3D point cloud driven organ semantic segmentation to assess maize structural responses along the planting-density gradient

High-density planting is an effective strategy to increase maize yield but imposes greater demands on plant architectural adaptability. To elucidate the structural response mechanisms of maize under varying planting densities, we developed a high-throughput 3D phenotyping system tailored to complex field conditions. High-precision point clouds of field-sampled plants were obtained via multi-view 3D reconstruction. Using a deep learning network, stem and leaf organs were semantically segmented (95.6% accuracy), while leaves were individually separated via clustering (94.8% accuracy). From these data, 31 plant architectural traits and 14 ear-leaf traits were extracted, establishing a hierarchical trait characterization system. Results showed that increased planting density significantly influenced plant architecture reshaping and structural coordination, leading to more compact plant forms and ear height position centralization. Ear leaves exhibited heightened sensitivity to density variation, particularly in leaf area, vertical distribution, and leaf inclination angle, suggesting an early-response role. Principal component analysis and clustering further revealed patterns of structural differentiation and key traits driving these changes under density treatments. The integrated workflow—comprising data acquisition, modeling, segmentation, clustering, trait extraction, and analysis—offers a robust approach for structural phenotyping and intelligent breeding selection in maize and other tall crops. This pipeline provides valuable technical support and data resources for optimizing dense planting strategies and advancing digital agriculture.