In field (on tree) fruit sizing has value in assessing crop health and for yield estimation. As the mobile phone is a sensor and communication rich device carried by almost all farm staff, an Android application (“FruitSize”) was developed for measurement of fruit size in field using the phone camera, with a typical assessment rate of 240 fruit per hour achieved. The application was based on imaging of fruit against a backboard with a scale using a mobile phone, with operational limits set on camera to object plane angle and camera to object distance. Image processing and object segmentation techniques available in the OpenCV library were used to segment the fruit from background in images to obtain fruit sizes. Phone camera parameters were accessed to allow calculation of fruit size, with camera to fruit perimeter distance obtained from fruit allometric relationships between fruit thickness and width. Phone geolocation data was also accessed, allowing for mapping fruits of data. Under controlled lighting, RMSEs of 3.4, 3.8, 2.4, and 2.0 mm were achieved in estimation of avocado, mandarin, navel orange, and apple fruit diameter, respectively. For mango fruit, RMSEs of 5.3 and 3.7 mm were achieved on length and width, benchmarked to manual caliper measurements, under controlled lighting, and RMSEs of 5.5 and 4.6 mm were obtained in-field under ambient lighting.
The rising adoption of IoT is one of the major trends being witnessed in the global blockchain technology market in the agriculture sector 2018-2022. Some of the key vendors offering blockchain technology are focusing on developing the technology with IoT platforms to ensure added benefits to end-users. The IoT devices used in smart supply chain management in the agriculture sector require an application platform to transmit data. Blockchain technology is gaining popularity in the smart supply chain management in the agriculture sector.
The Ministry of Commerce has resolved to step up efforts towards making Thailand the world’s fruit super power, drafting both short and long term strategies.
Deputy Minister of Commerce Sontirat Sontijirawong revealed after a strategic meeting on the nation’s fruit trade that the ministry has set up a working plan that involves the private sector and has both short and long term goals. The aim of the plan is to maintain the price, quality and safety of Thai fruits with the intent of making Thailand the world super power for fruit production.
The strategies are to first be applied to durian, coconut and mangosteen due to their high volume of production and export.