A Soybean Pod Accuracy Detection and Counting Model Based on Improved YOLOv8

The number of soybean pods is a key determinant of soybean yield, making accurate detection and counting essential for yield estimation, cultivation management, and variety selection. Traditional manual counting methods are labor-intensive and time-consuming, and while object detection networks are...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Xiaofei Jia, Zhenlu Hua, Hongtao Shi, Dan Zhu, Zhongzhi Han, Guangxia Wu, Limiao Deng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Agriculture
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/6/617
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849392732643000320
author Xiaofei Jia
Zhenlu Hua
Hongtao Shi
Dan Zhu
Zhongzhi Han
Guangxia Wu
Limiao Deng
author_facet Xiaofei Jia
Zhenlu Hua
Hongtao Shi
Dan Zhu
Zhongzhi Han
Guangxia Wu
Limiao Deng
author_sort Xiaofei Jia
collection DOAJ
description The number of soybean pods is a key determinant of soybean yield, making accurate detection and counting essential for yield estimation, cultivation management, and variety selection. Traditional manual counting methods are labor-intensive and time-consuming, and while object detection networks are widely applied in agricultural tasks, the dense distribution and overlapping occlusion of soybean pods present significant challenges. This study developed a soybean pod detection model, YOLOv8n-POD, based on the YOLOv8n network, incorporating key innovations to address these issues. A Dense Block Backbone (DBB) enhances the model’s adaptability to the morphological diversity of soybean pods, while the Separated and Enhancement Attention Module (SEAM) in the neck section improves the representation of pod-related features in feature maps. Additionally, a Dynamic Head increases the flexibility in detecting pods of varying scales. The model achieved an average precision (AP) of 83.1%, surpassing mainstream object detection methodologies with a 5.3% improvement over YOLOv8. Tests on three public datasets further demonstrated its generalizability to other crops. The proposed YOLOv8n-POD model provides robust support for accurate detection and localization of soybean pods, essential for yield estimation and breeding strategies, and its significant theoretical and practical implications extend its applicability to other crop types, advancing agricultural automation and precision farming.
format Article
id doaj-art-c9fbfba893fd40c7b5c7f25c1e7dbe16
institution Kabale University
issn 2077-0472
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Agriculture
spelling doaj-art-c9fbfba893fd40c7b5c7f25c1e7dbe162025-08-20T03:40:42ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722025-03-0115661710.3390/agriculture15060617A Soybean Pod Accuracy Detection and Counting Model Based on Improved YOLOv8Xiaofei Jia0Zhenlu Hua1Hongtao Shi2Dan Zhu3Zhongzhi Han4Guangxia Wu5Limiao Deng6School of Science and Information, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, ChinaSchool of Science and Information, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, ChinaSchool of Science and Information, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, ChinaKey Lab of Plant Biotechnology in Universities of Shandong Province, College of Life Science, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, ChinaSchool of Science and Information, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, ChinaSchool of Agronomy, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, ChinaSchool of Science and Information, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, ChinaThe number of soybean pods is a key determinant of soybean yield, making accurate detection and counting essential for yield estimation, cultivation management, and variety selection. Traditional manual counting methods are labor-intensive and time-consuming, and while object detection networks are widely applied in agricultural tasks, the dense distribution and overlapping occlusion of soybean pods present significant challenges. This study developed a soybean pod detection model, YOLOv8n-POD, based on the YOLOv8n network, incorporating key innovations to address these issues. A Dense Block Backbone (DBB) enhances the model’s adaptability to the morphological diversity of soybean pods, while the Separated and Enhancement Attention Module (SEAM) in the neck section improves the representation of pod-related features in feature maps. Additionally, a Dynamic Head increases the flexibility in detecting pods of varying scales. The model achieved an average precision (AP) of 83.1%, surpassing mainstream object detection methodologies with a 5.3% improvement over YOLOv8. Tests on three public datasets further demonstrated its generalizability to other crops. The proposed YOLOv8n-POD model provides robust support for accurate detection and localization of soybean pods, essential for yield estimation and breeding strategies, and its significant theoretical and practical implications extend its applicability to other crop types, advancing agricultural automation and precision farming.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/6/617deep learningimage processingobject detectionYOLOv8pod detection
spellingShingle Xiaofei Jia
Zhenlu Hua
Hongtao Shi
Dan Zhu
Zhongzhi Han
Guangxia Wu
Limiao Deng
A Soybean Pod Accuracy Detection and Counting Model Based on Improved YOLOv8
Agriculture
deep learning
image processing
object detection
YOLOv8
pod detection
title A Soybean Pod Accuracy Detection and Counting Model Based on Improved YOLOv8
title_full A Soybean Pod Accuracy Detection and Counting Model Based on Improved YOLOv8
title_fullStr A Soybean Pod Accuracy Detection and Counting Model Based on Improved YOLOv8
title_full_unstemmed A Soybean Pod Accuracy Detection and Counting Model Based on Improved YOLOv8
title_short A Soybean Pod Accuracy Detection and Counting Model Based on Improved YOLOv8
title_sort soybean pod accuracy detection and counting model based on improved yolov8
topic deep learning
image processing
object detection
YOLOv8
pod detection
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/6/617
work_keys_str_mv AT xiaofeijia asoybeanpodaccuracydetectionandcountingmodelbasedonimprovedyolov8
AT zhenluhua asoybeanpodaccuracydetectionandcountingmodelbasedonimprovedyolov8
AT hongtaoshi asoybeanpodaccuracydetectionandcountingmodelbasedonimprovedyolov8
AT danzhu asoybeanpodaccuracydetectionandcountingmodelbasedonimprovedyolov8
AT zhongzhihan asoybeanpodaccuracydetectionandcountingmodelbasedonimprovedyolov8
AT guangxiawu asoybeanpodaccuracydetectionandcountingmodelbasedonimprovedyolov8
AT limiaodeng asoybeanpodaccuracydetectionandcountingmodelbasedonimprovedyolov8
AT xiaofeijia soybeanpodaccuracydetectionandcountingmodelbasedonimprovedyolov8
AT zhenluhua soybeanpodaccuracydetectionandcountingmodelbasedonimprovedyolov8
AT hongtaoshi soybeanpodaccuracydetectionandcountingmodelbasedonimprovedyolov8
AT danzhu soybeanpodaccuracydetectionandcountingmodelbasedonimprovedyolov8
AT zhongzhihan soybeanpodaccuracydetectionandcountingmodelbasedonimprovedyolov8
AT guangxiawu soybeanpodaccuracydetectionandcountingmodelbasedonimprovedyolov8
AT limiaodeng soybeanpodaccuracydetectionandcountingmodelbasedonimprovedyolov8