•Sustainable application is a way to reduce harmful influence to the living environment.•The establishment to estimate the canopy leaf area in crop protection.•Sensing system for digital canopy ...characterization.
This paper compares LIDAR and manual measurements of leaf area in orchards. The LIDAR measurements were performed in real orchard conditions. LIDAR data were used to count the number of points and to measure the canopy volume of individual volume elements. Manual measurements included defoliation, counting and leaf area measurements. Both types of measurements were performed in 8 volume elements for 20 apple trees of three different ages and varieties (‘Golden delicious’, ‘Jonagold’ and ‘Gala’). Using regression analysis, we estimated the relation between number of points in the cloud, canopy volume (both LIDAR measurements) and the leaf area (manual measurement). The maximum value of the correlation coefficient was 0.87816, when established from the relation between the number of points in the cloud and the canopy leaf area. The maximum value of the correlation coefficient was 0.80167, when established between the volume of tree canopy volume element and the leaf area.
This paper describes a computer vision based model for object detection that can serve as a preliminary step in fruit prognosis, which involves the estimation of the number, diameter and yield of ...apple fruits. In order to overcome the recognition unreliability in uncontrolled environments caused by uneven illumination conditions, partly occluded surfaces, and similar background features, we rely on a combination of the object's colour, texture and 3D shape properties. In our research, we apply colour segmentation to multiple scene snapshots to separate potential regions from the background and verify them first with texture analysis and second by reconstructing them to 3D space. By analysing all three distinct features (colour, texture and 3D shape) of possible areas, we can safely conclude if they represent fruits we are looking for. Once we detect and verify all areas representing fruits, we can measure their size and model estimated fruit yield.
A new method for estimating the number of apple fruits and measuring their diameter in the orchard was developed and tested. A thermal camera captured images of apple trees five times during the ...vegetation period June–September 2001. Each time 120 images of twenty apple trees were recorded late in the afternoon to achieve a temperature gradient between fruits and their background. Recorded images were processed using several image processing algorithms. Correlation coefficients
R
2 from 0.83 to 0.88 were established between the manually measured fruit number and the estimated number based on a fruit detection algorithm. According to fruit development and the established growing curve, the value of the correlation coefficient,
R
2, increased during the ripening period. For measuring the fruit's diameter values of
R
2 between 0.68 and 0.70 were established. These slightly increased according to the fruit's colour and size development during the ripening period.
Estimating the live weight of bulls by measurement of body dimensions with thermography and thermal image analysis was studied during progeny testing of the Simmental breed. The experimental group of ...bulls was measured seven times every 60 days from housing at the average age of 139 days (181
kg) till slaughtering (449 days, 594
kg). Each bull was weighed, manually measured and captured by the thermal camera. This device, together with the image analysis algorithm, proved to be a successful tool for estimating the wither height (Wh) and hip height (Hh) during all seven age classes. The SEE values for Wh decreased significantly during all weighing from 5.49
cm at day 139 to 1.11
cm at day 449 and from 4.99 to 1.76
cm for Hh, respectively. Two linear models for estimating current body weight at different ages were also developed on the basis of the long-term herd data of the Wh (BW1) and Hh (BW2) measurements. A statistically significant relationship (
P
<
0.05) was found for all seven age classes, whereby the
R
adj
2
was varying with the age from 0.11 to 0.66 (BW1) and from 0.15 to 0.74 (BW2). Since the SEE values increased a little from 24.96
kg at day 139 to 33.59
kg at last weighing for the BW1 and from 21.76 to 32.69
kg for the BW2, both models expressed high accuracies. Therefore the thermal camera shows to be a useful tool in estimating live BW, which is of significant importance in reducing stress during progeny testing and beef production.
The spraying of plant protection product (PPP) in orchards is a very hazardous working procedure, owing to the spray drift caused by the uneven operation of conventional axial boom sprayers. This ...research describes an intelligent automated system for precise (PPP) distribution in real-time. It is based on an intelligent decision-making model using ultrasonic measurements of leaf area density under laboratory conditions, which serve to trigger electromagnetic valves (EMV) on the axial boom sprayer. A fuzzy logic algorithm was an integrated part of the intelligent system for controlling the PPP by generating the pulse width modulation signal and applying it through the EMV of the prototype boom sprayer. The results showed that by using an intelligent decision-making model, the same efficiency as with conventional methods could be achieved, but with reduced usage of plant protection products. Thus, the intelligent automated system used 4.8 times less spray mixture than the conventional one.
