SOIL MACRONUTRIENTS AND PH LEVEL ASSESSMENT FOR RICE

PLANT THROUGH DIGITAL IMAGE PROCESSING USING ARTIFICIAL

NEURAL NETWORK

CHAPTER 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING
This chapter presents the background of the study, the statement of the problem,
the objectives, the significance, the scope and the limitations of the study.

1.1 Introduction
Soil is a natural medium for plant growth; hence, it has a direct impact on
yield and quality of crops growing on it.
According to the book, Practical Guidelines in Predicting Fertility Status
of Lowland Rice Soil by PhilRice, Soil fertility is the inherent capability of the soil
to supply adequate amounts of nutrients to the plants. Therefore, it is an important
factor for the proper growth of plants for a productive yield. In the Philippines,
Rice or palay is one of the essential crops consumed by the Filipinos. According to
the article, Nutritional Recommendation for Rice by IRRI (2008), one factor on
achieving higher yields and associated higher profitability for rice is the effective
use of inputs (particularly plant and soil nutrients, seed, and pesticide). Hence,
these inputs should be considered for better harvest of rice.

Soil Nutrients is divided into two groups, macronutrients and micronutrients.

Macronutrients consists Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorus. These three elements
form the basis of the N-P-K label on commercial fertilizer bags. As a result, the
management of these nutrients is very important. Nitrogen is essential to plant
growth because it is the fundamental part of the chlorophyll molecule and
significant in the formation of amino acids and proteins in the plant. It must be
mineralized by soil micro-organisms before the nitrogen it contains is released for plant
use. Phosphorus is unique among the anions in that it has low mobility and
availability in soils. It is use for photosynthesis, nitrogen fixation, growth and root
development. Potassium is element essential in many enzymes. It also regulates the
opening and closing of the plant stomata, as well as being essential for photosynthesis
and disease resistance. Exchangeable potassium can readily exchange with the soil
solution to buffer changes. Plants consume a lot of potassium and this means that it can
be in short supply in soil. To determine these soil primary nutrients, soil analysis or soil
test is performed.
Soil Test is a way in which the elements of each soil nutrients are removed from
the soil through laboratory chemical analysis and soil test kits. The conventional
chemical analysis takes a couple of hours to analyze the nutrients of soil. The Soil Test
Kit of BSWM takes a few minutes to determine the NPK and pH level, but the analysis
of the result is done manually by comparing the color of the soil with chemical reagents
to the standard color chart.
This study aims to provide more efficient analysis of soil Nitrogen, Phosphorus
and Potassium and pH level since the project will do the analysis digitally using image
processing supported by different algorithms through Artificial Neural Network (ANN).

1.2 Background of the Study

In ensuring high percentage rice crop harvest yield, farmers determine the
fertilizers needed by the soil through soil analysis to assess its nutrients and pH
level. Soil analysis is a method of chemical analysis that provides a guideline for
lime and fertilizer needs of the soil in consideration of the climate, farm
topography and crop history. Different soil analyses were introduced to farmers to
help them evaluate the nutrients and pH level of the soil. One of these methods is
the Soil Test Kit (STK) devised by the University of the Philippines - Los Baos
and developed by the Bureau of Soils and Water Management.
According to Soil Analysis and Fertilizer Usage, published by the Bureau
of Soils and Water Management Laboratory Services Division, Soil Test Kit
(STK) is a quick method of evaluating the fertility status of a soil. It involves
colorimetric chemical analyses that measure the amount of Nitrogen, Phosphorus,
Potassium, and pH level in the soil. Chemical reagents are made to react with a soil
sample and give a characteristic color depending on the amount of available
nutrient in the soil. The colors produced are then matched with a standard color
chart. The color chart indicates whether the soil is low, medium, or high in
available Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium and pH level. Results are interpreted
and used as basis in making a recommendation on the right kind and amount of
fertilizer to apply for particular crop grown in the soil being tested.
In this study, the conventional way of evaluating the colorimetric result of
the Soil Test Kit will be modified using digital image processing technology.
Digital image processing technology uses computer algorithms to sample an input
digital image and will get an enhanced image or extract useful parameters from it.
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It has been incorporated with machines to perform visual automation such as

feature- and pattern- recognition. This digital image processing technology is then
supported by an Artificial Neural Network (ANN).
According to the article Neural Networks in Plain English on aijunkie.com, artificial neural network (ANN) is made up of many artificial neurons
which are simply electronically trained and modeled natural neuron. And according
to natureofcode.com, one of the key elements of a neural network is its ability to
learn. This ability of the artificial neural network to learn is what makes it so useful
in the field of artificial intelligence. One type of an artificial neural network is the
Feed- forward Back Propagation Neural Network. It is one of the popular
structures of artificial neural network by which the neurons are connected foreword
and each layer contains connection to the next layer but there are no connections
back. Moreover, the artificial neural network is trained in supervised training. This
means that the network must be provided with both sample inputs and anticipated
outputs.

1.3 Statement of the Problem

The proponents of the project study sought answers to the following questions:
1. How to develop a soil macronutrient and pH level assessor using digital image
processing.
2. How to determine the level of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and sufficiency of
Potassium as an indicator of soil fertility.
3. How to develop software that will assess nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and
pH level of the soil.

