Multi-crop plant counting and geolocation using a YOLO-Powered GUI System

Crop counting has traditionally relied on manual field assessments or complex machine learning algorithms, which often struggle to identify small objects or underestimate the total count of objects present in the field. This study proposes a multi-crop graphical user interface integrated with an obj...

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Main Authors: Renato Herrig Furlanetto, Nathan Schawn Boyd, Ana Claudia Buzanini
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-08-01
Series:Smart Agricultural Technology
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772375525002278
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author Renato Herrig Furlanetto
Nathan Schawn Boyd
Ana Claudia Buzanini
author_facet Renato Herrig Furlanetto
Nathan Schawn Boyd
Ana Claudia Buzanini
author_sort Renato Herrig Furlanetto
collection DOAJ
description Crop counting has traditionally relied on manual field assessments or complex machine learning algorithms, which often struggle to identify small objects or underestimate the total count of objects present in the field. This study proposes a multi-crop graphical user interface integrated with an object detection model to accurately detect and count objects in the field while converting bounding box coordinates into global positioning system (GPS) coordinates. We utilized tiles extracted from an orthomosaic. The system consists of four core modules: The first module splits the orthomosaic into smaller tiles with adjustable overlap and sizes. The second module uses an object detection model to process each tile and saves the detections in .txt files. The third module transforms bounding box coordinates into real-world GPS locations using tile metadata and position within the original orthomosaic. The fourth module eliminates duplicate detections by applying buffer zones around neighboring detections, merging overlapping instances, and assigning a single centroid for each cluster. Three crops (tobacco, strawberry, and watermelon) were evaluated using two tile overlap configurations (non-overlap and 20 % overlap between tile edges) and three tile sizes (640, 1280, and 2048 pixels). A YOLOv11x model was trained for each crop, and the methodology's accuracy was assessed by comparing the total objects identified by the models against the actual number of objects in the field. The results demonstrated that the proposed methodology accurately counted objects in the field with an accuracy ranging from 91 % to 99 %. The 640-pixel overlapped tile approach resulted in the highest occurrence of multi-detections for the same object. In contrast, the most accurate count was obtained using the non-overlapping approach with 2048-pixel tiles. This study demonstrates the feasibility of applying this method for different crop systems, reducing the reliance on manual counting and improving decision-making for precision farming practices.
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spelling doaj-art-562b95cfd4f847ca8b848dba14a103de2025-08-20T02:29:43ZengElsevierSmart Agricultural Technology2772-37552025-08-011110099410.1016/j.atech.2025.100994Multi-crop plant counting and geolocation using a YOLO-Powered GUI SystemRenato Herrig Furlanetto0Nathan Schawn Boyd1Ana Claudia Buzanini2Weed Science laboratory – Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Wimauma, Florida, USACorresponding author at: Weed Science Laboratory – Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, Wimauma, Florida, USA, Zip code 33598.; Weed Science laboratory – Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Wimauma, Florida, USAWeed Science laboratory – Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Wimauma, Florida, USACrop counting has traditionally relied on manual field assessments or complex machine learning algorithms, which often struggle to identify small objects or underestimate the total count of objects present in the field. This study proposes a multi-crop graphical user interface integrated with an object detection model to accurately detect and count objects in the field while converting bounding box coordinates into global positioning system (GPS) coordinates. We utilized tiles extracted from an orthomosaic. The system consists of four core modules: The first module splits the orthomosaic into smaller tiles with adjustable overlap and sizes. The second module uses an object detection model to process each tile and saves the detections in .txt files. The third module transforms bounding box coordinates into real-world GPS locations using tile metadata and position within the original orthomosaic. The fourth module eliminates duplicate detections by applying buffer zones around neighboring detections, merging overlapping instances, and assigning a single centroid for each cluster. Three crops (tobacco, strawberry, and watermelon) were evaluated using two tile overlap configurations (non-overlap and 20 % overlap between tile edges) and three tile sizes (640, 1280, and 2048 pixels). A YOLOv11x model was trained for each crop, and the methodology's accuracy was assessed by comparing the total objects identified by the models against the actual number of objects in the field. The results demonstrated that the proposed methodology accurately counted objects in the field with an accuracy ranging from 91 % to 99 %. The 640-pixel overlapped tile approach resulted in the highest occurrence of multi-detections for the same object. In contrast, the most accurate count was obtained using the non-overlapping approach with 2048-pixel tiles. This study demonstrates the feasibility of applying this method for different crop systems, reducing the reliance on manual counting and improving decision-making for precision farming practices.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772375525002278Plant countingYoloArtificial intelligenceObject detectionRemote sensingPrecision Agriculture
spellingShingle Renato Herrig Furlanetto
Nathan Schawn Boyd
Ana Claudia Buzanini
Multi-crop plant counting and geolocation using a YOLO-Powered GUI System
Smart Agricultural Technology
Plant counting
Yolo
Artificial intelligence
Object detection
Remote sensing
Precision Agriculture
title Multi-crop plant counting and geolocation using a YOLO-Powered GUI System
title_full Multi-crop plant counting and geolocation using a YOLO-Powered GUI System
title_fullStr Multi-crop plant counting and geolocation using a YOLO-Powered GUI System
title_full_unstemmed Multi-crop plant counting and geolocation using a YOLO-Powered GUI System
title_short Multi-crop plant counting and geolocation using a YOLO-Powered GUI System
title_sort multi crop plant counting and geolocation using a yolo powered gui system
topic Plant counting
Yolo
Artificial intelligence
Object detection
Remote sensing
Precision Agriculture
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772375525002278
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