An Improved DeepLabV3+-Based Method for Crop Row Segmentation and Navigation Line Extraction in Agricultural Fields

Accurate crop row detection is identified as a critical prerequisite for autonomous agricultural navigation, yet it remains challenging in complex field environments. To achieve a balance between segmentation accuracy, robustness, and real-time performance, an improved crop row segmentation and navigation method based on the DeepLabV3+ framework was developed. MobileNetV2 was adopted as the backbone to minimize computational costs, while feature representation was enhanced through integrated attention mechanisms and multi-scale fusion. Specifically, split-attention convolution was integrated into the backbone, a DenseASPP + SP module was employed for multi-scale contextual capture, and a Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM) was added to refine feature responses. Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed method outperformed mainstream models, achieving a mean Intersection over Union (mIoU) of 93.42% and an f1-score of 96.8%. The model maintained a lightweight architecture with 8.35 M parameters and a real-time speed of 32 FPS. Furthermore, crop row anchor points were extracted and processed via DBSCAN clustering and RANSAC fitting to generate high-precision navigation lines. Validation showed that the middle crop row yielded the highest fitting accuracy with minimal angular and lateral errors. This study provides an efficient visual perception solution for intelligent field operations.