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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Environmental Microbial & Food Safety Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #324754
Title: High speed measurement of corn seed viability using hyperspectral imaging

Author
item AMBROSE, ASHABAHEBWA - Chungnam National University
item KANDPAL, LALIT - Chungnam National University
item Kim, Moon
item LEE, WANG-HEE - Chungnam National University
item CHO, BYOUNG-KWAN - Chungnam National University

Submitted to: Infrared Physics and Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/23/2016
Publication Date: 1/23/2016
Citation: Ambrose, A., Kandpal, L., Kim, M.S., Lee, W., Cho, B. 2016. High speed measurement of corn seed viability using hyperspectral imaging. Infrared Physics and Technology. 75:171-179.

Interpretive Summary: Corn is one of the most cultivated crops as food for humans as well as animals. Seed germination and vigor are the primary determinants of high yield notwithstanding any other factors that may play during the growth period. Seed viability may be lost during storage due to unfavorable conditions e.g. moisture content and temperatures, or physical damage during mechanical processing e.g. shelling, or over heating during drying. The possibility of using hyperspectral imaging techniques to discriminate viable and nonviable corn seeds was investigated in this study. A group of corn samples were heat treated by using microwave process while a group of seeds were kept as control group (untreated). The hyperspectral images of corn seeds of both groups were captured between 400 and 2500 nm wave range. Numerical analytical models were developed for the classification of aged (heat treated) and normal (untreated) corn seeds. The hyperspectral image-based classification result for the aged and normal corn seeds was about 96.6%. This investigation provides useful information to agricultural engineers who are developing nondestructive means to rapidly determine seed viability.

Technical Abstract: Corn is one of the most cultivated crops all over world as food for humans as well as animals. Optimized agronomic practices and improved technological interventions during planting, harvesting and post-harvest handling are critical to improving the quantity and quality of corn production. Seed germination and vigor are the primary determinants of high yield notwithstanding any other factors that may play during the growth period. Seed viability may be lost during storage due to unfavorable conditions e.g. moisture content and temperatures, or physical damage during mechanical processing e.g. shelling, or over heating during drying. It is therefore vital for seed companies and farmers to test and ascertain seed viability to avoid losses of any kind. This study aimed at investigating the possibility of using hyperspectral imaging (HSI) technique to discriminate viable and nonviable corn seeds. A group of corn samples were heat treated by using microwave process while a group of seeds were kept as control group (untreated). The hyperspectral images of corn seeds of both groups were captured between 400 and 2500 nm wave range. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was built for the classification of aged (heat treated) and normal (untreated) corn seeds. The model showed highest classification accuracy of 97.6% (calibration) and 95.6% (prediction) in the SWIR region of the HSI. Furthermore, the PLS-DA and binary images were capable to provide the visual information of treated and untreated corn seeds. The overall results suggest that HSI technique is accurate for classification of viable and non-viable seeds with non-destructive manner.