An Expert Model Using Deep Learning for Image-based Pest Identification with the TSLM Approach for Enhancing Precision Farming

Abstract

The rise of digital agriculture has sparked considerable interest in its potential to revolutionize farming practices by integrating of advanced technologies. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, have emerged as a crucial tool in precision agriculture, offering diverse applications for real-world scenarios. This research focuses on harnessing the power of drones in the context of digital agriculture support, particularly in addressing the challenges of crop protection and pest management. The objective is to develop an innovative approach for crop-disease diagnosis using an upgraded Transfer-Driven Self-Adaptive Learning Model (TSLM) that leverages multispectral remote sensing data of drone-captured images to improve pest classification and streamline pesticide application. The study explores nine potent deep neural network models' capabilities for identifying plant diseases using various approaches within the digital agriculture framework. Transfer learning and advanced feature extraction techniques are employed to tailor these deep neural networks to the specific crop protection context. Using of pre-trained deep learning models for feature extraction and fine-tuning enhances the effectiveness of the proposed model. Evaluating the model's performance, precision, sensitivity, specificity, and F1-score metrics are assessed, leading to the discovery that deep feature extraction and Self-Adaptive Learning Model (SLM) classification outperform traditional transfer learning methods. The novelty of this work lies in its application of communication protocols to coordinate a fleet of drones for crop protection within the digital agriculture framework. By combining deep learning techniques with transfer-driven self-adaptive learning, the proposed approach significantly enhances the accuracy and efficiency of pest classification in precision agriculture. The study's findings offer valuable insights into optimizing drone-based technologies to combat plant disease epidemics, thereby contributing to the advancement of digital agriculture and its role in supporting sustainable farming practices.