FYEUR

The overall goal of the project, which is being carried out in cooperation with the University of Central Punjab (UCP), is to identify problems related to the decline in citrus (Kinow) production in Pakistan by estimating the yield of a citrus orchard. Currently, the harvest quantity is only determined by a visual inspection. This method is very imprecise and has a negative impact on the profit of the orchard owner. As a result, less is invested in maintaining the orchard, which again leads to a reduction of the overall production.
In this project, an effective image processing method should be investigated, which is able to detect the fruits on the citrus trees. With the help of this detection the counting of the fruits can be done in an automatic way.  Based on the color characteristics of fruits, innovative algorithms are to be developed that enable a fast and safe detection of citrus fruits. Certainly, this would be a first step towards the automation of the citrus fruit production in Pakistan. The further development of the harvest estimator prototype into a product could create new jobs by a spin-off company and therefore would contribute to the economic development of Pakistan.