype-to-phenotype gap and aid in crop improvement. Despite their promise, major challenges remain in DT development, scalability, and accessibility. Addressing these challenges will be critical for enabling the broad adoption of DTs as transformative tools for accelerating plant science research and crop improvement.

PMID:
42420121
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 09 Jul 2026.

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