Analysis and prediction of seed quality using machine learning

The mainstay of the economy has always been agriculture, and the majority of tasks are still carried out without the use of modern technology. Currently, the ability of human intelligence to forecast seed quality is used. Because it lacks a validation method, the existing seed prediction analysis is ineffective. Here, we have tried to create a prediction model that uses machine learning algorithms to forecast seed quality, leading to high crop yield and high-quality harvests. For precise seed categorization, this model was created using convolutional neural networks and trained using the seed dataset. Using data that can be used to forecast the future, this model is used to learn about whether the seeds are of premium quality, standard quality, or regular quality. While testing data are employed in the algorithm’s predictive analytics, training data and validation data are used for categorization reasons. Thus, by examining the training accuracy of the convolution neural network (CNN) model and the prediction accuracy of the algorithm, the project’s primary goal is to develop the best method for the more accurate prediction of seed quality

Potencial fisiológico de sementes de Glycine max e Pinus taeda : diferentes abordagens a partir de análise de dados

Orientadora: Profa. Dra. Maristela Panobianco VasconcellosCoorientadora: Dra. Elisa Serra Negra VieiraTese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Agrárias, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Agronomia (Produção Vegetal). Defesa : Curitiba, 30/01/2023Inclui referências: p. 74-91Área de concentração: Produção VegetalResumo: Sementes vigorosas propiciam uma emergência rápida e uniforme de plântulas a campo e maior probabilidade de sucesso no estabelecimento do estande e conservação durante seu armazenamento, sob ampla variação das condições ambientais. A emergência das plântulas após a semeadura depende diretamente das condições do ambiente e, como estas não são controláveis, a avaliação do potencial fisiológico das sementes deve ser efetuada de maneira eficiente, que permita identificar de forma segura lotes com maior probabilidade de se estabelecerem adequadamente em campo. Por outro lado, sabe-se que a partir da maturação vários fatores afetam o desempenho das sementes até a semeadura, com destaque para as condições climáticas, as quais podem causar distúrbios à formação da semente e prejudicar diretamente o vigor do material. Para este estudo, duas espécies de importância econômica (soja e pinus) foram utilizadas, com os objetivos de: a) realizar uma revisão sistemática visando compilar informações atualizadas e mais promissoras sobre a qualidade de sementes de soja, traits, tratamentos e técnicas de análise; b) analisar a influência do clima do local de produção no potencial fisiológico de sementes de Pinus taeda. Assim, para a revisão sistemática sobre a qualidade fisiológica de sementes de soja, de 6.899 materiais acadêmicos recuperados, entre os anos de 2017 e 2022, 57 deles foram incluídos no trabalho, sendo separados em três grupos: Grupo 1 - Materiais teóricos abordando traits relacionados ao vigor de sementes, que podem ser utilizados em estratégias biotecnológicas e de melhoramento de diferentes espécies; Grupo 2 - Materiais práticos que aplicam técnicas de tratamento de sementes de soja; e Grupo 3 - Materiais práticos que aplicam técnicas para avaliar o vigor em sementes de soja. Para a espécie de Pinus taeda, foram levantados os dados de qualidade da semente (vigor, germinação, sementes duras e peso de mil sementes) extraídos de Boletins de Análise de Sementes emitidos pelo Laboratório de Sementes Florestais da Embrapa Florestas, ao longo de 14 anos (2004- 2018), para dez locais de produção em três estados (SP, PR, SC). Foram levantados os dados climáticos médios mensais, nos anos e dos locais produção de sementes, sendo eles: temperatura máxima e mínima do ar, precipitação pluviométrica e umidade relativa do ar. Em relação à cultura da soja, foi possível observar que vários genes, proteínas e QTLs estão associados