Transfer Learning-Based CNN Models for Plant Species Identification Using Leaf Venation Patterns

This study evaluates the efficacy of three deep learning architectures: ResNet50, MobileNetV2, and EfficientNetB0 for automated plant species classification based on leaf venation patterns, a critical morphological feature with high taxonomic relevance. Using the Swedish Leaf Dataset comprising images from 15 distinct species (75 images per species, totalling 1,125 images), the models were demonstrated using standard performance metrics during training and testing phases. ResNet50 achieved a training accuracy of 94.11% but exhibited overfitting, reflected by a reduced testing accuracy of 88.45% and an F1 score of 87.82%. MobileNetV2 demonstrated better generalization capabilities, attaining a testing accuracy of 93.34% and an F1 score of 93.23%, indicating its suitability for lightweight, real-time applications. EfficientNetB0 outperformed both models, achieving a testing accuracy of 94.67% with precision, recall, and F1 scores exceeding 94.6%, highlighting its robustness in venation-based classification. The findings underscore the potential of deep learning, particularly EfficientNetB0, in developing scalable and accurate tools for automated plant taxonomy using venation traits.