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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Kearneysville, West Virginia » Appalachian Fruit Research Laboratory » Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #363789
Research Project: Integrated Orchard Management and Automation for Deciduous Tree Fruit Crops (BRIDGE PROJECT)

Location: Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection

Title: The use of agricultural robots in orchard management

Author
item ZHANG, QIN - Washington State University
item KARKEE, MANOJ - Washington State University
item Tabb, Amy

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/30/2018
Publication Date: 7/29/2019
Citation: Zhang, Q., Karkee, M., Tabb, A. 2019. The use of agricultural robots in orchard management. In: Billingsley, J., editor. Robotics and Automation for Improving Agriculture. Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, Cambridge, UK. https://doi.org/10.19103/AS.2019.0056.14.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.19103/AS.2019.0056.14

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The use of robotic or automated machines in orchard operations is associated primarily with insufficient labor availability and rapidly increasing labor costs in tree fruit production, and is critical for improving yield of high quality fruit with minimal dependence on seasonal human labor. Primarily, mechanized or robotic orchard management operations (after establishment of the trees) include pruning, thinning, spraying and harvesting. This chapter reviews the state-of-the-art in these topics.