ao vigor das sementes; as técnicas de tratamento de sementes concentram-se no uso de produtos biológicos e processos físicos, porém há carência de estudos validando os benefícios em campo. Dentre os métodos para avaliação do vigor de sementes de soja, destacam-se as técnicas de análise de imagem (luz visível, LIBS, NIR, FTIR, FT-NIR, HSI-NIR, FHSI, Hiperespectral, Espectral de fluorescência) e o emprego de softwares (Vigor-S®, SVIS®, SAPL®, IJCropSeed, Ilastik, VideometerLab® MATLAB, ENVI®). Com relação a Pinus taeda, conclui-se que o clima do local de produção tem efeito no PMS e na porcentagem de sementes duras. No entanto, os parâmetros de qualidade da semente tiveram correlação fraca com as variáveis climáticas analisadas. Pelos resultados obtidos, conclui-se que o clima do local de produção tem baixa influência na qualidade da semente da espécie.Abstract: Vigorous seeds provide a rapid and uniform emergence of seedlings in the field and a greater probability of success in the establishment of the stand and conservation during its storage, under a wide variety of environmental conditions. The emergence of seedlings after sowing depends directly on the conditions of the environment and, as these are not controllable, the evaluation of the physiological potential of the seeds should be carried out efficiently, to safely identify lots that are more likely to settle properly in the field. On the other hand, it is known that from maturation several factors affect the performance of the seeds until sowing, especially the climatic conditions, which can cause disturbances to the formation of the seed and directly impair the vigor of the material. For this study, two species of economic importance (soybean and loblolly pine) were used, with the objectives of a) carrying out a systematic review aiming to compile updated and more promising information on the quality of soybean seeds, traits, treatments, and analysis techniques; b) analyze the influence of the climate of the production site on the physiological potential of Pinus taeda seeds. Thus, for the systematic review on the physiological quality of soybean seeds, of 6,899 academic materials recovered, between the years 2017 and 2022, 57 of them were included in the study, being separated into three groups: Group 1 – Theoretical materials addressing traits related to seed vigor, which can be used in biotechnological and breeding strategies of different species; Group 2 - Practical materials applying techniques for treating soybean seeds; and Group 3 - Practical materials that apply techniques to evaluate the vigor in soybean seeds. For the species of P. taeda, seed quality data (vigor, germination, hard seeds, and weight of one thousand seeds) extracted from Seed Analysis Bulletins issued by the Forest Seed Laboratory of Embrapa Florestas, over 14 years were collected (2004-2018), for ten production sites in three states (SP, PR, SC). The average monthly climatic data were collected in the years and from the seed production sites, namely: maximum and minimum air temperature, rainfall, and relative humidity. Concerning soybean culture, it was possible to observe that several genes, proteins, and QTLs are associated with seed vigor; seed treatment techniques are concentrated in the use of biological products and physical processes, and studies validate the benefits in the field. Among the methods for evaluating the vigor of soybean seeds, we highlight the techniques of image analysis (visible light, LIBS, NIR, FTIR, FT-NIR, HSINIR, FHSI, Hyperspectral, fluorescence spectral) and the use of software (Vigor-S, SVIS, SAPL, IJCropSeed, Ilastik, VideometerLab MATLAB, ENVI). Regarding Pinus taeda, it is concluded that the climate of the production site affects the PMS and the percentage of hard seeds. However, the seed quality parameters had a weak correlation with the climatic variables analyzed. From the results obtained, it is concluded that the climate of the production site has a low influence on the seed quality of the species

Rapid Measurement of Soybean Seed Viability Using Kernel-Based Multispectral Image Analysis

