We evaluated whether luminescence can serve as a high-throughput proxy for population dynamics by comparing it with CFU assays. The divergence between the two rates does not imply that either method is incorrect; rather, CFU and luminescence capture different population properties. Third, residual drug activity carried over to the agar can alter on-plate conditions, thereby reducing division or increasing the death rate (Pearson et al., 1980; Eng et al., 1991; Coates et al., 2018). Changes in both CFU and luminescence are used as proxy signals for population growth rates (Regoes et al., 2004; Kishony and Leibler, 2003; Yeh et al., 2006; Chait et al., 2007; Foerster et al., 2016; Kavčič et al., 2020; Angermayr et al., 2022). Instead, CFU and luminescence work best under different conditions, measure different population properties, and complement each other.