Measurement and simulation of potato leaf area using image processing. III. Measurement
Potato canopy size and shape makes it suitable for leaf area measurement with image processing techniques. The objective of this study was to define and test an image processing method of measuring leaf area. A three view, non-destructive image processing method of potato leaf area measurement was defined and tested. The procedure utilized digitized images, a top view and two side views, of a potato plant. The image processing operations on each image were: perform a median filter, select a pixel threshold intensity, and count the pixels of various intensities. Plant volume was plant height (measured in a side view image) multiplied by the top view leaf area. Leaf areas of 48 potato plants were measured with the image processing method and an optical leaf area meter. Regression of leaf area measured with the image processing method, including plant volume, against meter-measured leaf area was forced through the origin. The measurement data approached a 1:1 line. The image processing method provided a feasible non-destructive method of measuring potato leaf area.