An advanced deep learning method for pepper diseases and pests detection.

Despite the significant progress in deep learning-based object detection, existing models struggle to perform optimally in complex agricultural environments. To address these challenges, this study introduces YOLO-Pepper, an enhanced model designed specifically for greenhouse pepper disease and pest detection, overcoming three key obstacles: small target recognition, multi-scale feature extraction under occlusion, and real-time processing demands. Built upon YOLOv10n, YOLO-Pepper incorporates four major innovations: (1) an Adaptive Multi-Scale Feature Extraction (AMSFE) module that improves feature capture through multi-branch convolutions; (2) a Dynamic Feature Pyramid Network (DFPN) enabling context-aware feature fusion; (3) a specialized Small Detection Head (SDH) tailored for minute targets; and (4) an Inner-CIoU loss function that enhances localization accuracy by 18% compared to standard CIoU. Evaluated on a diverse dataset of 8046 annotated images, YOLO-Pepper achieves state-of-the-art performance, with 94.26% mAP@0.5 at 115.26 FPS, marking an 11.88 percentage point improvement over YOLOv10n (82.38% mAP@0.5) while maintaining a lightweight structure (2.51 M parameters, 5.15 MB model size) optimized for edge deployment. Comparative experiments highlight YOLO-Pepper's superiority over nine benchmark models, particularly in detecting small and occluded targets. By addressing computational inefficiencies and refining small object detection capabilities, YOLO-Pepper provides robust technical support for intelligent agricultural monitoring systems, making it a highly effective tool for early disease detection and integrated pest management in commercial greenhouse operations.