A comprehensive review of autonomous flower pollination techniques: Progress, challenges, and future directions

Abstract

Pollination plays a crucial role in agricultural production, directly impacting crop yield and quality. With the decline in pollinating insect populations, manual and machine-assisted pollination methods have been adopted to ensure efficient pollination. Lightweight handheld tools, commonly used in orchards and greenhouses, offer an improvement over simple manual pollination due to their ease of use. Despite advancements in pollination technology, these tools still require manual operation. Though both manual and machine-assisted methods enhance pollination efficiency, labor shortages, and escalating labor costs have propelled the advancement of autonomous pollination technologies. Despite considerable research progress in autonomous pollination over the past decades, there is a notable absence of a comprehensive review on this field. Therefore, this review seeks to fill that gap by providing an overview of the current state of autonomous pollination technologies, with an emphasis on the application of robotics. A literature search, using the term “robotic pollination” in the Web of Science database, revealed a relatively small number of publications, indicating that robotic pollination remains in its early stages. The United States and China produced the most research outputs. The research trajectory demonstrates a gradual shift from theoretical exploration to practical applications. Ground robots are being designed with varying heights and pollination methods to cater to different plant species, while drone-based Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) pollination techniques are gaining traction. This review discusses critical aspects of robotic pollination, including flower identification and localization, path planning, and pollination mechanisms. Looking ahead, robotic pollination is poised to evolve towards fully autonomous systems, supported by advancements in sensing, automation, and robotics, offering a sustainable solution to the challenges posed by the decline in pollinators and agricultural labor shortages.