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Grading starfruit samples based on the stages of ripeness can be facilitated by machine vision system (MVS) that requires high-quality images. The evolution of modern smartphone cameras can be of assistance in this regard. This study was carried out to examine if smartphone image-based processing can be applied to categorize starfruit samples based on their maturity. In this regard, images of starfruit samples at three different maturity stages were acquired through smartphone camera. The MATLAB platform was used to extract the color features of the images. Each channel of the three-color space model (RGB, HSV, L*a*b*) was extracted. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to quantify the existence of variance in three different maturity classes. In addition, classification models were created using Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), Linear Support Vector Machines (SVM), Quadratic SVM, Fine K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), and Subspace Discriminant Analysis (SDA). The best classifier was found to be the Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) which had an accuracy of 96.2% for calibration and 93.3% for validation. Accurate classification of the ripeness indices of starfruit samples demonstrated by LDA indicates the potential for commercial application of this technology.

Mechanized farming is an indispensable part of modern agriculture. Bangladesh has managed to achieve significant progress in some components of farm mechanization i.e., irrigation and tillage. The majority of the agricultural operations are still being carried out with manual labor. This paper reports the status of agricultural machineries in the country while analyzing the historical policy changes towards intensive farm mechanization. The potential sectors requiring urgent attention for mechanization was also identified in this study. The manuscript discusses how mechanization could help ensure the food security of the country by maintaining timeliness of agricultural operation. Urgent introduction of mini-combined harvesters during COVID-19 pandemic was discussed as a commendable decision taken by the Government of Bangladesh. It also shows how the use of machine power is increasing in the country through custom hiring based ownership models of the machineries. Local manufacturing of agricultural machineries and spare parts was championed by the fact that small scale industries have developed in this sector. In line with this, we argued that the local companies should focus on precision manufacturing in the coming days. The manuscript also urged the need to include rural youth for sustainable farm mechanization process.