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Publications

Publications by Leandro Almeida Rodrigues

2021

PixelCropRobot, a cartesian multitask platform for microfarms automation

Authors
Terra F.; Rodrigues L.; Magalhaes S.; Santos F.; Moura P.; Cunha M.;

Publication
2021 International Symposium of Asian Control Association on Intelligent Robotics and Industrial Automation, IRIA 2021

Abstract
The world society needs to produce more food with the highest quality standards to feed the world population with the same level of nutrition. Microfarms and local food production enable growing vegetables near the population and reducing the operational logistics costs related to post-harvest food handling. However, it isn't economical viable neither efficient to have one person devoted to these microfarms task. To overcome this issue, we propose an open-source robotic solution capable of performing multitasks in small polyculture farms. This robot is equipped with optical sensors, manipulators and other mechatronic technology to monitor and process both biotic and abiotic agronomic data. This information supports the consequent activation of manipulators that perform several agricultural tasks: crop and weed detection, sowing and watering. The development of the robot meets low-cost requirements so that it can be a putative commercial solution. This solution is designed to be relevant as a test platform to support the assembly of new sensors and further develop new cognitive solutions, to raise awareness on topics related to Precision Agriculture. We are looking for a rational use of resources and several other aspects of an evolved, economically efficient and ecologically sustainable agriculture.

2023

Toward Grapevine Digital Ampelometry Through Vision Deep Learning Models

Authors
Magalhaes, SC; Castro, L; Rodrigues, L; Padilha, TC; de Carvalho, F; dos Santos, FN; Pinho, T; Moreira, G; Cunha, J; Cunha, M; Silva, P; Moreira, AP;

Publication
IEEE SENSORS JOURNAL

Abstract
Several thousand grapevine varieties exist, with even more naming identifiers. Adequate specialized labor is not available for proper classification or identification of grapevines, making the value of commercial vines uncertain. Traditional methods, such as genetic analysis or ampelometry, are time-consuming, expensive, and often require expert skills that are even rarer. New vision-based systems benefit from advanced and innovative technology and can be used by nonexperts in ampelometry. To this end, deep learning (DL) and machine learning (ML) approaches have been successfully applied for classification purposes. This work extends the state of the art by applying digital ampelometry techniques to larger grapevine varieties. We benchmarked MobileNet v2, ResNet-34, and VGG-11-BN DL classifiers to assess their ability for digital ampelography. In our experiment, all the models could identify the vines' varieties through the leaf with a weighted F1 score higher than 92%.

2023

Computer Vision and Deep Learning as Tools for Leveraging Dynamic Phenological Classification in Vegetable Crops

Authors
Rodrigues, L; Magalhaes, SA; da Silva, DQ; dos Santos, FN; Cunha, M;

Publication
AGRONOMY-BASEL

Abstract
The efficiency of agricultural practices depends on the timing of their execution. Environmental conditions, such as rainfall, and crop-related traits, such as plant phenology, determine the success of practices such as irrigation. Moreover, plant phenology, the seasonal timing of biological events (e.g., cotyledon emergence), is strongly influenced by genetic, environmental, and management conditions. Therefore, assessing the timing the of crops' phenological events and their spatiotemporal variability can improve decision making, allowing the thorough planning and timely execution of agricultural operations. Conventional techniques for crop phenology monitoring, such as field observations, can be prone to error, labour-intensive, and inefficient, particularly for crops with rapid growth and not very defined phenophases, such as vegetable crops. Thus, developing an accurate phenology monitoring system for vegetable crops is an important step towards sustainable practices. This paper evaluates the ability of computer vision (CV) techniques coupled with deep learning (DL) (CV_DL) as tools for the dynamic phenological classification of multiple vegetable crops at the subfield level, i.e., within the plot. Three DL models from the Single Shot Multibox Detector (SSD) architecture (SSD Inception v2, SSD MobileNet v2, and SSD ResNet 50) and one from You Only Look Once (YOLO) architecture (YOLO v4) were benchmarked through a custom dataset containing images of eight vegetable crops between emergence and harvest. The proposed benchmark includes the individual pairing of each model with the images of each crop. On average, YOLO v4 performed better than the SSD models, reaching an F1-Score of 85.5%, a mean average precision of 79.9%, and a balanced accuracy of 87.0%. In addition, YOLO v4 was tested with all available data approaching a real mixed cropping system. Hence, the same model can classify multiple vegetable crops across the growing season, allowing the accurate mapping of phenological dynamics. This study is the first to evaluate the potential of CV_DL for vegetable crops' phenological research, a pivotal step towards automating decision support systems for precision horticulture.

2023

Enhancing Grape Brix Prediction in Precision Viticulture: A Benchmarking Study of Predictive Models using Hyperspectral Proximal Sensors

Authors
Santos-Campos, M; Tosin, R; Rodrigues, L; Gonçalves, I; Barbosa, C; Martins, R; Santos, F; Cunha, M;

Publication
The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Agronomy

Abstract

2023

Synergizing Crop Growth Models and Digital Phenotyping: The Design of a Cost-Effective Internet of Things-Based Sensing Network

Authors
Rodrigues, L; Moura, P; Terra, F; Carvalho, AM; Sarmento, J; dos Santos, FN; Cunha, M;

Publication
The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Agronomy

Abstract

2023

In-Field Hyperspectral Proximal Sensing for Estimating Grapevine Water Status to Support Smart Precision Viticulture

Authors
David, E; Tosin, R; Gonçalves, I; Rodrigues, L; Barbosa, C; Santos, F; Pinheiro, H; Martins, R; Cunha, M;

Publication
The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Agronomy

Abstract