Comparative Analysis of Neural Network Models for Predicting Peach Maturity on Tabular Data

Peach maturity at harvest is a critical factor influencing fruit quality and postharvest life. Traditional destructive methods for maturity assessment, although effective, compromise fruit integrity and are unsuitable for practical implementation in modern production. This study presents a machine learning approach for non-destructive peach maturity prediction using tabular data collected from 701 ‘Redhaven’ peaches. Three neural network models suitable for small tabular datasets (TabNet, SAINT, and NODE) were applied and evaluated using classification metrics, including accuracy, F1-score, and AUC. The models demonstrated consistently strong performance across several feature configurations, with TabNet achieving the highest accuracy when all non-destructive measurements were available, while TabNet provided the most robust and practical performance on the comprehensive non-destructive subset and in optimized minimal-feature settings. These findings indicate that non-destructive sensing methods, particularly when combined with modern neural architectures, can reliably predict maturity and offer potential for real-time, automated fruit selection after harvest. The integration of such models into autonomous harvesting systems, for instance, through drone-based platforms equipped with appropriate sensors, could significantly improve efficiency and fruit quality management in horticultural peach production.