Scale invariant feature approach for insect monitoring

One of the main problems in greenhouse crop production is the presence of pests. In order to address this problem, the implementation of a Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system involving the detection and classification of insects (pests) is essential for intensive production systems. Traditionally, this has been done by placing hunting traps in fields or greenhouses and later manually counting and identifying the insects found. This is a very time-consuming and expensive process. To facilitate this process, it is possible to use machine vision techniques. This work describes an application of the machine vision system LOSS V2 algorithm, an expanded version of the LOSS algorithm discussed in a previous work by the same authors. This expanded version demonstrated improved potential and was used to detect and identify the following pest species: Diabrotica (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Lacewings (Lacewings spp.), Aphids (Aphis gossypii Genn.), Glassy (Empoasca spp.), Thrips (Thrips tabaci L), and Whitely (Bemisia tabaci Genn.). The algorithm identifies pest presence in the crop and makes it possible for the greenhouse manager to take the appropriate preventive or corrective measures. The LOSS V2 involves the application of the LOSS algorithm for initial pest identification, followed by the application of the image processing technique known as scale invariant feature transform (SIFT). This allows for more accurate pest detection because it is possible to discriminate and identify different types of insects. Therefore, when compared to manual pest counting, the newly developed LOSS V2 algorithm showed more precision in identifying different pest varieties, and also, a much higher determination coefficient, R-2=0.99. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.