Low Cost, High Precision, Autonomous Measurement of Trunk Diameter based on Computer Vision (original) (raw)
Related papers
Trunk diameter is a variable of agricultural interest, used mainly in the prediction of fruit trees production. It is correlated with leaf area and biomass of trees, and consequently gives a good estimate of potential production of the plants. This work presents a low cost, high precision method for autonomous measurement of trunk diameter of fruit trees based on Computer Vision. Autonomous methods based on Computer Vision or other techniques are introduced in the literature for they present important simplifications in the measurement process, requiring little to none human decision making. This presents different advantages for crop management: the method is amenable to be operated by unknowledgeable personnel, with lower operational costs; it results in lower stress levels to knowledgeable personnel, avoiding the deterioration of the measurement quality over time; or it makes the measurement process amenable to be embedded in larger autonomous systems, allowing more measurement to be taken with equivalent costs. In a more personal aspect, the present work is also a successful proof-of-concept for our laboratories and regional research institutions in favor of autonomous measurements based on Computer Vision, opening the door to further investigations in other important agronomic variables measurable by Computer Vision. To date, all existing autonomous methods are either of low precision, or have a prohibitive cost for massive agricultural adoption, leaving the manual Vernier caliper or tape measure as the only choice in most situations. In this work we present an autonomous solution that is costly effective for mass adoption, and its precision is competitive (with slight improvements) over the caliper method.
arXiv: Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, 2014
Trunk diameter is a variable of agricultural interest, used mainly in the prediction of fruit trees production. It is correlated with leaf area and biomass of trees, and consequently gives a good estimate of the potential production of the plants. This work presents a low cost, high precision method for the measurement of trunk diameter of grapevines based on Computer Vision techniques. Several methods based on Computer Vision and other techniques are introduced in the literature. These methods present different advantages for crop management: they are amenable to be operated by unknowledgeable personnel, with lower operational costs; they result in lower stress levels to knowledgeable personnel, avoiding the deterioration of the measurement quality over time; and they make the measurement process amenable to be embedded in larger autonomous systems, allowing more measurements to be taken with equivalent costs. To date, all existing autonomous methods are either of low precision, or...
Development of a machine vision system for corn plant population, spacing and height measurement
I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to my advisor Dr. Brian L. Steward for his continuous guidance, inspiration and leadership throughout my PhD program. I believe that this work makes a foundation for the development of a complete sensing system that would be useful for the application of site specific management. Thanks to Prof. Carl Bern for mentoring and giving valuable inputs to make this work more practical. Thanks to Dr. Stuart Birrell for his help and guidance with statistical analysis and other valuable suggestions. Thanks Prof. Thomas Kaspar for enriching my knowledge for the agronomic importance of this research. Thanks Dr. Jennifer Davidson for her valuable comments specifically in stereo vision and image processing in general. My thanks go to administrative staffs Mary Elian, Judy Reschauer, Sue Ziegenbusch and Barbara Kalsem for their continual support and help. Thanks to Richard VanDePol for providing necessary support and facility in the farm. Thanks to undergraduate students Cory
Computational Intelligence for Pathological Issues in Precision Agriculture
Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications
Plant Pathology is the scientific study of plant diseases, caused by pathogens and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Detection and grading of plant diseases by machine vision is an essential research topic as it may prove useful in monitoring large fields of crops. This can be of great benefit to those users, who have little or no information about the crop they are growing. Also, in some developing countries, farmers may have to go long distances to contact experts to dig up information which is expensive and time consuming. Therefore, looking for a fast, automatic, less expensive, and accurate method to detect plant diseases is of great realistic significance. Such an efficient system can be modeled by integrating the various tools/techniques of information and communication technology (ICT) in agriculture. The objective of the present chapter is to model an intelligent decision support system for detection and grading of plant diseases which encompasses image proc...
Precision Agriculture Applications In Horticultural Crops In Greece and Worldwide
2011
Precision agriculture is the management of spatial and temporal variability of the fields using ICT. The application in horticultural crops was developed in the last ten years. Data are collected from different sources (yield and quality, soil properties, remote sensing), stored to GIS data bases, analysed using geostatistical methods to develop management zones and decision support systems are used to assist farmers to the management. Variable rate application systems were developed to apply inputs according to the real requirements of the plants in the management zones. Although variability is a well established fact, farmers’ adoption is rather slower than expected because the system is complicated and in many cases profitability is not well demonstrated. Additionally, environmental benefits cannot take direct monetary values for the farmer. PA has a wider application impact like precise movement and management of farm machinery, development of efficient mechanization and fleet m...
Sistema de procesamiento de imágenes multiespectrales aéreas para agricultura de precisión
2018
La agricultura cubana tiene la necesidad creciente de aumentar su productividad, para lograrlo, la agricultura de precisión puede desempeñar un papel fundamental. Es necesario entonces desarrollar un sistema de procesamiento de imágenes capaz de procesar toda la información de los cultivos y calcular índices vegetativos de forma satisfactoria, para así medir con precisión el déficit de nitrógeno, el estrés hídrico y el vigor vegetal, entre otros aspectos, para que la atención de estos aspectos sea también precisa. Este documento reporta los resultados de una investigación dirigida al desarrollo de un procedimiento para la toma y procesamiento de imágenes multiespectrales aéreas obtenidas desde Vehículos Aéreos No Tripulados [VANT], para obtener índices vegetativos de sembrados de caña de azúcar que puedan ser correlacionados con el nivel de vigor vegetal, el número de tallos o la masa foliar por parcela. Se utilizó un VANT USENSE-X8 y sus componentes, un sensor multiespectral Sequoi...
Precision Agriculture: Terminological Issues Agricultura De Precizie: Probleme Terminologice
2006
The purpose of this study is to show in what measure language dictionaries can be of help in better understanding GPS terminology. This study is part of a wider project of studying specialized languages belonging to different agronomic subjects. The type of approach is lexicographical. The study of GPS terminology is at its beginnings, as GPS technology itself has only recently emerged as scientific branch. The limits of the research are those caused by the absence of linguistic tools specific to the field of GPS. The practical implications of the study are dictated by the purpose of the study itself. The originality of the paper lies in the fact that this is the first time that someone approaches the problem of the English of Precision agriculture in general and that of GPS technology in particular within the study of ESP in Romania. Rezumat. Scopul acestui studiu este să arate in ce măsură pot ajuta dicţionarele de limbă la o mai bună inţelegere a terminologiei GPS. Acest studiu f...
Applications of precision agriculture in horticultural crops
European Journal of Horticultural Science, 2016
Farmer and consumer are driving the request for sustainable production of fruit and vegetables. Precision agriculture, the consideration of spatial and temporal variability for increasing the efficiency of resources, has been developed over the last twentyfive years and was initially applied to field crops. Its application to tree crops and vegetables started later and has been developing with an increasing number of publications as well as research calls in the beginning of the 21 st century. First applications were described for mechanical harvesting of horticultural crops with commercial solutions for harvesting fruit that is subjected to processing. A review of methodical approaches and upcoming challenges for precise management of tree crops and vegetables are covered in this paper, addressing horticulturists as well as researchers working in precision agriculture. The precision agriculture domains with specific implications in horticultural crops captured are: data collection, yield mapping, remote sensing, quality mapping, and variable rate application. The spatial and temporal variability in orchards as well as effects of site-specific application of inputs are documented in this paper.