YOLOv8-CBSE: An Enhanced Computer Vision Model for Detecting the Maturity of Chili Pepper in the Natural Environment

In order to accurately detect the maturity of chili peppers under different lighting and natural environmental scenarios, in this study, we propose a lightweight maturity detection model, YOLOv8-CBSE, based on YOLOv8n. By replacing the C2f module in the original model with the designed C2CF module, the model integrates the advantages of convolutional neural networks and Transformer architecture, improving the model’s ability to extract local features and global information. Additionally, SRFD and DRFD modules are introduced to replace the original convolutional layers, effectively capturing features at different scales and enhancing the diversity and adaptability of the model through the feature fusion mechanism. To further improve detection accuracy, the EIoU loss function is used instead of the CIoU loss function to provide more comprehensive loss information. The results showed that the average precision (AP) of YOLOv8-CBSE for mature and immature chili peppers was 90.75% and 85.41%, respectively, with F1 scores and a mean average precision (mAP) of 81.69% and 88.08%, respectively. Compared with the original YOLOv8n, the F1 score and mAP of the improved model increased by 0.46% and 1.16%, respectively. The detection effect for chili pepper maturity under different scenarios was improved, which proves the robustness and adaptability of YOLOv8-CBSE. YOLOv8-CBSE also maintains a lightweight design with a model size of only 5.82 MB, enhancing its suitability for real-time applications on resource-constrained devices. This study provides an efficient and accurate method for detecting chili peppers in natural environments, which is of great significance for promoting intelligent and precise agricultural management.