Effect of light illumination and camera moving speed on soil image quality

Abstract: Soil texture has an important influence on agriculture such as crop selection, movement of nutrient and water, soil electrical conductivity, and crop growth. Conventionally, soil texture has been determined in the laboratory using pipette and hydrometer methods requiring significant amount of time, labor, and cost. Recently, in-situ soil texture classification systems using optical diffuse reflectometry or mechanical resistance have been reported, especially for precision agriculture that needs more data than conventional agriculture. This paper is a part of overall research to develop an in-situ soil texture classification system using image processing. Issues investigated in this study were effects of sensor travel speed and light source and intensity on image quality. When travel speed of image sensor increased from 0 to 10 mm/s, travel distance and number of pixel were increased to 3.30 mm and 9.4, respectively. This travel distances were not negligible even at a speed of 2 mm/s (i.e., 0.66 mm and 1.4), and image degradation was significant. Tests for effects of illumination intensity showed that 7 to 11 Lux seemed a good condition minimizing shade and reflection. When soil water content increased, illumination intensity should be greater to compensate decrease in brightness. Results of the paper would be useful for construction, test, and application of the sensor