A proposed plant classification framework for smart agricultural applications using UAV images and artificial intelligence techniques

Utilizing Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), Internet of Things (IoTs) sensors, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), in conjunction with optimization techniques and machine learning algorithms, can present a novel approach to Precision Agricultural (PA) crops. Agriculture has transitioned from traditional legacy systems to incorporate advanced smart technologies. Several complex farming problems are utilized to promote a variety of UAV sensing and Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms in PA applications of smart agriculture, especially in developing countries. This paper proposes the design of a conceptual UAV sensing system for crop management using a novel classification framework. UAV-based image datasets can be implemented and expanded to various types of crops. In addition, it can classify various types of rice species and detect weed farms as it consists of a multistage process for identifying and monitoring different crops. The proposed classification framework is evaluated using three different real UAV image datasets compared with Naive Bayes, Decision Tree (DT), Bagging, and Random Forest (RF) techniques. The classification performance metrics obtained are as follows: i) the WeedNet dataset with 100% F1-score, 100% recall, 100% precision, and 100% accuracy; ii) the Rice Seedling dataset with 99.5% F1-score, 99.5% recall, 99.5% precision, and 99.5% accuracy; and iii) the Rice Varieties dataset with 97.99% F1-score, 97.99% recall, 98.14% precision, and 97.99% accuracy. The success rates achieved by the proposed classification framework outperform those of other recent state-of-the-art techniques, demonstrating its efficacy in crop management applications.