•Sustainable application is a way to reduce harmful influence to the living environment.•The establishment of an appropriate PPP dose expression in crop protection.•Sensing systems for electronic ...canopy characterization.•Decision-making models for controlling the dosage of PPP with the use of special algorithms.
The development of alternative plant protection product (hereinafter PPP) application techniques in recent decades has been based on various principles of sprayer operation. So far, several researchers have tried with partial success to find a compromise (a uniform standard) to ensure continuous PPP application to selected tree canopies in an orchard. Researchers have offered certain solutions for controlling dosage rates of PPP, based on special measurement systems and decision-making models to optimize the dosage rate of PPP. With sensing systems for electronic canopy characterization, which originally functioned on the basis of ultrasound waving and later on the principle of spectral reflection, characteristics of tree canopies in an orchard could be adequately estimated. However, attention must be paid to the fact that discrepancies in the original measurement systems were too large, owing to imprecise operation of various sensor components. Nevertheless it is necessary to underline that advanced spectral laser technology is a strong tool for developers of alternative PPP application techniques, and with it, tree canopy properties are sensed in real time. So it is no longer a major problem in the precise application to establish the tree canopy properties, but to control artificial intelligence actuation, which in the future will properly direct the air flow and the dosage rate of PPP per tree canopy in the orchard.
Market value assessment of hops by modeling of weather attributes Pavlovic, M., University of Maribor (Slovenia). Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Pavlovic, V., University of Maribor (Slovenia). Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Rozman, C., University of Maribor (Slovenia). Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences ...
Plant, Soil and Environment,
(Jun 2013), Letnik:
59, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The effect of major weather factors on the quality of hops in Slovenia from 1994 to 2009 is analyzed and discussed. For this purpose, the three main varieties, namely Savinjski golding, Aurora and ...Bobek were merged into a model variety which we called Virtual. Through assessment of correlation coefficients, we tried to find specific times of the year when the weather conditions affect the alpha-acid content with a view toward prediction. The most significant time periods of weather that influenced the alpha-acid contents of hops during the growing season are identified as attributes of air temperatures calculated during the interval from the 24th to the 31st week, as attributes of rainfall and sunshine, duration calculated during the interval from the 25th to the 29th week and as attributes of air humidity calculated during the interval from the 28th to the 33rd week.
This research demonstrates the basic elements of a prototype automated orchard sprayer which delivers pesticide spray selectively with respect to the characteristics of the targets. The density of an ...apple tree canopy was detected by PROWAVE 400EP250 ultrasound sensors controlled by a Cypress PSOC CY8C29466 microcontroller. The ultrasound signal was processed with an embedded computer built around a LPC1343 microcontroller and fed in real time to electro-magnetic valves which open/close spraying nozzles in relation to the canopy structure. The analysis focuses on the detection of appropriate thresholds on 15 cm ultrasound bands, which correspond to maximal response to tree density, and this was selected for accurate spraying guidance. Evaluation of the system was performed in an apple orchard by detecting deposits of tartrazine dye (TD) on apple leaves. The employment of programmable microcontrollers and electro-magnetic valves decreased the amount of spray delivered by up to 48.15%. In contrast, the reduction of TD was only up to 37.7% at some positions within the tree crown and 65.1% in the gaps between trees. For all these reasons, this concept of precise orchard spraying can contribute to a reduction of costs and environmental pollution, while obtaining similar or even better leaf deposits.
Trials were carried out in apple orchards of two different training systems to assess the relationship between spray drift and parameters of spraying with an emphasis on the sprayer’s travel speed ...when applying different solutions, such as pesticides or fertilizers, onto the apple trees. The assessments were based on the following factors: per cent of spay drift, two sprayers (axial- and radial-fan sprayer), two training systems (super spindle and modified slender spindle), spray droplet size (fine or coarse droplets) and the sprayer’s travel speed (5 vs. 10 km h
−1
). The studies were conducted in the spring and summer seasons under similar external weather conditions to test any seasonal effects that might occur. In this paper, all tested factors and interactions were found to have a significant effect on the spray drift during spray application. For instance, the increase in sprayer speed reduced the spray drift percentage. Other factors, such as sprayer type (axial fan and radial fan) and tree training system, had an impact on spray drift as well.
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