1. Partial Fruitlet Cutting Approach for Robotic Apple Thinning

Early season thinning of apple fruitlets is a crucial task in commercial apple farming, traditionally accomplished through chemical sprays or labor-intensive manual operations. These methods, however, are faced with the challenges of diminishing labor availability as well as environmental and/or economic sustainability. This research examines 'partial fruitlet cutting,' a novel nature-assisted strategy, as an alternative method for automated apple thinning in orchards. The study hypothesized... R. Sapkota, M. Karkee