Rapid prediction and visualization of safe moisture content in alfalfa seeds based on multispectral imaging technology

Moisture significantly impacts seed sales, storage, and processing. Traditional moisture testing methods are often slow, labor-intensive, and inadequate for the rapid detection demands of modern agriculture, particularly for non-destructive testing of individual seeds. This study applied multispectral imaging to obtain morphological and spectral data from alfalfa seeds at six moisture levels (4 %, 8 %, 12 %, 16 %, 25 %, and 41 %). By integrating algorithms such as Support Vector Machines (SVM), Random Forests (RF), Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN), and normalized typical discriminant analysis (nCDA) algorithms, classification models were developed to distinguish between safe and unsafe moisture levels. The Results indicated that spectral data alone significantly improved model accuracy and prediction. nCDA visualizations effectively illustrated spatial moisture distribution, highlighting stark color differences between seeds in the safe moisture range (4 %, 8 %, 12 %) and those in the unsafe range (16 %, 25 %, 41 %). BPNN exhibited high model precision, achieving a recognition accuracy rate of 90.1 % for safe and unsafe moisture content. Key wavelengths identified by the Permutation method included 970, 880, 570, and 490 nm. Pearson correlation analysis showed a significant positive correlation between germination indicators and spectral data, which strengthened with longer seed storage. These findings confirm the potential of multispectral imaging for assessing the safe moisture content of alfalfa seeds, supporting the development of detection systems for evaluating moisture content in individual seeds. This advancement enables the rapid removal of high-moisture seeds, preventing deterioration during storage. [Display omitted] •Multispectral imaging enabled rapid differentiation between safe and unsafe moisture content in alfalfa seeds.•The spatial distribution of alfalfa seeds with different moisture contents visualized by nCDA model.•Accuracy of Back Propagation Neural Network model in predicting safe and unsafe moisture content of alfalfa seeds was better than other models.•Modelling results from spectral data of alfalfa seeds with different moisture contents outperformed morphological and spectral-morphological data.