YOLOv9-Based Detection of Diseases in Poplar Trees Using Histogram Equalization and Computer Vision.

Abstract

Poplar (Populus) trees are indispensable to various industries and environmental sustainability efforts. They are widely utilized for paper production, timber, and windbreaks, while also playing a significant role in carbon sequestration. Given their economic and ecological importance, the effective management of diseases is crucial. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), renowned for their ability to process visual data, are pivotal in accurately detecting and classifying plant diseases. This study presents a domain-specific dataset of manually collected images of diseased poplar leaves from Uzbekistan and South Korea, ensuring geographic diversity and broader applicability. The dataset includes four disease classes, i.e., " Parsha (Scab) ," " Brown spotting ," " White-Gray spotting ," and " Rust ," which represent common afflictions in these regions. To advance research efforts, this dataset will be made publicly accessible, providing a valuable resource for the scientific community. Leveraging the cutting-edge YOLOv9c model, a state-of-the-art CNN architecture, we applied the Histogram Equalization technique as a preprocessing step to enhance the image quality to increase the accuracy of disease detection. This method not only improves the diagnostic performance of the model but also provides a scalable solution for monitoring and managing poplar diseases. By ensuring the health of poplar trees, this approach supports the sustainability of these critical resources. To our knowledge, this is the first publicly available dataset specifically focused on diseased poplar leaves, making it a significant contribution to global research efforts. It offers an invaluable resource for researchers and practitioners, enabling further advancements in early disease detection and sustainable forestry management.

Plant phenotyping relevance

ポプラ葉の病徴を画像から検出・分類する手法と公開データセットが研究の中心であり、植物の病害状態を直接推定するため、植物フェノタイピング手法として採択。

Code and data availability

The paper promises a public poplar-disease dataset but provides no authors' URL or deposit identifier; the Data Availability Statement says 'Data is contained within the article.' The cited Zenodo record is Jocher's YOLOv9 training code/dataset (cited prior work, not this paper's asset), and makesense.ai/Roboflow are a

No evidence-backed public reproduction asset is currently recorded.