Qing Cai

Qing Cai


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

3Years (2024-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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11 July 2024 in Cognitive Neurodynamics
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
PDF file
JAJinapeng An
Jinapeng An
QCQing Cai
Qing Cai
XSXinlin Sun
Xinlin Sun
MLMengyu Li
Mengyu Li
CMChao Ma
Chao Ma
ZGZhongke Gao
Zhongke Gao

4 December 2025 in Agriculture
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
HPHao Pengfei
Hao Pengfei
JAJinapeng An
Jinapeng An
QCQing Cai
Qing Cai
JCJunqin Cao
Junqin Cao
ZHZhanghua Hu
Zhanghua Hu
BLBaogang Lin
Baogang Lin
Accurate, high-throughput estimation of Above-Ground Biomass (AGB), a key predictor of yield, is a critical goal in rapeseed breeding. However, this is constrained by two key challenges: (1) traditional measurement is destructive and laborious, and (2) modern deep learning approaches require vast, costly labeled datasets. To address these issues, we present a data-efficient deep learning framework using smartphone-captured top-down RGB images for AGB estimation (Fresh Weight, FW, and Dry Weight, DW). Our approach utilizes a two-stage strategy where a Vision Transformer (ViT) backbone is first pre-trained on a large, aggregated dataset of diverse, non-rapeseed public plant datasets using the DINOv2 self-supervised learning (SSL) method. Subsequently, this pre-trained model is fine-tuned on a small, custom-labeled rapeseed dataset (N = 833) using a Multi-Task Learning (MTL) framework to simultaneously regress both FW and DW. This MTL approach acts as a powerful regularizer, forcing the model to learn robust features related to the 3D plant structure and density. Through rigorous 5-fold cross-validation, our proposed model achieved strong predictive performance for both Fresh Weight (Coefficient of Determination, R2 = 0.842) and Dry Weight (R2 = 0.829). The model significantly outperformed a range of baselines, including models trained from scratch and those pre-trained on the generic ImageNet dataset. Ablation studies confirmed the critical and synergistic contributions of both domain-specific SSL (vs. ImageNet) and the MTL framework (vs. single-task training). This study demonstrates that an SSL+MTL framework can effectively learn to infer complex 3D plant attributes from 2D images, providing a robust and scalable tool for non-destructive phenotyping to accelerate the rapeseed breeding cycle.