Method and system for evaluating the cultivation conditions related to the pattern of a flower

Abstract

To provide a method or a system for evaluating the cultivation state of a plant with a color pattern on its petal surfaces.SOLUTION: From color image data of a plant's flower, a first color region and a second color region are extracted; the area ratio of the extracted first and second color regions is calculated; and the plant's cultivation state is evaluated on the basis of the calculated area ratio.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and system for assessing the cultural conditions related to the pattern of a flower. [Background technology]

[0002] Flowering plants not only have a wide variety of flower colors, but also a wide variety of patterns. Flower patterns are an extremely important characteristic, and a variety of horticultural varieties have been developed that have unique patterns on the surface of the petals, such as star shapes, rings, and gradation patterns. However, it is known that such flower patterns are affected by cultivation conditions.

[0003] For example, "Momoiro Heart (registered trademark)" (Non-Patent Document 1), a horticultural variety of petunia developed by Suntory Flowers, has heart patterns on its petals, which makes it look good in photos, and it has become popular mainly among young people along with the growing demand for social networking services (SNS). However, the heart patterns that appear on the petals of Momoiro Heart (registered trademark) vary greatly depending on cultivation conditions such as temperature and fertilizer application, so if a grower does not have sufficient cultivation knowledge, it is difficult to form a beautiful heart pattern on the petals.

[0004] Thus, in order for a grower to directly evaluate the cultivation conditions of a plant and form a desired flower pattern, sufficient knowledge and experience regarding cultivation is required.

[0005] To date, systems that automatically diagnose plant diseases, such as Garden Doctor (registered trademark) AI (Non-Patent Document 2), are known, but no methods or systems are known that evaluate the cultivation conditions related to flower patterns. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0006] [Non-Patent Document 1] Momoiro Heart (registered trademark) Suntory Flowers homepage (https: / / www.suntory.co.jp / flower / gardening / lineup / spring / surfiniaart / ) [Non-Patent Document 2] Garden Doctor (registered trademark) AI - Sumitomo Chemical Gardening website (https: / / www.sc-engei.co.jp / gardendoctor.ai) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a method and system for evaluating the cultivation condition of a plant having a color pattern on the surface of its petals, thereby assisting growers in easily and appropriately cultivating plants with desired floral patterns. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present inventors analyzed the HSV color space from color image data of Momoiro Heart (registered trademark) (registered variety name: Sunmomoheart) flowers, targeting the first color region (pink region) and the second color region (white region) of the color scheme pattern that forms the heart pattern on the surface of the petals, and found that there is a certain correlation between the area ratio of these color regions and the fertilizer cultivation state. Based on this surprising finding, the present inventors conducted extensive research and succeeded in developing an artificial intelligence (AI) model that automatically evaluates the cultivation state (e.g., related to the amount of fertilizer and / or temperature) that affects the formation of the flower pattern from the color image data of the plant, thereby completing the present invention.

[0009] The present invention is as follows. [1] A method for evaluating the cultivation condition of a plant having a color pattern on the surface of its petals, comprising: receiving color image data of the flower of the plant from a person who wishes to receive support for cultivation of the plant; Extracting a first color region and a second color region from the received color image data of the plant flower; calculating an area ratio between the extracted first color region and the extracted second color region; A step of evaluating the cultivation state of the plant based on the calculated area ratio; and notifying the person who wishes to receive cultivation support of the evaluated cultivation state of the plant; A method comprising: [2] The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the cultivation conditions of the plant are cultivation conditions related to the amount of fertilizer and / or temperature. [3] The method according to 1 or 2, characterized in that the plant is Momoiro Heart (registered trademark) (registered variety name: Sunmomoheart). [4] The method according to claim 3, wherein the first color region is a pink region and the second color region is a white region. [5] The method according to claim 4, characterized in that if the area ratio between the pink region and the white region is less than 1.0, the amount of fertilizer applied to the plant is evaluated to be less than the appropriate amount. [6] The method according to claim 4, characterized in that if the area ratio between the pink region and the white region is 2.0 or more, it is evaluated that the amount of fertilizer applied to the plant is more than the appropriate amount. [7] A method according to any one of 1 to 6, further comprising a step of storing and / or analyzing further information received from the person requesting cultivation support. [8] A system for evaluating the cultivation state of a plant having a color pattern on the surface of its petals, comprising: a receiving means for receiving color image data of the flower of the plant from a person who wishes to receive support for cultivation of the plant; an extraction means for executing a step of extracting a first color region and a second color region from the received color image data of the plant flower; A calculation means for executing a step of calculating an area ratio between the extracted first color region and the extracted second color region; an evaluation means for executing a step of evaluating a cultivation state of a plant based on the calculated area ratio; and a notification means for executing a step of notifying the person who wishes to receive cultivation support of the evaluated cultivation state of the plant; A system comprising: [9] The system according to 8, wherein the plant cultivation conditions are cultivation conditions related to an amount of fertilizer and / or temperature.

