Model of Color Parameters Variation and Correction in Relation to “Time-View” Image Acquisition Effects in Wheat Crop

Abstract

Many images of agricultural crops are made at different times of the day, images with different spectral information about the same crop in relation to conditions when the picture was taken. A set of 30 digital images of a wheat crop in the BBCH 3-Stem elongation code 32–33 stage was captured between 9 am and 14 (UTC+3), in the 0°–180° variation range of the image acquisition angle on the E-W axis (cardinal directions). A high variation of the spectral data given by the combination of the hour (h) and angle (a) at which the images were captured was found. The interdependence relationship between the analyzed parameters (r, g, and b), and the time (t) and the angle (a) of image acquisition was assessed with the linear correlation coefficient. By calculating the roots of the mathematical expressions of the correlation coefficients dependence on the angles (a) or times of day (t), the optimal angle and time were determined as a combination of the two variables for capturing images and obtaining optimal r_o, g_o, b_o values. The correction coefficients of the normalized r, g, and b values obtained out of the optimal field were determined. To this end, the multiplication of the r(a,t), g(a,t), and b(a,t) values with the ρ_a,t, γ_a,t, and β_a,t correction coefficients was suggested to reach the optimal values for sustainable decisions.