A deep learning approach for deriving wheat phenology from near-surface RGB image series using spatiotemporal fusion

Accurate monitoring of wheat phenological stages is essential for effective crop management and informed agricultural decision-making. Traditional methods often rely on labour-intensive field surveys, which are prone to subjective bias and limited temporal resolution. To address these challenges, this study explores the potential of near-surface cameras combined with an advanced deep-learning approach to derive wheat phenological stages from high-quality, real-time RGB image series. Three deep learning models based on three different spatiotemporal feature fusion methods, namely sequential fusion, synchronous fusion, and parallel fusion, were constructed and evaluated for deriving wheat phenological stages with these near-surface RGB image series. Moreover, the impact of different image resolutions, capture perspectives, and model training strategies on the performance of deep learning models was also investigated. The results indicate that the model using the sequential fusion method is optimal, with an overall accuracy (OA) of 0.935, a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.069, F1-score (F1) of 0.936, and kappa coefficients (Kappa) of 0.924 in wheat phenological stages. Besides, the enhanced image resolution of 512 × 512 pixels and a suitable image capture perspective, specifically a sensor viewing angle of 40° to 60° vertically, introduce more effective features for phenological stage detection, thereby enhancing the model's accuracy. Furthermore, concerning the model training, applying a two-step fine-tuning strategy will also enhance the model's robustness to random variations in perspective. This research introduces an innovative approach for real-time phenological stage detection and provides a solid foundation for precision agriculture. By accurately deriving critical phenological stages, the methodology developed in this study supports the optimization of crop management practices, which may result in improved resource efficiency and sustainability across diverse agricultural settings. The implications of this work extend beyond wheat, offering a scalable solution that can be adapted to monitor other crops, thereby contributing to more efficient and sustainable agricultural systems.