# Integrating YOLO11 and Convolution Block Attention Module for Multi-Season Segmentation of Tree Trunks and Branches in Commercial Apple Orchards

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.05728 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.05728/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 7 of its 72 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 7 Dec 2024.

## Builds on (most cited first, 7 of 7)

- [YOLO advances to its genesis: a decadal and comprehensive review of the You Only Look Once (YOLO) series](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.19407/) (2024)
- [Comprehensive Performance Evaluation of YOLOv12, YOLO11, YOLOv10, YOLOv9 and YOLOv8 on Detecting and Counting Fruitlet in Complex Orchard Environments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.12040/) (2024)
- [Comparing YOLOv11 and YOLOv8 for instance segmentation of occluded and non-occluded immature green fruits in complex orchard environment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.19869/) (2024)
- [Zero-Shot Automatic Annotation and Instance Segmentation using LLM-Generated Datasets: Eliminating Field Imaging and Manual Annotation for Deep Learning Model Development](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.11285/) (2024)
- [YOLO11 and Vision Transformers based 3D Pose Estimation of Immature Green Fruits in Commercial Apple Orchards for Robotic Thinning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.19846/) (2024)
- [Machine Vision-Based Crop-Load Estimation Using YOLOv8](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.13282/) (2023)
- [Robotic Pollination of Apples in Commercial Orchards](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.10755/) (2023)

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Improved YOLOv12 with LLM-Generated Synthetic Data for Enhanced Apple Detection and Benchmarking Against YOLOv11 and YOLOv10](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.00057/) (2025)
- [Automated multi-class wound assessment using dedicated instance segmentation models for boundary detection and classification](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.27325/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

In this study, we developed a customized instance segmentation model by integrating the Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM) with the YOLO11 architecture. This model, trained on a mixed dataset of dormant and canopy season apple orchard images, aimed to enhance the segmentation of tree trunks and branches under varying seasonal conditions throughout the year. The model was individually validated across dormant and canopy season images after training the YOLO11-CBAM on the mixed dataset collected over the two seasons. Additional testing of the model during pre-bloom, flower bloom, fruit thinning, and harvest season was performed. The highest recall and precision metrics were observed in the YOLO11x-seg-CBAM and YOLO11m-seg-CBAM respectively. Particularly, YOLO11m-seg with CBAM showed the highest precision of 0.83 as performed for the Trunk class in training, while without the CBAM, YOLO11m-seg achieved 0.80 precision score for the Trunk class. Likewise, for branch class, YOLO11m-seg with CBAM achieved the highest precision score value of 0.75 while without the CBAM, the YOLO11m-seg achieved a precision of 0.73. For dormant season validation, YOLO11x-seg exhibited the highest precision at 0.91. Canopy season validation highlighted YOLO11s-seg with superior precision across all classes, achieving 0.516 for Branch, and 0.64 for Trunk. The modeling approach, trained on two season datasets as dormant and canopy season images, demonstrated the potential of the YOLO11-CBAM integration to effectively detect and segment tree trunks and branches year-round across all seasonal variations. Keywords: YOLOv11, YOLOv11 Tree Detection, YOLOv11 Branch Detection and Segmentation, Machine Vision, Deep Learning, Machine Learning