Estimating the plant stem emerging points (PSEPs) of sugar beets at early growth stages

• Published in: Biosystems engineering 2012, Vol.111 (1), p.83-90
• Main Authors: Midtiby, Henrik S., Giselsson, Thomas M., Jørgensen, Rasmus N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural machinery and engineering; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Beta; Beta vulgaris; Biological and medical sciences; Computer vision; crops; developmental stages; Error detection; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Generalities. Biometrics, experimentation. Remote sensing; Leaves; Mathematical models; mechanical weed control; Plants (organisms); Position (location); sugar beet; Sugar beets
• ISSN: 1537-5110; 1537-5129
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2011.10.011

Successful intra-row mechanical weed control of sugar beet ( beta vulgaris) in early growth stages requires precise knowledge about location of crop plants. A computer vision system for locating plant stem emerging point (PSEP) of sugar beet in early growth stages was developed and tested. The system is based on detection of individual leaves; each leaf location is then described by centre of mass and petiole location. After leaf detection were the true PSEP locations annotated manually and a multivariate normal distribution model of the PSEP relative to the located leaf was built. From testing the system, PSEP estimates based on a single leaf have an average error of ∼3 mm. When several leaves are detected the average error decreases to less than 2 mm. ►Automatic detection of individual plant leaves in segmented images. ►Gaussian relative location model of leaf and PSEP. ►Prediction of PSEP within 3mm on average.