Yield prediction for a cornfield

Abstract

A method for predicting the yield of a cornfield is presented. The method has the steps of positioning a digital camera at a defined distance above an average plane of ears of a cornfield, capturing a digital image of a section of the cornfield, determining the area of the captured cornfield section, determining the total area of the ears in the digital image compared to the total area of the digital image, and determining the yield of the field from the total area of the ears in the digital image compared to the total area of the digital image, the determined area of the captured cornfield section, the average grain weight of an ear, a total field area and a calibration factor.

1 . A method for predicting the yield of a cornfield, wherein the method comprises
 positioning a digital camera at a defined distance above an average plane of ears of a cornfield,   capturing a digital image of a cornfield section of the cornfield with the positioned digital camera, wherein the average plane of the ears and an image plane of the digital camera lie parallel to each other,   determining an area of the captured cornfield section from the defined distance and a viewing angle of the digital camera,   determining a total area of the ears in the digital image compared to the total area of the digital image by means of an algorithm for differentiating between image pixels of the ears and other image pixels that do not belong to the ears, and   determining a yield of the field from the total area of the ears in the digital image compared to the total area of the digital image, the determined area of the captured cornfield section, the average grain weight of an ear, a total field area and a first calibration factor.   
     
     
         2 - 17 . (canceled)