A Time Series Dataset of NIR Spectra and RGB and NIR-HSI Images of the Barley Germination Process

Abstract: We provide an open-source dataset of RGB and NIR-HSI (near-infrared hyperspectral imaging) images with associated segmentation masks and NIR spectra of 2242 individual malting barley kernels. We imaged every kernel pre-exposure to moisture and every 24 hours after exposure to moisture for five consecutive days. Every barley kernel was labeled as germinated or not germinated during each image acquisition. The barley kernels were imaged with black filter paper as the background, facilitating straight-forward intensity threshold-based segmentation, e.g., by Otsu's method. This dataset facilitates time series analysis of germination time for barley kernels using either RGB image analysis, NIR spectral analysis, NIR-HSI analysis, or a combination hereof.