Advances in ground robotic technologies for site-specific weed management in precision agriculture: A review

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Robotics and variable rate technology (VRT) have shown great potential for site-specific weed management (SSWM), but these technologies face several challenges like accurate weed identification, high initial cost, integration with existing farming practices, and the need for the development of precise and robust system for real-time application. Given the lack of comprehensive information on the current state of robotic technologies for weed management, this review study aims to provide an extensive overview of the individual components associated with SSWM technologies, such as autonomous navigation, imaging sensors, and weeding approaches. To perform this study, 91 technical papers were selected that involve the status, challenges, and potential improvements of individual components integrated to develop an efficient weed management technology. The key outcomes can be summarized as: (a) real-time kinematic-enabled global positioning system (RTK-GPS) and machine vision guidance systems are widely adopted technology for automatic row guidance because of their low cost, high accuracy, and easy accessibility, (b) GPS technology face challenges due to signal interference and dependency on satellite availability for accurate positioning, (c) sensor fusion has been suggested as a potential solution to improve the accuracy of positioning and weed identification, (d) deep learning techniques for weed identification offer significant promise in enhancing the feasibility of implementing robotic weed control in real-time, (e) due to robust nature of hyperspectral imaging, research in weed identification for real-time in open-field conditions is still lagging, (f) plethora of university-based research studies are limited to model optimization and simulation studies, and (g) integrated weed management practices, such as a combined application of mechanical and laser weeding, could be the future of robotic weed control. This review will serve as a valuable reference to extension educators, growers, researchers, and stakeholders for adopting state-of-the-art and sustainable practices in SSWM.