[10] The system described in 8 or 9, wherein the plant is Momoiro Heart (registered trademark) (registered variety name: Sunmomoheart).

[11] The system described in 10, characterized in that the first color region is a pink region and the second color region is a white region.

[12] The system described in 11, wherein if the area ratio between the pink region and the white region is less than 1.0, the evaluation means evaluates that the amount of fertilizer applied to the plant is less than the appropriate amount.

[13] The system described in 11, wherein, when the area ratio between the pink region and the white region is 2.0 or more, the evaluation means evaluates that the amount of fertilizer applied to the plant is more than the appropriate amount.

[14] A system described in any one of 8 to 13, including a storage means and / or an analysis means for executing a step of storing and / or analyzing information provided by a person requesting cultivation support. Effect of the Invention

[0010] The present invention makes it possible to support growers so that they can easily and appropriately cultivate plants that have the desired flower pattern. In addition, the present invention makes it possible to easily realize communication between users of the system for automatically evaluating the cultivation state of a plant according to the present invention, and between a user of the system for automatically evaluating the cultivation state of a plant according to the present invention and an administrator. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 shows the correlation between the amount of fertilizer and temperature and the heart-shaped pattern on the surface of Momoiro Heart® petals. [Diagram 2]An example of classification of the fertility and cultivation status of Momoiro Heart (registered trademark) based on AI image evaluation is shown below. [Diagram 3] Photographs of Momoiro Heart (registered trademark) on days 0 and 19 in the untreated area (no liquid fertilizer) and in the fertilized area (1,000-fold dilution) are shown. [Figure 4] Photographs of Momoiro Heart (registered trademark) on days 0, 7, and 14 in the untreated area (no liquid fertilizer) and fertilized areas (1,000-fold dilution, 500-fold dilution, and 250-fold dilution) are shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for evaluating the cultivation state of a plant having a color pattern on a surface of its petals, comprising: receiving color image data of the flower of the plant from a person who wishes to receive support for cultivation of the plant; Extracting a first color region and a second color region from the received color image data of the plant flower; calculating an area ratio between the extracted first color region and the extracted second color region; A step of evaluating the cultivation state of the plant based on the calculated area ratio; and notifying the person who wishes to receive cultivation support of the evaluated cultivation state of the plant; A method is provided comprising:

[0013] In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for evaluating the cultivation state of a plant having a color pattern on a surface of a petal, comprising: a receiving means for receiving color image data of the flower of the plant from a person who wishes to receive support for cultivation of the plant; an extraction means for executing a step of extracting a first color region and a second color region from the received color image data of the plant flower; A calculation means for executing a step of calculating an area ratio between the extracted first color region and the extracted second color region; an evaluation means for executing a step of evaluating a cultivation state of a plant based on the calculated area ratio; and a notification means for executing a step of notifying the person who wishes to receive cultivation support of the evaluated cultivation state of the plant; A system is provided comprising:

[0014] In the present invention, a person who wishes to receive support for the cultivation of a plant that forms a desired pattern (i.e., a monochromatic or two or more color patterns) on the surface of its petals (a user of the system for automatically evaluating the cultivation state of a plant according to the present invention) needs to provide color image data of the flower of the plant to the system for automatically evaluating the cultivation state of a plant according to the present invention. The color image data can be provided by the user, for example, taking a digital photograph of the flower of the plant and transmitting the color image data thus obtained to the automatic plant cultivation support system of the present invention from a website, application, or the like.

[0015] The means for taking digital photographs of plant flowers is not particularly limited, and can be, for example, a digital camera, a smartphone, or a tablet. In order to obtain color image data with a clear color pattern on the surface of the petals, it is preferable to take a photograph so that only one whole flower is captured. The color image data can be transmitted, for example, using a user's terminal device, typically a computer device, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal device.

[0016] The color image data sent by the user can be received, for example, via a public network (typically the Internet) by a receiving means provided in a server device of the system for automatically evaluating the cultivation condition of a plant of the present invention.

