Imaging for the High-Speed Detection of Pest Insects and Other Contaminants in Cereal Grain in Transit

Abstract

This paper presents a summary of an extensive programme of research to develop thefirst automated detector for insects, rodent droppings and ergot in post-harvest grain. Thedeveloped system, currently at the laboratory model stage, consists of a high-speed integratedmachine vision software package used with a monochrome CCD camera and personal computer.The aim is to deliver a low-cost, high-throughput device for scanning grain in transit. Progress inextending detector capability to include grain weevil larvae hidden inside wheat kernels, byusing machine vision with near-infrared imaging, is also presented.