In-field crop row phenotyping from 3D modeling performed using Structure from Motion

•We propose a phenotyping method to characterize the crop row structure.•A crop row 3D model is built using a single camera and Structure from Motion.•Structural parameters such as height and leaf area are estimated from this 3D model.•Our method was tested with various plant structures and outdoor conditions.•Strong agreements were obtained between estimated and actual heights and leaf areas.

This article presents a method for crop row structure characterization that is adapted to phenotyping-related issues. In the proposed method, a crop row 3D model is built and serves as a basis for retrieving plant structural parameters. This model is computed using Structure from Motion with RGB images acquired by translating a single camera along the row. Then, to estimate plant height and leaf area, plant and background are discriminated by a robust method that uses both color and height information in order to handle low-contrasted regions. The 3D model is scaled and the plant surface is finally approximated using a triangular mesh.The efficacy of our method was assessed with two data sets collected under outdoor conditions. We also evaluated its robustness against various plant structures, sensors, acquisition techniques and lighting conditions. The crop row 3D models were accurate and led to satisfactory height estimation results, since both the average error and reference measurement error were similar. Strong correlations and low errors were also obtained for leaf area estimation. Thanks to its ease of use, estimation accuracy and robustness under outdoor conditions, our method provides an operational tool for phenotyping applications.