Joscif Raigne

Position: Ph.D. Plant Breeding

Education History

• 2024 – M.S. Plant Breeding, Iowa State University, USA
• 2020 – B.S. Biotechnology, minor Biology, Utah Valley University, USA

Biography

Joscif G. Raigne is a Ph.D. student in Plant Breeding at Iowa State University under the guidance of Dr. Asheesh K. Singh (Danny). He completed his bachelor’s in biotechnology at Utah Valley University and his master’s in plant breeding at Iowa State University.  He has extensive experience in high-throughput phenotyping, remote sensing, and data analytics, applying drone and satellite-based tools to improve selection efficiency in large-scale breeding trials. 
Through his work, Joscif develops workflows that integrate UAV flights, sensor data such as RGB, LiDAR, and multispectral, and modeling platforms such as APSIM to optimize decisions in cultivar development to accelerate breeding progress and address emerging challenges in agriculture. 
He has led projects focusing on soybean biomass partitioning, residue quality, cultivar improvement, and SCN (soy cyst nematode) resistance, as well as field pea breeding for Midwest adaptation. His contributions also extend to collaborative efforts implementing ground rovers and near-field abiotic stress testing to advance climate-resilient crops. Joscif regularly mentors students in drone operation and data-processing pipelines, fueling innovation in plant breeding programs.  

Current Project:  

High-throughput phenomic yield prediction in plant breeding using UAV 

Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have seen increasing use in agriculture, yet few studies have scaled their application for practical yield prediction in breeding programs. This project used a multispectral camera mounted on a UAV to collect data across years, environments, and thousands of soybean genotypes within our breeding trials. Machine learning models trained on this phenomic data enable in-season yield prediction, offering breeders a powerful tool to streamline selection, reduce resource use, and accelerate genetic gain.