Viability is an important quality factor influencing seed germination and crop yield. Current seed-viability testing methods rely on conventional manual inspections, which use destructive, labor-intensive and time-consuming measurements. The aim of this study is to distinguish between viable and nonviable soybean seeds, using a near-infrared (NIR) hyperspectral imaging (HSI) technique in a rapid and nondestructive manner. The data extracted from the NIR–HSI of viable and nonviable soybean seeds were analyzed using a partial least-squares discrimination analysis (PLS-DA) technique for classifying the viable and nonviable soybean seeds. Variable importance in projection (VIP) was used as a waveband selection method to develop a multispectral imaging model. Initially, the spectral profile of each pixel in the soybean seed images was subjected to PLS-DA analysis, which yielded a reasonable classification accuracy; however, the pixel-based classification method was not successful for high accuracy detection for nonviable seeds. Another viability detection method was then investigated: a kernel image threshold method with an optimum-detection-rate strategy. The kernel-based classification of seeds showed over 95% accuracy even when using only seven optimal wavebands selected through VIP. The results show that the proposed multispectral NIR imaging method is an effective and accurate nondestructive technique for the discrimination of soybean seed viability

Response of primed soybean (Glycine max L.) to storage duration and ambient conditions.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.Abstract available in PDF

Multi-empirical investigations on the population genetic structure, ecological niche, and regeneration of Ivesia webberi with conservation implications

Ecosystems often contain a few cosmopolitan species and a large number of rare species. Despite their relative low abundance and biomass, rare species support the multifunctionality and resilience of ecosystems. Therefore, empirical studies on rare and range-restricted species can increase our understanding of eco-evolutionary underpinnings of species and ecosystem persistence, and generate sufficient knowledge to design effective conservation programs. These research studies can also benefit conservation programs for rare and range-restricted species, which are often prioritized. This research focuses on Ivesia webberi, a federally threatened perennial forb and the vegetative communities that harbor the species. Specifically, empirical studies investigated the following: (1) species-environment relationship of I. webberi using iterative and multi-year ecological niche modeling with complementary model-guided sampling, to describe and predict suitable habitats; (2) the relationship between soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation in plant communities where I. webberi is found, to understand the regeneration niche of I. webberi and assess ecological resilience of the vegetative communities; (3) genetic diversity, structure, and functional connectivity among I. webberi populations in order to characterize genetic resources and therefore evolutionary potential; (4) the relationships between genome size variation and bioclimatic variables within I. webberi and among Ivesia taxa; and (5) seed viability of I. webberi, including spatiotemporal variability and storage behavior.Findings from the 5-year iterative niche modeling study resulted in the discovery of seven novel populations, an expansion of the known species distribution range, and identification of important environmental drivers of the ecological niche of I. webberi. Native species richness was higher in aboveground vegetation in the sampled sites where I. webberi occurs while the soil seed bank is dominated by invasive annual grasses. This resulted in low floristic similarity between the aboveground vegetation and the soil seed bank, and highlights the importance of seeding with native plants and control of invasive plant species to maintain the ecological legacies of these sites in the Great Basin Desert. Genetic diversity is relatively low across I. webberi populations and exhibited significant spatial genetic structure; functional connectivity was influenced by synergistic effects of geographic distance and landscape features. However, I. webberi exhibits a significant temporal, not geographical, variation in seed viability, and seed viability potentially reduces with storage time suggesting a recalcitrant behavior. Seed viability can be reliably estimated and monitored using non-destructive x-ray imagery and multispectral imaging techniques. An 8-fold variation in genome size of 31 Ivesia taxa was observed, ranging from 0.73 pg/2C in I. baileyi var. beneolens to 5.91 pg/2C in I. lycopodioides ssp. megalopetala. This genome size variation significantly correlated with actual evapotranspiration and seed size. Inference from genome size suggest that all sampled Ivesia are diploid with 28 chromosomes. Similar significant correlations between intraspecific genome size variation in I. webberi and evapotranspiration and seed size were observed; genome size was larger in I. webberi populations closer to the species’ range center and smaller towards the margin. Relatively small genome sizes and their correlations with functional trait and energy availability indicate that genome size has adaptive significance for these desert-adapted species. Overall, the findings of these studies have advanced scientific knowledge on the eco-evolutionary processes in a range-restricted plant species in the Great Basin Desert, and provide useful information to design effective conservation programs