Imagery based plant disease detection using conventional neural networks and transfer learning

Abstract

Ensuring the sustainability of global food production requires efficient plant disease detection, challenge conventional methods struggle to address promptly. This study explores advanced techniques, including convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and transfer learning models (ResNet and VGG), to improve plant disease identification accuracy. Using a plant disease dataset with 65 classes of healthy and diseased leaves, the research evaluates these models' effectiveness in automating disease recognition. Preprocessing techniques, such as size normalization and data augmentation, are employed to enhance model reliability, and the dataset is divided into training, testing, and validation sets. The CNN model achieved accuracies of 95.45 and 94.52% for 128×128 and 256×256 image sizes, respectively. ResNet50 proved the best performer, reaching 98.38 and 98.63% accuracy, while VGG16 achieved 97.99 and 98.34%. These results highlight ResNet50's superior ability to capture intricate features, making it a robust tool for precision agriculture. This research provides practical solutions for early and accurate disease identification, helping to improve crop management and food security.