Pixel-wise navigation line extraction of cross-growth-stage seedlings in complex sugarcane fields and extension to corn and rice

Extracting the navigation line of crop seedlings is significant for achieving autonomous visual navigation of smart agricultural machinery. Nevertheless, in field management of crop seedlings, numerous available studies involving navigation line extraction mainly focused on specific growth stages of...

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Main Authors: Hongwei Li, Xindong Lai, Yongmei Mo, Deqiang He, Tao Wu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-01-01
Series:Frontiers in Plant Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2024.1499896/full
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author Hongwei Li
Hongwei Li
Xindong Lai
Yongmei Mo
Deqiang He
Tao Wu
Tao Wu
author_facet Hongwei Li
Hongwei Li
Xindong Lai
Yongmei Mo
Deqiang He
Tao Wu
Tao Wu
author_sort Hongwei Li
collection DOAJ
description Extracting the navigation line of crop seedlings is significant for achieving autonomous visual navigation of smart agricultural machinery. Nevertheless, in field management of crop seedlings, numerous available studies involving navigation line extraction mainly focused on specific growth stages of specific crop seedlings so far, lacking a generalizable algorithm for addressing challenges under complex cross-growth-stage seedling conditions. In response to such challenges, we proposed a generalizable navigation line extraction algorithm using classical image processing technologies. First, image preprocessing is performed to enhance the image quality and extract distinct crop regions. Redundant pixels can be eliminated by opening operation and eight-connected component filtering. Then, optimal region detection is applied to identify the fitting area. The optimal pixels of plantation rows are selected by cluster-centerline distance comparison and sigmoid thresholding. Ultimately, the navigation line is extracted by linear fitting, representing the autonomous vehicle’s optimal path. An assessment was conducted on a sugarcane dataset. Meanwhile, the generalization capacity of the proposed algorithm has been further verified on corn and rice datasets. Experimental results showed that for seedlings at different growth stages and diverse field environments, the mean error angle (MEA) ranges from 0.844° to 2.96°, the root mean square error (RMSE) ranges from 1.249° to 4.65°, and the mean relative error (MRE) ranges from 1.008% to 3.47%. The proposed algorithm exhibits high accuracy, robustness, and generalization. This study breaks through the shortcomings of traditional visual navigation line extraction, offering a theoretical foundation for classical image-processing-based visual navigation.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1664-462X
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publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
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spelling doaj-art-d1f3334ccc454c41b743dd0b349e7ec62025-01-30T15:58:44ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Plant Science1664-462X2025-01-011510.3389/fpls.2024.14998961499896Pixel-wise navigation line extraction of cross-growth-stage seedlings in complex sugarcane fields and extension to corn and riceHongwei Li0Hongwei Li1Xindong Lai2Yongmei Mo3Deqiang He4Tao Wu5Tao Wu6School of Mechanical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning, ChinaCollege of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, ChinaSchool of Mechanical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning, ChinaSchool of Mechanical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning, ChinaSchool of Mechanical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning, ChinaSchool of Mechanical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning, ChinaCollege of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, ChinaExtracting the navigation line of crop seedlings is significant for achieving autonomous visual navigation of smart agricultural machinery. Nevertheless, in field management of crop seedlings, numerous available studies involving navigation line extraction mainly focused on specific growth stages of specific crop seedlings so far, lacking a generalizable algorithm for addressing challenges under complex cross-growth-stage seedling conditions. In response to such challenges, we proposed a generalizable navigation line extraction algorithm using classical image processing technologies. First, image preprocessing is performed to enhance the image quality and extract distinct crop regions. Redundant pixels can be eliminated by opening operation and eight-connected component filtering. Then, optimal region detection is applied to identify the fitting area. The optimal pixels of plantation rows are selected by cluster-centerline distance comparison and sigmoid thresholding. Ultimately, the navigation line is extracted by linear fitting, representing the autonomous vehicle’s optimal path. An assessment was conducted on a sugarcane dataset. Meanwhile, the generalization capacity of the proposed algorithm has been further verified on corn and rice datasets. Experimental results showed that for seedlings at different growth stages and diverse field environments, the mean error angle (MEA) ranges from 0.844° to 2.96°, the root mean square error (RMSE) ranges from 1.249° to 4.65°, and the mean relative error (MRE) ranges from 1.008% to 3.47%. The proposed algorithm exhibits high accuracy, robustness, and generalization. This study breaks through the shortcomings of traditional visual navigation line extraction, offering a theoretical foundation for classical image-processing-based visual navigation.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2024.1499896/fullclassical image processingcrop seedlingnavigation line extractionplantation rowgrowth stage
spellingShingle Hongwei Li
Hongwei Li
Xindong Lai
Yongmei Mo
Deqiang He
Tao Wu
Tao Wu
Pixel-wise navigation line extraction of cross-growth-stage seedlings in complex sugarcane fields and extension to corn and rice
Frontiers in Plant Science
classical image processing
crop seedling
navigation line extraction
plantation row
growth stage
title Pixel-wise navigation line extraction of cross-growth-stage seedlings in complex sugarcane fields and extension to corn and rice
title_full Pixel-wise navigation line extraction of cross-growth-stage seedlings in complex sugarcane fields and extension to corn and rice
title_fullStr Pixel-wise navigation line extraction of cross-growth-stage seedlings in complex sugarcane fields and extension to corn and rice
title_full_unstemmed Pixel-wise navigation line extraction of cross-growth-stage seedlings in complex sugarcane fields and extension to corn and rice
title_short Pixel-wise navigation line extraction of cross-growth-stage seedlings in complex sugarcane fields and extension to corn and rice
title_sort pixel wise navigation line extraction of cross growth stage seedlings in complex sugarcane fields and extension to corn and rice
topic classical image processing
crop seedling
navigation line extraction
plantation row
growth stage
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2024.1499896/full
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