Smart and accurate: A new tool to identify stressed soybean seeds based on multispectral images and machine learning models

Extreme environmental conditions have been recurrent during the last few years and have impacted crop seed quality worldwide, mainly but not limited to, soybeans (Glycine max (L) Merrill). To overcome this, seed companies often demand innovative tools to address seed quality factors. Machine learnin...

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Main Authors: Ana Carolina Picinini Petronilio, Clíssia Barboza Mastrangelo, Thiago Barbosa Batista, Gustavo Roberto Fonseca de Oliveira, Isabela Lopes dos Santos, Edvaldo Aparecido Amaral da Silva
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-12-01
Series:Smart Agricultural Technology
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772375525002758
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author Ana Carolina Picinini Petronilio
Clíssia Barboza Mastrangelo
Thiago Barbosa Batista
Gustavo Roberto Fonseca de Oliveira
Isabela Lopes dos Santos
Edvaldo Aparecido Amaral da Silva
author_facet Ana Carolina Picinini Petronilio
Clíssia Barboza Mastrangelo
Thiago Barbosa Batista
Gustavo Roberto Fonseca de Oliveira
Isabela Lopes dos Santos
Edvaldo Aparecido Amaral da Silva
author_sort Ana Carolina Picinini Petronilio
collection DOAJ
description Extreme environmental conditions have been recurrent during the last few years and have impacted crop seed quality worldwide, mainly but not limited to, soybeans (Glycine max (L) Merrill). To overcome this, seed companies often demand innovative tools to address seed quality factors. Machine learning models based on multispectral imaging are a novel seed quality analysis approach. Thus, we hypothesize that segmenting stressed (those produced under conditions that are not favorable to the mother-plant) and non-stressed (produced under conditions favorable to the mother-plant) soybean seeds would be possible with this technology, opening a new opportunity for seed quality management and elucidating quality factors. Soybean seeds (cultivar BR/MG 46-Conquista) were produced under water deficit and heat during maturation (from R5.5 onwards). Multispectral images were acquired from stressed and non-stressed seeds, and the reflectance, autofluorescence, physical properties, and chlorophyll parameters were extracted from the images. In parallel, we determined seed vigor. We designed machine learning models using multispectral imaging data based on three algorithms: neural network, support vector machine, and random forest. Our results demonstrated that the stressed seeds have spectral markers that enable their recognition. Concomitantly, these markers had a direct relationship with seed vigor. The machine learning models developed based on neural network algorithm showed the highest performance in segmenting stressed seeds (≥90 % of accuracy, precision, recall, specificity and F1 score) in contrast to random forest- and support vector machine algorithm (≥88 % of accuracy, precision, recall, specificity and F1 score). Here, we report a new approach for multispectral imaging with the potential to identify soybean seeds of lower vigor as a result of unfavorable environmental conditions during seed maturation.
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spelling doaj-art-77000bd3a07d4ba7b0649c9f2b2da2122025-08-20T02:39:29ZengElsevierSmart Agricultural Technology2772-37552025-12-011210104210.1016/j.atech.2025.101042Smart and accurate: A new tool to identify stressed soybean seeds based on multispectral images and machine learning modelsAna Carolina Picinini Petronilio0Clíssia Barboza Mastrangelo1Thiago Barbosa Batista2Gustavo Roberto Fonseca de Oliveira3Isabela Lopes dos Santos4Edvaldo Aparecido Amaral da Silva5Department of Crop Sciences, School of Agriculture, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, SP, 18610-034, Brazil; Corresponding author.Laboratory of Radiobiology and Environment, Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, SP, 13416-000, BrazilLaboratory of Radiobiology and Environment, Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, SP, 13416-000, BrazilDepartment of Crop Sciences, School of Agriculture, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, SP, 18610-034, BrazilDepartment of Crop Sciences, School of Agriculture, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, SP, 18610-034, BrazilDepartment of Crop Sciences, School of Agriculture, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, SP, 18610-034, BrazilExtreme environmental conditions have been recurrent during the last few years and have impacted crop seed quality worldwide, mainly but not limited to, soybeans (Glycine max (L) Merrill). To overcome this, seed companies often demand innovative tools to address seed quality factors. Machine learning models based on multispectral imaging are a novel seed quality analysis approach. Thus, we hypothesize that segmenting stressed (those produced under conditions that are not favorable to the mother-plant) and non-stressed (produced under conditions favorable to the mother-plant) soybean seeds would be possible with this technology, opening a new opportunity for seed quality management and elucidating quality factors. Soybean seeds (cultivar BR/MG 46-Conquista) were produced under water deficit and heat during maturation (from R5.5 onwards). Multispectral images were acquired from stressed and non-stressed seeds, and the reflectance, autofluorescence, physical properties, and chlorophyll parameters were extracted from the images. In parallel, we determined seed vigor. We designed machine learning models using multispectral imaging data based on three algorithms: neural network, support vector machine, and random forest. Our results demonstrated that the stressed seeds have spectral markers that enable their recognition. Concomitantly, these markers had a direct relationship with seed vigor. The machine learning models developed based on neural network algorithm showed the highest performance in segmenting stressed seeds (≥90 % of accuracy, precision, recall, specificity and F1 score) in contrast to random forest- and support vector machine algorithm (≥88 % of accuracy, precision, recall, specificity and F1 score). Here, we report a new approach for multispectral imaging with the potential to identify soybean seeds of lower vigor as a result of unfavorable environmental conditions during seed maturation.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772375525002758Environmental stressSeed qualityGreen seed problemChlorophyll fluorescenceReflectanceSeed physical properties
spellingShingle Ana Carolina Picinini Petronilio
Clíssia Barboza Mastrangelo
Thiago Barbosa Batista
Gustavo Roberto Fonseca de Oliveira
Isabela Lopes dos Santos
Edvaldo Aparecido Amaral da Silva
Smart and accurate: A new tool to identify stressed soybean seeds based on multispectral images and machine learning models
Smart Agricultural Technology
Environmental stress
Seed quality
Green seed problem
Chlorophyll fluorescence
Reflectance
Seed physical properties
title Smart and accurate: A new tool to identify stressed soybean seeds based on multispectral images and machine learning models
title_full Smart and accurate: A new tool to identify stressed soybean seeds based on multispectral images and machine learning models
title_fullStr Smart and accurate: A new tool to identify stressed soybean seeds based on multispectral images and machine learning models
title_full_unstemmed Smart and accurate: A new tool to identify stressed soybean seeds based on multispectral images and machine learning models
title_short Smart and accurate: A new tool to identify stressed soybean seeds based on multispectral images and machine learning models
title_sort smart and accurate a new tool to identify stressed soybean seeds based on multispectral images and machine learning models
topic Environmental stress
Seed quality
Green seed problem
Chlorophyll fluorescence
Reflectance
Seed physical properties
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772375525002758
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