A Review of Robotic Weeding Modalities for Site-Specific Weed Management

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Engineering
• Robotics
• Sustainable Agriculture

Background:

• Weed control is crucial for crop production, with a growing need for sustainable practices and reduced chemical use.
• Precision agriculture and robotics enable site-specific weed management, but the characteristics of weeding methods are underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically analyze robotic weeding modalities from an actuation perspective.
• To develop a framework for evaluating weeding methods across diverse agricultural scenarios.
• To guide the design and deployment of next-generation robotic weed management technologies.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive taxonomy of robotic weeding approaches (mechanical, chemical, thermal, laser, electrical) was established.
• Analysis of the mechanisms, operational characteristics, and sensing-actuation coupling for each modality.
• Development of a scenario-based comparison framework for evaluating modality suitability.

Main Results:

• Different weeding modalities impose distinct requirements on perception systems.
• Suitability of modalities varies significantly across agricultural conditions like pre-emergence, in-row, and dense-row cropping.
• Limitations of single-modality systems are evident, highlighting the need for integrated approaches.

Conclusions:

• Integrating sensing and actuation is key for advancing robotic weeding systems.
• Multi-modality integration and air-ground collaboration are emerging trends for enhanced weed management.
• A decision-oriented framework aids in selecting and deploying effective robotic weed control technologies.