4. How to make a device that will determine the amount of fertilizer needed for
inbred rice crop.

1.4 Objective of the Study

1.4.1 General Objective
This study aims to develop a soil macronutrients and pH level assessor
using digital image processing.
1.4.2 Specific Objective
The study aims to meet the following goals needed for the development of a
soil macronutrients and pH level assessment for inbred rice plant.
1. To create a Graphical User Interface using Visual Studio.
2. To develop software that will assess nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and pH
level through digital image processing system and neural network using
MATLAB.
3. To determine the level of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and sufficiency of Potassium as
an indicator of soil fertility.
4. To provide a printed copy of the needed amount of fertilizer that serves as a
guide for the farmers.
5. To develop a portable soil Macronutrient and pH level analyzer.

1.5 Significance of the Study

Farmers do have different ways on how to prepare their farm before
planting, nevertheless they lack knowledge on how to prepare the farm properly
based on the standard to yield better crop. In an interview with Ms. Maria Edda
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Apple Suplido-Associate Scientist, Crop and Environmental Sciences Division

(CESD), she said that most of the farmers are not following the standard method
because they already have their traditional way of preparing their farm, resulting to
different levels of crop production.
Soil Testing is one of standard ways on how to prepare the farm used by
some of the farmers in the Philippines. In this study, the system will introduce a
different approach of determining the macronutrients and pH level of the soil.
Since the system will do the analysis, it will help the farmers lessen their work.
In addition, this study will implement a digital image processing system to
determine the level of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium and pH of the soil. It will
be beneficial to the farmers to know the amount of fertilizer needed by the soil for
farm preparation. The recommendation on the amount of fertilizer needed will be
available in printed format.
1.6 Scope and Delimitations
The research study will focus on the assessment of macronutrients
(Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium) and pH level of the soil for inbred rice
crop. The colorimetric chemical analysis result of soil test kit indicates whether the
soil is low, medium, or high based on the color produced then matched with a
standard color in the color chart. The digital image processing is focused on the
recognition of features, such as color and pixel area, present on the result of
colorimetric chemical analysis which is limited to macronutrients and pH level.
The result of the soil test kit will be analyzed one at a time because of the different
reaction time of the chemical reagents in soil.
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This research study will utilize the Artificial Neural Network in MATLAB
as the training model. A Graphical User Interface, built using JAVA, will take the
image of colorimetric chemical analysis result of Soil Test Kit, analyze them using
the compiled MATLAB functions and will guide the farmer with the amount and
cost of fertilizer needed for the soil.

1.7 Definition of Terms

Algorithm - is a self-contained step-by-step set of operations to be performed.
Algorithms exist that perform calculation, data processing, and automated
reasoning.
Artificial Neural Network - are a family of statistical learning algorithms inspired
by biological neural networks (the central nervous systems of animals, in particular
the brain) and are used to estimate or approximate functions that can depend on a
large number of inputs and are generally unknown. Artificial neural networks are
generally presented as systems of interconnected "neurons" which can compute
values from inputs, and are capable of machine learning as well as pattern
recognition thanks to their adaptive nature.
Chlorophyll - is a term used for several closely related green pigments found in
cyanobacteria and the chloroplasts of algae and plants. It is the molecule that
absorbs sunlight and uses its energy to synthesize carbohydrates from CO2 and
water.

Colorimetry - is a method of determining the concentration of a chemical element

or chemical compound in a solution with the aid of a color reagent.

Digital Image Processing- is the use of computer algorithms to perform image

processing on digital images.
Fertilizer- is any material of natural or synthetic origin (other than liming
materials) that is applied to soils or to plant tissues (usually leaves) to supply one
or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants.
Graphical User Interface - is a type of interface that allows users to interact with
electronic devices through graphical icons and visual indicators such as secondary
notation, as opposed to text-based interfaces, typed command labels or text
navigation.
JAVA - is a general-purpose computer programming language that is concurrent,
class-based, object-oriented, and specifically designed to have as few
implementation dependencies as possible.
Macronutrients - in relatively large amounts, the soil supplies nitrogen,
phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur; these are often called the
macronutrients.
MATLAB - is a multi-paradigm numerical computing environment and fourthgeneration programming language.

Micro-organism - is an organism that is so small that it is microscopic (invisible to

the naked eye). Microorganisms are often illustrated using single-celled, or
unicellular organisms.
Nitrogen - it is a transparent, odorless diatomic gas. Of all the essential nutrients,
nitrogen is required by plants in the largest quantity and is most frequently the
limiting factor in crop productivity.
Pesticide - are substances meant for attracting, seducing, and then destroying, or
mitigating any pests.
Phosphorus - is a component of the complex nucleic acid structure of plants,
which regulates protein synthesis.
Potassium - is an essential plant nutrient and is required in large amounts for
proper growth and reproduction of is considered second only to nitrogen, when it
comes to nutrients needed by plants, and is commonly considered as the quality
nutrient.
Rice - is the seed of the grass species Oryza sativa (Asian rice) or Oryzaglaberrima
(African rice). As a cereal grain, it is the most widely consumed staple food for a
large part of the world's human population, especially in Asia.
Software - is any set of machine-readable instructions that directs a computer's
processor to perform specific operations.
Soil - is the mixture of minerals, organic matter, gases, liquids, and myriad
organisms that together support plant life.
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Soil Fertility - refers to the ability of a soil to supply plant nutrients. A fertile soil
produces better yield.
Soil pH level - is a measurement of the acidity or alkalinity of a soil. On the pH
scale, 7.0 is neutral. Below 7.0 is acid and above 7.0 is basic or alkaline. A pH
range of 6.8 to 7.2 is termed near neutral.
Soil Test Kit - is a quick method of evaluating the fertility status of a soil. It
involves chemical analyses that measure the amount of nutrients in the soil that are
available to the plant.

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