Counting Rice Leaf Veins Using Hough Transform

Diana Michelle DR Magbanua

Institute of Computer Science
University of the Philippines, Los Baños

March 2010

Abstract IRRI(International Rice Research Institute). Tradi-

We present a method that would help reduce the tionally, this is done manually by using a microscope.
time it takes to count veins in a rice leaf. This A person is tasked to count the veins in a rice leaf and
method involves background subtraction (using hue, he or she has to do this as quickly as possible so as
intensity and saturation), contrast adjustment, and to finish many rice leaves in a given period of time.
edge detection. The main procedure for this method To help quicken this procedure, this paper proposes
is Hough Transform. the use of Hough Transform as a suitable method.
Hough Transform has been used for many years now
Keywords in line detection in images. With the help of other
background subtraction, hue, intensity, saturation, prerequisite methods (both optional and needed),
contrast adjustment, edge detection, hough trans- Hough Transform can truly help in speeding up the
form, interveinal distance, chloroplast development process of counting the veins in rice leaves.
The step-by-step procedure for counting rice leaf
veins is given below:
1 Introduction (Diagram here)

It is projected that in the coming half century, the 2.1 Background Subtraction
production of grains such as rice will no longer be
able to keep up with the demands of the people since (Included here are images involving background sub-
by that time, the population would have increased traction)
dramatically. This would be a major problem for
countries that rely on grains as their staple food. 2.2 Contrast Adjustment
One of the crops that scientists want to boost
production is rice. In order to do so, they have (Included here are images involving histogram equal-
suggested that the C4 pathway be introduced to ization)
it. Rice plants traditionally have a C3 pathway
embedded in them, but if they are equipped with a 2.3 Edge Detection
C4 pathway, then it is possible that their yield will
(Included here are images involving grayscaling and
increase by as much as 50
edge detection)

2.4 Hough Transform

1.1 The C4 Pathway
1.2 Benefits of the C4 Pathway
3 Expected Results
1.3 First Step: Rice Screening 4 Acknowledgements
2 Methodology
As presented above, counting the veins in the rice leaf
is part of the screening process that is being done in