Batch analysis of digital images to evaluate turfgrass characteristics

Techniques using digital image analysis have been recently developed to evaluate turfgrass stands for percent green cover and average color. Manually analyzing digital images may become cumbersome and tedious if turf field trials contain many plots or if images are collected at frequent intervals for analysis. The objective of the following work was to develop a user-friendly macro capable of automated batch analysis of an unlimited number of digital images. A macro named 'Turf Analysis' was written to batch analyze images using SigmaScan Pro software. The macro, which requires less than 1 min of manual execution, performs percent cover and/or color analysis on an unlimited number of images and automatically saves the results into a spreadsheet file. The macro is freely available to download.
HISTORICALLY, field experiments investigating turfgrass have been evaluated by visual ratings. Although relevant information may result from such evaluations, final inferences may be questionable because of the subjective nature in [...]