Nitrogen deficiency in maize: Annotated image classification dataset

Nitrogen (N) is one of the key inputs in maize production applied in the form of fertilizers. Nitrogen deficiency during the vegetation period leads to lower yields since N is utilized in proteins and enzymes that enable important biochemical processes such as photosynthesis. Nitrogen deficiency leads to specific symptoms that eventually become visible to the naked eye during vegetation. Our hypothesis was that N deficiency can be detected from maize RGB images in parametric process such as a deep neural network. The aim of the reported dataset is to optimize the usage of N in the farmer's fields and accordingly, reduce its environmental footprint. This dataset contains 1200 images of maize canopy from field trials, annotated by an expert from an agricultural institution. The field trials included three levels of N fertilization: N0 without N fertilization, N75 with 75 kg of added N fertilizer, and NFull with 136 kg of added N fertilizer. For each fertilizer level, 400 plots were created with 238 different maize genotypes, resulting in a total of 1200 plots. Images were taken with a tripod mounted DSLR camera, aperture priority set to f/8 and sensor sensitivity set to ISO400. Images were taken at a 45° angle to each plot. This dataset can be useful to both researchers, data scientists and agronomists, especially in the context of emerging technologies in precision agriculture, such as robotics, 5G networks and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The dataset is one of the first publicly accessible datasets of maize canopy images under different N fertilization levels and represents a valuable public resource for development of machine learning models for in-season detection of N deficiency in maize.