[0017] The received color image data of the flower of the plant is preferably subjected to background removal so as to cut out a round area in the center of the image, and then the first and second color regions of the color scheme pattern are extracted by an extraction means included in the server device of the system for automatically evaluating the cultivation condition of a plant according to the present invention. For example, the extraction of the first and second color regions of the color scheme pattern can be performed on the HSV color space.

[0018] The area ratio of the first color area and the second color area of ​​the extracted color scheme pattern can be calculated based on the number of pixels in each color area by a calculation means provided in the server device of the system for automatically evaluating the cultivation condition of a plant of the present invention.

[0019] Based on the calculated area ratios of each color region, the cultivation state of the plant is evaluated by an evaluation means included in the server device of the system for automatically evaluating the cultivation state of a plant according to the present invention. Specifically, the cultivation state of the plant can be evaluated by comparing the area ratios of the first color region and the second color region with a preset threshold value.

[0020] The cultivation state of the plant is typically a cultivation state of the plant related to the amount of fertilizer and / or temperature, and is preferably a cultivation state of the plant related to the amount of fertilizer ("fertilizer cultivation state"). In the present invention, the fertilizer cultivation state means the amount of fertilizer applied to the plant in its cultivation so far. The fertilizer cultivation state can be classified into five types, for example, "lack of fertilizer", "slightly lacking fertilizer", "appropriate", "slightly too much fertilizer", and "too much fertilizer", and the content of the notification to the user may be changed depending on the classified state (Figure 2).

[0021] The fertilizer used for cultivation is not particularly limited, and commercially available liquid or solid fertilizers can be used. Examples of commercially available liquid fertilizers include Hyponex (registered trademark) concentrate and Peters (high-purity powdered liquid fertilizer containing various trace elements). Examples of commercially available solid fertilizers include Promic (registered trademark).

[0022] In the present invention, the target plants for automatic evaluation of cultivation conditions are not particularly limited as long as they are plants having a color pattern on the surface of their petals, and examples thereof include plants of the genus Petunia, plants of the genus Planetrum, plants of the genus Calibrachoa, plants of the genus Mandevilla, plants of the genus Rosa, plants of the genus Viola, plants of the genus Xanthopanax, plants of the genus Senecio, plants of the genus Lobelia, etc.

[0023] In the present invention, the target plant for automatic evaluation of the cultivation condition is preferably Safinia (registered trademark) or Millionbell (registered trademark), and particularly preferably Safinia (registered trademark).

[0024] Safinia (registered trademark) is a plant of the Solanaceae family, belonging to the genus Pectinatum, and is a horticultural variety of petunia jointly developed by Suntory Flowers and Keisei Rose Gardening, and its official name is "Petunia Safinia Series 'Safinia'". Examples of Safinia (registered trademark) that may be the subject of the present invention include Momoiro Heart (registered trademark), Ruriiro Kazeguruma, Edo Shibori (registered trademark), Ichigo Shake (registered trademark), Azuki Frappe (registered trademark), and Toraneko (registered trademark), with Momoiro Heart (registered trademark) being particularly preferred.

[0025] Momoiro Heart (registered trademark) is a registered variety of Suntory Flowers Co., Ltd. (variety registration number: No. 27555; registered variety name: Sunmomoheart), and the outer petal means is white and the central means is pink, and the pink means forms a heart-shaped pattern. It is known that the heart-shaped pattern on the surface of Momoiro Heart (registered trademark) petals is affected by the amount of fertilizer and temperature (Figure 1).

[0026] When cultivating Momoiro Heart (registered trademark), for example, commercially available liquid fertilizers such as Hyponex (registered trademark) concentrate or Peters (high-purity powdered liquid fertilizer containing various trace elements) in the form of a 50-fold diluted solution, a 100-fold diluted solution, a 150-fold diluted solution, a 200-fold diluted solution, a 250-fold diluted solution, a 300-fold diluted solution, a 350-fold diluted solution, a 400-fold diluted solution, a 450-fold diluted solution, a 500-fold diluted solution, a 550-fold diluted solution, a 600-fold diluted solution, a 650-fold diluted solution, a 700-fold diluted solution, a 750-fold diluted solution, a 800-fold diluted solution, a 850-fold diluted solution, a 900-fold diluted solution, a 950-fold diluted solution, or a 1000-fold diluted solution can be applied, for example, 1 to 3 times a week, 1 to 2 times a week, or once a week.

