Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

In order to increase the efficiency of growth of rice crop, factors in proper management,

such as planting method, water, fertilizer, weeds, and pests and diseases, must be considered.

According to International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), 37% of rice crop is wasted due to

diseases. These diseases damage the crop and may cause withering of rice plants if not treated.

The only way to identify the right cure is to distinguish the specific disease present on the rice

plant. Early detection of these diseases is needed especially for infectious diseases that may

spread on other healthy crops. Many ways have been established in determining the disease in

rice plant but each technique has limitations such as it is for laboratory settings and requires

specialists and professionals to interpret the data. These situations may not lead to the desired

prevention of spreading of diseases and may be too late to give the cure since these limitations

require a lot of time and money.

1.1. Background of the Study

Plant disorders have two classifications namely, biotic and abiotic. Biotic diseases are

caused by living organisms or pathogens (bacteria, fungi, mites, insects, and nematodes) and are

infectious. Abiotic diseases are caused by environmental stresses or other non-biological factors

such as temperature, air pollution, nutrient deficiencies, and/or chemical injuries (Cloyd, 2016).

The necessities has grown bigger in keeping crops from pests that cause these mentioned
diseases which reduces the losses in productivity, and generating quality products that comes

after meeting the needs in water, good seeds and fertilizers (Javier, 2016). These have been

persistent issues worldwide that circulate around agricultural fields, especially for matters that

include food loss caused by disease causing infections to crop (Yi Fang and Ramaraja

Ramasamy, 2015). According to the article Computer and Electronics in Agriculture (A Review

of Advanced Techniques for Detecting Plant Diseases), infections in plants contribute to major

production and economic losses in agriculture industry across the globe. Identifying accurately

the disease present in plants as early as possible serves as the key element to boost and diminish

both qualitative and quantitative losses in crop production.

Oryza Sativa (asian rice) is regarded as the Philippines most important staple crop

(Library of Congress) that accounts for around 20% of the GVA (Gross Value Added) of the

Philippine Agriculture (Gonzales, 2013). In this paper, Oriza Sativa (Asian Rice) is given priority

in determining the diseases that damage and destroy rice fields. Every year, farmers experience

an average of 37% wasted rice crop due to diseases (IRRI). This signifies that the identification

of these diseases is necessary in order to provide a specific solution.

There two types of plant disease detection. These include direct and indirect detection.

Direct detection, such as, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Fluorescence in-situ Hybridization,

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Immunofluorescence, and Flow Cytometry, include

molecular and serological methods and the disease causing pathogens are directly detected to

provide accuracy in identifying the disease (Yi Fang and Ramaraja Ramasamy, 2015). Indirect

method such as Thermography, Fluorescence Imaging, Hyperspectral Techniques, and Gas

Chromatography, considers the parameters such as morphological change, temperature change,

transpiration rate change and volatile organic compounds released by infected plants (Yi Fang
and Ramaraja Ramasamy, 2015). Each method has limitations (Yi Fang and Ramaraja

Ramasamy, 2015). However, the said applications are for only to laboratory settings which

require skilled personnel to operate. These means of disease detection will not be of great

advantage to small scale farmers.

1.2. Significance of the Study

In this project study, the main aim is to determine the disease of the rice plant. According

to IRRI, an average of 37% is wasted in the rice crop because of diseases, every year. If the

disease is determined as early as possible, we can lessen this 37 percent. Philippines is the

biggest rice importer for about 10% of the country's annual consumption. (ricepedia.org) This is

mainly because, our rice fields are converted to urban, population growth and the infrastructure

for rice irrigation is not properly maintained and for transport infrastructure, we lack in good-

quality roads. (IRRI) These reasons lead to lesser production and high demand. If the demand is

high, the price will also increase, this price increase heightened by the lesser production. If the

determination of the disease will lead to immediate solution, therefore, the production will

increase. It will affect the farmers. Higher production means, higher income. It will affect the

citizens. Rice is the Philippines most important crop because it is our staple food. (ricepedia.org)

If the production increases, the price may reduce even though there is a high demand. According

to Department of Agriculture Secretary Manny Piol on the rice production programs that aims

to rice self-sufficiency and even to be a rice-exporting country, it may reduce the price of rice

because we are eliminating the middle men in the exportation, because they are the ones

controlling the buying and selling price of rice in the market. (Update.ph, 2016) On the long run
it has an economic impact to our country. If the Philippines become a exporting-country, assuring

that we are already self-sufficient, our foreign income will increase upon exporting.

1.3. Objectives

This study aims to formulate an alternative way in biotic disease identification of Oriza

Sativa by the use of image processing techniques.

Specifically, this study aims to

To create a database containing the 5 major biotic diseases of Oriza Sativa which

symptoms are identifiable by physical inspection.

To utilize a reliable technique in image processing that would extract data from

the input image of a rice plant sample.

To create a program with the ability to analyze an input image and output an

identified rice disease with the use of the database.

1.4. Scope and Delimitations

The study will focus on using image processing on identifying diseases of Oriza sativa.

The study will focus on using different techniques of image processing to identify the diseases

present in the Oriza sativa plant for the purpose of having a portable device that will quickly

determine the diseases. This study will analyze and study the current techniques used for
determining disease causing bacteria. Recent studies show that the current identification

techniques are done in the laboratory and will take time to have results.

The study will not tackle the laboratory analysis of the bacteria that causes the diseases

but will discuss the physical appearance of the plants affected by the bacteria. Since this project

aims to have a portable disease detection device on Oriza sativa, the proposed project will be

limited to Rice diseases with visible symptoms.

1.5. Conceptual Framework

This proposal makes use of an image acquiring device such as digital cameras which can

capture and store an image of a rice plant Oriza Sativa under observation. This image is sent to a

processing device which outputs the diseases present on the plant. The processing stage includes

image pre-processing and digital image processing. The device initially conducts the image pre-

processing stage in which the input image is converted to numerical data values readable by the

program in the device. The digital image processing stage makes use of the collected data and

conducts different image processing techniques to determine significant features present on the

image such as color, shapes and patterns. The identified color and patters from the input image

represented by data values are correlated to the existing list of data values obtained from pre-

acquired images representing the rice plant diseases. The pre-acquired images representing the

rice plant diseases are considered the controlled variable. Identifying a match with the controlled

variable dictates the current status of the rice plant Oriza Sativa under observation. The device

will output the type of disease present on the rice plant Oriza Sativa under observation.
 . Image Acquisition

Image Pre-processing

Identification of Disease using the

Database

Output status of rice plant

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework

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