Corn is the second most important crop in the Philippines.

Majority of Filipinos prefer

white corn as their main staple and yellow corn accounts for about 50% of livestock mixed feeds.
About 600,000 farm households depend on corn as a major source of livelihood, in addition to
transport services, traders, processors and agricultural input suppliers. Corn is processed into
high value products such as cornstarch, corn syrups, corn oil, and snack foods (Department of
Agriculture, 2012). The largest corn producing provinces are Isabela and Bukidnon. Both
provinces had an average corn productivity of 1.98 tons per hectare over the last 5 years
(Tanchuling, 2007).

Plants need the right combination of nutrients to live, grow, and reproduce. Nutrient
deficiency is the lack of nutrient intake that consistently falls below the recommended level
(Stevens et al., 2002). The effects of nutrient deficiencies on crops are usually found
physiologically. Leaf coloration, leaf span length and growth rate are usually the symptoms of
such deficiencies. Nutrient deficiency symptoms are not commonly found in modern crops under
good production agriculture practices. Common signs of major nutrient deficiencies or toxicities
do not normally appear in well-managed fields (Hoiser et al., 1999). Applying knowledge
regarding symptoms and conditions that causes these deficiencies can be used as an important
diagnostic tool. Ludwick (1997) said that if deficiency symptoms do appear on crops during the
growing season, significant yield loss has already occurred. For corn, deficiency symptoms are
best described by the following nutrients: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P), Potassium (K), and
Sulfur (S). Corn, when it lacks these nutrients, produces visual symptoms that can be observed
during season or maturity. Nutrient deficiency affects the physiology of the corn plant during
growth stage and affects metabolism.

According to Ludwick (1997), the following are the effects of each nutrient deficiency on
corn; Lack of Nitrogen in young corn plant causes the entire plant to be pale and yellowish
green. Later V-shaped yellowing may appear on the tip of the leaves. Nitrogen is a mobile
nutrient in corn plant therefore, yellowing begins at the tip of the leaves and progresses further in
the plant if not prevented.
Phosphorus-deficient corn plants may be dark green with reddish purple tips and leaf
margins. The deficiency is usually identified on young plants. Phosphorus is readily mobilized
and translocated in the plant. Deficient plants may be smaller and grow more slowly than plants
with adequate P. Some corn hybrids at early stages of growth tend to show purple colors similar
to P deficiency when soil is adequate. Some hybrids do not become purple even though P is
severely limiting.

Potassium deficiency on corn may appear as yellowing and necrosis of the leaf margins,
beginning on the lower leaves. If the deficiency persists, the leaf symptoms will progress up the
plant. Potassium is a mobile nutrient in the plant and is translocated from old to young leaves.
Under severe deficiency, lower leaves will turn yellow while the upper leaves may remain green.
 Sulfur deficiency on small corn plant may appear as a general yellowing of the foliage,
similar to N deficiency. Yellowing of the younger leaves is more pronounced with S deficiency
then with N deficiency because S is not easily translocated in the plant. Other symptoms may
include interveinal chlorosis, stunting of plants, or delayed maturity. Sulfur deficiency is more
likely on acid, sandy soils, on soils low in organic matter, or on cold, wet soils.

Computer vision is the application of human observation and motor skills using computer
based programs and hardware (Ballard et. al., 1982). The use of image capturing and analysis
easily helps the identification of leaf coloration on plants. Digital image processing as a tool to
analyze the color plant image and extract the important feature of the image was used by Tewari
(2013). He used digital image processing for the estimation of plant nitrogen content with a set
up consisting a digital camera to capture the plant image, lights for illumination and a software
application for analyzing the data. The processing of the color plant image was done in
MATLAB 7.0 program. The features of the coloration such as RGB were analyzed during the
process.

Image processing can be defined as analysis of picture using techniques that can basically
identify shades and colors. It deals with images in bitmapped graphic format that have been
scanned of captured with digital camera. It also means image improvement, such as refining a
picture in a program or software that has been scanned or entered from a video source or in short,
image processing is any form of information processing when both the input and output is
images (Rahim, 2008).

Image acquisition is an important process in identifying the possible symptoms of

nutrient deficiencies in corn. Separating the leaf coloration from the background and from the
original leaf color is done for precision and accuracy in data. Tewari (2013) used a black cloth
for the background and a 5.1 mega pixel camera to capture the plant image. He used artificial
lighting arrangement provided by fluorescent tube with 500 lumen.

Rahim (2008) used the software Visual Basic for the development of different images. He
used the software to develop a program to process and develop any image. The analysis of the
acquired images are processed using the software Visual Basic. Visual Basic is a high level
programming language which stands for Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code.
Visual Basic programming is made up of many subprograms, each has its own program codes,
and each can be executed independently and at the same time can be linked together.