[0027] The temperature suitable for cultivation of Momoiro Heart (registered trademark) is typically 15°C to 28°C, preferably 20°C to 25°C, and optimally 22°C to 24°C.

[0028] In the present invention, when the plant to be automatically evaluated for its cultivation condition is Momoiro Heart (registered trademark), the area ratio (pink area / white area) of the first color area (pink area) and the second color area (white area) of the heart-shaped pattern formed on the surface of its petals can be compared with preset threshold values ​​corresponding to each state of the cultivation condition, such as approximately 0.3, approximately 1.0, approximately 2.0, and approximately 4.0, thereby enabling simple classification of the cultivation condition.

[0029] For example, when the area ratio between the pink region and the white region is less than 1.0, the evaluation means can evaluate that the amount of fertilizer applied to the plant is less than the appropriate amount.When the area ratio between the pink region and the white region is 2.0 or more, the evaluation means can evaluate that the amount of fertilizer applied to the plant is more than the appropriate amount.

[0030] More specifically, when the area ratio of the pink region to the white region is, for example, less than about 0.3, the fertilized state can be evaluated as "lacking fertility". When the area ratio of the pink region to the white region is, for example, at least about 0.3 and less than about 1.0, the fertilized state can be evaluated as "slightly lacking fertility". When the area ratio of the pink region to the white region is, for example, at least about 1.0 and less than about 2.0, the fertilized state can be evaluated as "proper". When the area ratio of the pink region to the white region is, for example, at least about 2.0 and less than about 4.0, the fertilized state can be evaluated as "slightly too much fertilizer". When the area ratio of the pink region to the white region is, for example, at least about 4.0, the fertilized state can be evaluated as "too much fertilizer".

[0031] The evaluation method executed by the system for automatically evaluating the cultivation condition of a plant of the present invention can be trained using conventional artificial intelligence (AI) technology in image diagnosis, and can be performed by a learning means provided in the server device of the system for automatically evaluating the cultivation condition of a plant of the present invention.

[0032] The evaluated cultivation state of the plant can be notified to the user by a notification means provided in the server device of the system for automatically evaluating the cultivation state of a plant according to the present invention. At this time, additional information such as advertisements for the company's products or other companies' products may also be notified together.

[0033] As the server device of the system for automatically evaluating the cultivation state of a plant according to the present invention, a general computer device such as a server device equipped with an arithmetic device such as a CPU, a main memory device such as a RAM, an auxiliary memory device such as an HDD, SSD, or flash memory, and various input / output devices including a means for connecting to a network (NW) can be used. For example, a program for operating the server device as each of the above-mentioned means is stored in advance in the auxiliary memory device or by the operation of the administrator of the server device, and the computer device can be used as a server device by expanding the program on the main memory device to perform calculations by the arithmetic device and control the input / output means. Such a server device may be connected to the administrator's terminal device, typically a computer device, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal device, via a public network or without a public network.

[0034] When the image data is transmitted by the user, in addition to transmitting a color image of the flower of the plant, information on the cultivation conditions (e.g., region, cultivation location, cultivation form, sunlight, type of fertilizer and frequency of application, cultivation temperature), information on the grower (e.g., age, sex, address, location information), etc. may be requested. Such information provided by the user, together with the image analysis data obtained by the above steps, can be stored and / or analyzed by the storage means and / or analysis means provided in the server device of the system for automatically evaluating the cultivation state of the plant according to the present invention. For example, by using information from the data accumulated as the big data obtained above for learning the evaluation method, it becomes possible to efficiently manage and analyze necessary information and to transmit more accurate information to each user. In addition, by using the accumulated data for secondary use, it becomes possible to analyze the customer base and regions where cultivation is successful, and to use the results for product development, sales operations, etc. EXAMPLES

[0035] [Fertilizer test-1] A Momoiro Heart (registered trademark) seedling was planted in a 9 cm pot. The soil used was a mixture of peat moss, Akadama soil, Kanuma soil, and perlite. The Momoiro Heart (registered trademark) seedlings were grown in water only, without liquid fertilizer. After flowering, the plants were divided into an untreated and a fertilized area. The untreated area was given only water, while the fertilized area was given a liquid fertilizer of Peters 20-10-20 (Hyponex Japan Co., Ltd.) diluted 1,000 times and given once a week. When the flower patterns were observed 0 and 19 days after the liquid fertilizer was applied, clear differences in the heart patterns were confirmed, with a higher proportion of pink flowers in the fertilized area (Figure 3).

