Forecasting yield and market classes of Vidalia sweet onions: A UAV-based multispectral and texture data-driven approach

Vidalia sweet onion is a high-value specialty crop in the U.S. Forecasting its yield and market classes allows the stakeholders to make informed decisions about the best time and place to harvest while understanding field spatial variability. Yield stands as an important quantitative parameter, and...

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Main Authors: Marcelo Rodrigues Barbosa Júnior, Lucas de Azevedo Sales, Regimar Garcia dos Santos, Rônega Boa Sorte Vargas, Chris Tyson, Luan Pereira de Oliveira
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-03-01
Series:Smart Agricultural Technology
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772375525000425
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author Marcelo Rodrigues Barbosa Júnior
Lucas de Azevedo Sales
Regimar Garcia dos Santos
Rônega Boa Sorte Vargas
Chris Tyson
Luan Pereira de Oliveira
author_facet Marcelo Rodrigues Barbosa Júnior
Lucas de Azevedo Sales
Regimar Garcia dos Santos
Rônega Boa Sorte Vargas
Chris Tyson
Luan Pereira de Oliveira
author_sort Marcelo Rodrigues Barbosa Júnior
collection DOAJ
description Vidalia sweet onion is a high-value specialty crop in the U.S. Forecasting its yield and market classes allows the stakeholders to make informed decisions about the best time and place to harvest while understanding field spatial variability. Yield stands as an important quantitative parameter, and market class emerges as an important quality factor. However, both parameters are traditionally measured in post-harvesting grading facilities, making it a destructive, labor-intensive, and unpredictable approach. Therefore, in this study, we analyzed whether multispectral and texture image data are useful as inputs for forecasting yield and market class of Vidalia sweet onions. Multispectral images were captured from two fields on six dates (90, 75, 60, 45, 30, and 15 days before harvest—DBH). At harvest, 50 samples from each field were analyzed to determine yield and the market classes (medium, jumbo, and colossal). Afterward, the random forest (RF) was selected to perform the forecasting models for each individual date. For yield forecasting, models presented a polynomial behavior over time, initially showing lower performance but reaching the best result at 30 DBH, with decreasing effectiveness towards the end. Similar results appeared for the market class, presenting the best results 45 DBH, through the medium class. Furthermore, texture data emerged as important inputs for both yield and market class forecasting, particularly from NIR and RedEdge bands, respectively. Ultimately, we developed a non-invasive, non-destructive, and scalable approach, providing stakeholders with anticipated yield and market class information, representing an innovation in the field of specialty crop production.
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spelling doaj-art-cab72b0473b6457c9ba5af280ecb1d382025-02-04T04:10:41ZengElsevierSmart Agricultural Technology2772-37552025-03-0110100808Forecasting yield and market classes of Vidalia sweet onions: A UAV-based multispectral and texture data-driven approachMarcelo Rodrigues Barbosa Júnior0Lucas de Azevedo Sales1Regimar Garcia dos Santos2Rônega Boa Sorte Vargas3Chris Tyson4Luan Pereira de Oliveira5Department of Horticulture, University of Georgia, Tifton, GA 31793, USA; Corresponding author.Department of Horticulture, University of Georgia, Tifton, GA 31793, USADepartment of Horticulture, University of Georgia, Tifton, GA 31793, USADepartment of Horticulture, University of Georgia, Tifton, GA 31793, USAVidalia Onion & Vegetable Research Center, University of Georgia, Lyons, GA 30436, USADepartment of Horticulture, University of Georgia, Tifton, GA 31793, USAVidalia sweet onion is a high-value specialty crop in the U.S. Forecasting its yield and market classes allows the stakeholders to make informed decisions about the best time and place to harvest while understanding field spatial variability. Yield stands as an important quantitative parameter, and market class emerges as an important quality factor. However, both parameters are traditionally measured in post-harvesting grading facilities, making it a destructive, labor-intensive, and unpredictable approach. Therefore, in this study, we analyzed whether multispectral and texture image data are useful as inputs for forecasting yield and market class of Vidalia sweet onions. Multispectral images were captured from two fields on six dates (90, 75, 60, 45, 30, and 15 days before harvest—DBH). At harvest, 50 samples from each field were analyzed to determine yield and the market classes (medium, jumbo, and colossal). Afterward, the random forest (RF) was selected to perform the forecasting models for each individual date. For yield forecasting, models presented a polynomial behavior over time, initially showing lower performance but reaching the best result at 30 DBH, with decreasing effectiveness towards the end. Similar results appeared for the market class, presenting the best results 45 DBH, through the medium class. Furthermore, texture data emerged as important inputs for both yield and market class forecasting, particularly from NIR and RedEdge bands, respectively. Ultimately, we developed a non-invasive, non-destructive, and scalable approach, providing stakeholders with anticipated yield and market class information, representing an innovation in the field of specialty crop production.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772375525000425Machine learningPrecision horticultureSpectral dataTexture dataYield prediction
spellingShingle Marcelo Rodrigues Barbosa Júnior
Lucas de Azevedo Sales
Regimar Garcia dos Santos
Rônega Boa Sorte Vargas
Chris Tyson
Luan Pereira de Oliveira
Forecasting yield and market classes of Vidalia sweet onions: A UAV-based multispectral and texture data-driven approach
Smart Agricultural Technology
Machine learning
Precision horticulture
Spectral data
Texture data
Yield prediction
title Forecasting yield and market classes of Vidalia sweet onions: A UAV-based multispectral and texture data-driven approach
title_full Forecasting yield and market classes of Vidalia sweet onions: A UAV-based multispectral and texture data-driven approach
title_fullStr Forecasting yield and market classes of Vidalia sweet onions: A UAV-based multispectral and texture data-driven approach
title_full_unstemmed Forecasting yield and market classes of Vidalia sweet onions: A UAV-based multispectral and texture data-driven approach
title_short Forecasting yield and market classes of Vidalia sweet onions: A UAV-based multispectral and texture data-driven approach
title_sort forecasting yield and market classes of vidalia sweet onions a uav based multispectral and texture data driven approach
topic Machine learning
Precision horticulture
Spectral data
Texture data
Yield prediction
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772375525000425
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