Weeds detection efficiency through different convolutional neural networks technology

The preservation of the environment has become a priority and a subject that is receiving more and more attention. This is particularly important in the field of precision agriculture, where pesticide and herbicide use has become more controlled. In this study, we propose to evaluate the ability of the deep learning (DL) and convolutional neural network (CNNs) technology to detect weeds in several types of crops using a perspective and proximity images to enable localized and ultra-localized herbicide spraying in the region of Beni Mellal in Morocco. We studied the detection of weeds through six recent CNN known for their speed and precision, namely, VGGNet (16 and 19), GoogLeNet (Inception V3 and V4) and MobileNet (V1 and V2). The first experiment was performed with the CNNs architectures from scratch and the second experiment with their pre-trained versions. The results showed that Inception V4 achieved the highest precision with a rate of 99.41% and 99.51% on the mixed image sets and for its version from scratch and its pre-trained version respectively, and that MobileNet V2 was the fastest and lightest with its size of 14 MB.

Digital In Situ Data Collection in Earth Observation, Monitoring and Agriculture—Progress towards Digital Agriculture

Digital solutions in agricultural management promote food security and support the sustainable use of resources. As a result, remote sensing (RS) can be seen as an innovation for the fast generation of reliable information for agricultural management. Near real-time processed RS data can be used as a tool for decision making on multiple scales, from subplot to the global level. This high potential is not yet fully applied, due to often limited access to ground truth information, which is crucial for the development of transferable applications and acceptance. In this study we present a digital workflow for the acquisition, processing and dissemination of agroecological information based on proprietary and open-source software tools with state-of-the-art web-mapping technologies. Data is processed in near real-time and thus can be used as ground truth information to enhance quality and performance of RS-based products. Data is disseminated by easy-to-understand visualizations and download functionalities for specific application levels to serve specific user needs. It thus can increase expert knowledge and can be used for decision support at the same time. The fully digital workflow underpins the great potential to facilitate quality enhancement of future RS products in the context of precision agriculture by safeguarding data quality. The generated FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) datasets can be used to strengthen the relationship between scientists, initiatives and stakeholders.

Clustering and Smoothing Pipeline for Management Zone Delineation Using Proximal and Remote Sensing

In precision agriculture (PA) practices, the accurate delineation of management zones (MZs), with each zone having similar characteristics, is essential for map-based variable rate application of farming inputs. However, there is no consensus on an optimal clustering algorithm and the input data format. In this paper, we evaluated the performances of five clustering algorithms including k-means, fuzzy C-means (FCM), hierarchical, mean shift, and density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) in different scenarios and assessed the impacts of input data format and feature selection on MZ delineation quality. We used key soil fertility attributes (moisture content (MC), organic carbon (OC), calcium (Ca), cation exchange capacity (CEC), exchangeable potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), exchangeable phosphorous (P), and pH) collected with an online visible and near-infrared (vis-NIR) spectrometer along with Sentinel2 and yield data of five commercial fields in Belgium. We demonstrated that k-means is the optimal clustering method for MZ delineation, and the input data should be normalized (range normalization). Feature selection was also shown to be positively effective. Furthermore, we proposed an algorithm based on DBSCAN for smoothing the MZs maps to allow smooth actuating during variable rate application by agricultural machinery. Finally, the whole process of MZ delineation was integrated in a clustering and smoothing pipeline (CaSP), which automatically performs the following steps sequentially: (1) range normalization, (2) feature selection based on cross-correlation analysis, (3) k-means clustering, and (4) smoothing. It is recommended to adopt the developed platform for automatic MZ delineation for variable rate applications of farming inputs.

A survey on the application of path-planning algorithms for multi-rotor UAVs in precision agriculture

Multi-rotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), although originally designed and developed for defence and military purposes, in the last ten years have gained momentum, especially for civilian applications, such as search and rescue, surveying and mapping, and agricultural crops and monitoring. Thanks to their hovering and Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) capabilities and the capacity to carry out tasks with complete autonomy, they are now a standard platform for both research and industrial uses. However, while the flight control architecture is well established in the literature, there are still many challenges in designing autonomous guidance and navigation systems to make the UAV able to work in constrained and cluttered environments or also indoors. Therefore, the main motivation of this work is to provide a comprehensive and exhaustive literature review on the numerous methods and approaches to address path-planning problems for multi-rotor UAVs. In particular, the inclusion of a review of the related research in the context of Precision Agriculture (PA) provides a unified and accessible presentation for researchers who are initiating their endeavours in this subject.

Integrating partitioned evapotranspiration data into hydrologic models: vegetation parameterization and uncertainty quantification of simulated plant water use

Accurate simulation of plant water use across agricultural ecosystems is essential for various applications, including precision agriculture, quantifying groundwater recharge, and optimizing irrigation rates. Previous approaches to integrating plant water use data into hydrologic models have relied on evapotranspiration (ET) observations. Recently, the flux variance similarity approach has been developed to partition ET to transpiration (T) and evaporation, providing an opportunity to use T data to parameterize models. To explore the value of T/ET data in improving hydrologic model performance, we examined multiple approaches to incorporate these observations for vegetation parameterization. We used ET observations from 5 eddy covariance towers located in the San Joaquin Valley, California, to parameterize orchard crops in an integrated land surface – groundwater model. We find that a simple approach of selecting the best parameter sets based on ET and T performance metrics works best at these study sites. Selecting parameters based on performance relative to observed ET creates an uncertainty of 27% relative to the observed value. When parameters are selected using both T and ET data, this uncertainty drops to 24%. Similarly, the uncertainty in potential groundwater recharge drops from 63% to 58% when parameters are selected with ET or T and ET data, respectively. Additionally, using crop type parameters results in similar levels of simulated ET as using site-specific parameters. Different irrigation schemes create high amounts of uncertainty and highlight the need for accurate estimates of irrigation when performing water budget studies.

Integrating Ambient Intelligence Technologies for Empowering Agriculture

This work blends the domain of Precision Agriculture with the prevalent paradigm of Ambient Intelligence, so as to enhance the interaction between farmers and Intelligent Environments, and support their various daily agricultural activities, aspiring to improve the quality and quantity of cultivated plants. In this paper, two systems are presented, namely the Intelligent Greenhouse and the AmI seedbed, targeting a wide range of agricultural activities, starting from planting the seeds, caring for each individual sprouted plant up to their transplantation in the greenhouse, where the provision for the entire plantation lasts until the harvesting period.