[0036] [Fertilizer test-2] Seedlings of Momoiro Heart (registered trademark) planted in 12 cm pots were used as test materials. The soil used was a mixture of peat moss, Akadama soil, Kanuma soil, and perlite. After flowering, the plants were divided into two groups: an untreated group (no liquid fertilizer) and a fertilized group (1,000-fold, 500-fold, and 250-fold dilutions) according to the concentration of liquid fertilizer Peters 20-10-20 (Hyponex Japan Co., Ltd.). Liquid fertilizer was applied once a week. When the flower patterns were observed 0, 7, and 14 days after application of liquid fertilizer, it was confirmed that the proportion of pink petals increased as the liquid fertilizer concentration increased (Figure 4).

[0037] [Setting the threshold for the area ratio of pink area / white area regarding fertility condition] A detection area (rectangle) was cut out from the color image data of a digital photograph taken so that only a single Momoiro Heart (registered trademark) flower was visible, an ellipse inscribed in the detection area was created, and the inside of the ellipse was cut out so that the background was removed, and the image data of the flower was analyzed. The color model of the cropped image data was converted from RGB to HSV color space using a color code conversion tool. Next, in the HSV color space, the area where the H (hue), S (saturation), and V (brightness) values ​​are (0,0,55) to (127.5,100,255) is defined as the white area, and the area where the H (hue), S (saturation), and V (brightness) values ​​are (144.5,50,0) to (180,255,255) is defined as the pink area, and the white and pink areas were extracted. The area ratio of the pink area to the white area was calculated based on the number of pixels in each area. The values ​​in the HSV color space are (0,0,0) to (179,255,255). Based on the results of Fertilizer Test-1 and Fertilizer Test-2 and the pink area / white area ratio calculated above, a pink area / white area ratio of 4.0 or more was evaluated as "too much fertilizer," a pink area / white area ratio of 2.0 or more and less than 4.0 was evaluated as "slightly too much fertilizer," a pink area / white area ratio of 1.0 or more and less than 2.0 was evaluated as "appropriate," a pink area / white area ratio of 0.3 or more and less than 1.0 was evaluated as "slightly insufficient fertilizer," and a pink area / white area ratio of less than 0.3 was evaluated as "insufficient fertilizer."

Claims

1. A method for evaluating the cultivation state of a plant having a color pattern on the surface of its petals, the method comprising: receiving color image data of the flower of the plant from a person who wishes to receive support for cultivation of the plant; Extracting a first color region and a second color region from the received color image data of the plant flower; calculating an area ratio between the extracted first color region and the extracted second color region; A step of evaluating the cultivation state of the plant based on the calculated area ratio; and notifying the person who wishes to receive cultivation support of the evaluated cultivation state of the plant; Including, The cultivation state of the plant is a cultivation state related to an amount of fertilizer, the first color region is a pink region and the second color region is a white region; Where: If the area ratio of the pink region to the white region is less than 1.0, it is evaluated that the amount of fertilizer applied to the plant is less than the appropriate amount; and / or When the area ratio of the pink area to the white area is 2.0 or more, it is evaluated that the amount of fertilizer applied to the plant is more than the appropriate amount.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of storing and / or analyzing further information received from the person requesting cultivation assistance.

3. A system for evaluating a cultivation state of a plant having a color pattern on a surface of a petal, the system comprising: a receiving means for receiving color image data of the flower of the plant from a person who wishes to receive support for cultivation of the plant; an extraction means for executing a step of extracting a first color region and a second color region from the received color image data of the plant flower; a calculation means for executing a step of calculating an area ratio between the extracted first color region and the extracted second color region; an evaluation means for executing a step of evaluating a cultivation state of a plant based on the calculated area ratio; and a notification means for executing a step of notifying the person who wishes to receive cultivation support of the evaluated cultivation state of the plant; Including, The cultivation state of the plant is a cultivation state related to an amount of fertilizer, the first color region is a pink region and the second color region is a white region; Where: When the area ratio of the pink region to the white region is less than 1.0, the evaluation means evaluates that the amount of fertilizer applied to the plant is less than an appropriate amount; and / or A system characterized in that, when the area ratio of the pink region to the white region is 2.0 or more, the evaluation means evaluates that the amount of fertilizer applied to the plant is more than the appropriate amount.

4. The system according to claim 3, further comprising a storage means and / or an analysis means for executing a step of storing and / or analyzing information provided by a person requesting cultivation support.

Images