Zhao Yr

Discrimination of Transgenic Maize Kernel Using NIR Hyperspectral Imaging and Multivariate Data Analysis

There are possible environmental risks related to gene flow from genetically engineered organisms. It is important to find accurate, fast, and inexpensive methods to detect and monitor the presence of genetically modified (GM) organisms in crops and derived crop products. In the present study, GM maize kernels containing both cry1Ab/cry2Aj-G10evo proteins and their non-GM parents were examined by using hyperspectral imaging in the near-infrared (NIR) range (874.41–1733.91 nm) combined with chemometric data analysis. The hypercubes data were analyzed by applying principal component analysis (PCA) for exploratory purposes, and support vector machine (SVM) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS–DA) to build the discriminant models to class the GM maize kernels from their contrast. The results indicate that clear differences between GM and non-GM maize kernels can be easily visualized with a nondestructive determination method developed in this study, and excellent classification could be achieved, with calculation and prediction accuracy of almost 100%. This study also demonstrates that SVM and PLS–DA models can obtain good performance with 54 wavelengths, selected by the competitive adaptive reweighted sampling method (CARS), making the classification processing for online application more rapid. Finally, GM maize kernels were visually identified on the prediction maps by predicting the features of each pixel on individual hyperspectral images. It was concluded that hyperspectral imaging together with chemometric data analysis is a promising technique to identify GM maize kernels, since it overcomes some disadvantages of the traditional analytical methods, such as complex and monotonous sampling.

A Novel Hyperspectral Waveband Selection Algorithm for Insect Attack Detection

A novel hyperspectral waveband selection algorithm (HWSA) is proposed and applied to detect the injury severity of rice plants caused by brown planthoppers. Rice plants that were controlled or injured by brown planthoppers were sampled by the hyperspectral system. After preprocessing, the instability index (ISI) was calculated in order to measure the sensitivity of wavelengths to spectral variability, and the tradeoff index (TI) was set to remove insensitive wavelengths. The optimal wavelengths were then selected and used as inputs of the least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) model, and the percentage of injured pixels was calculated. Different combinations of optimal wavelengths were obtained to satisfy different accuracy requirements. The wavelengths of 543.11, 568.33, and 602.35 nm were the most optimal combination, resulting in classification accuracy of 90%. The combination of 16 wavelengths, in which the wavelengths of 543.11, 568.33, and 602.35 nm were included, led to ideal classification accuracy of 98% with a suitable number of wavebands.

Application of hyperspectral imaging and chemometrics for variety classification of maize seeds

Seed variety classification is important for assessing variety purity and increasing crop yield. A hyperspectral imaging system covering the spectral range of 874–1734 nm was applied for variety classification of maize seeds. A total of 12u2006900 maize seeds including 3 different varieties were evaluated. Spectral data of 975.01–1645.82 nm were extracted and preprocessed. Discriminant models were developed using a radial basis function neural network (RBFNN). The influence of calibration sample size on classification accuracy was studied. Results showed that with the expansion of calibration sample size, calibration accuracy varied slightly, but prediction accuracy changed from the increasing form to the stable form. Accordingly, the optimal size of the calibration set was determined. Optimal wavelength selection was conducted by loading of principal components (PCs). The RBFNN model developed on optimal wavelengths with the optimal size of the calibration set obtained satisfactory results, with calibration accuracy of 93.85% and prediction accuracy of 91.00%. Visualization of classification map of seed varieties was achieved by applying this RBFNN model on the average spectra of each sample. Besides, the procedure to determine the optimal sample quantity proposed in this study was verified by support vector machine (SVM). The overall results indicated that hyperspectral imaging was a potential technique for variety classification of maize seeds, and would help to develop a real-time detection system for maize seeds as well as other crop seeds.

Detection of Oil Chestnuts Infected by Blue Mold Using Near-Infrared Hyperspectral Imaging Combined with Artificial Neural Networks

Mildew damage is a major reason for chestnut poor quality and yield loss. In this study, a near-infrared hyperspectral imaging system in the 874–1734 nm spectral range was applied to detect the mildew damage to chestnuts caused by blue mold. Principal component analysis (PCA) scored images were firstly employed to qualitatively and intuitively distinguish moldy chestnuts from healthy chestnuts. Spectral data were extracted from the hyperspectral images. A successive projections algorithm (SPA) was used to select 12 optimal wavelengths. Artificial neural networks, including back propagation neural network (BPNN), evolutionary neural network (ENN), extreme learning machine (ELM), general regression neural network (GRNN) and radial basis neural network (RBNN) were used to build models using the full spectra and optimal wavelengths to distinguish moldy chestnuts. BPNN and ENN models using full spectra and optimal wavelengths obtained satisfactory performances, with classification accuracies all surpassing 99%. The results indicate the potential for the rapid and non-destructive detection of moldy chestnuts by hyperspectral imaging, which would help to develop online detection system for healthy and blue mold infected chestnuts.

Non-Destructive and Rapid Variety Discrimination and Visualization of Single Grape Seed Using Near-Infrared Hyperspectral Imaging Technique and Multivariate Analysis

Hyperspectral images in the spectral range of 874–1734 nm were collected for 14,015, 14,300 and 15,042 grape seeds of three varieties, respectively. Pixel-wise spectra were preprocessed by wavelet transform, and then, spectra of each single grape seed were extracted. Principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted on the hyperspectral images. Scores for images of the first six principal components (PCs) were used to qualitatively recognize the patterns among different varieties. Loadings of the first six PCs were used to identify the effective wavelengths (EWs). Support vector machine (SVM) was used to build the discriminant model using the spectra based on the EWs. The results indicated that the variety of each single grape seed was accurately identified with a calibration accuracy of 94.3% and a prediction accuracy of 88.7%. An external validation image of each variety was used to evaluate the proposed model and to form the classification maps where each single grape seed was explicitly identified as belonging to a distinct variety. The overall results indicated that a hyperspectral imaging (HSI) technique combined with multivariate analysis could be used as an effective tool for non-destructive and rapid variety discrimination and visualization of grape seeds. The proposed method showed great potential for developing a multi-spectral imaging system for practical application in the future.