The Development of Rubber Tapping Machines in Intelligent Agriculture: A Review

Abstract

In the past decade, intelligent technologies have advanced rapidly, particularly due to improvements in automatic control, which have had a significant impact on forestry, as well as animal husbandry and the future of farm management. However, the degree of production and management mechanization in natural rubber plantations is low, especially since the methods of tapping still rely heavily on labor. The decrease of skilled rubber tappers and the increase in labor costs have led to the development of the mechanization of rubber tapping operations. The application of emerging intelligent agricultural technologies could provide an alternative in order to maximize the potential productivity of natural rubber. Based on this vision, we reviewed the literature on rubber tapping from the past decade for system implementation in rubber plantations. In this review, selected references on rubber tapping were categorized into several directions of research, including rubber tapping machines, the key technologies applied in tapping operations, and some related protective research, analyzing research works from 2010 to 2022 that focused on tapping methods. The review also discusses the application of intelligent agricultural technologies, such as the recognition of tapping trajectory and tapping path planning. A summary of challenges and future trends is also provided in this study. Based on the relevant research, the use of intelligent technologies in rubber tapping machines is still in its initial stage and has broad prospects. Through this study, we aim to provide a reference for researchers in the field of rubber tapping machines and thus to play a positive role in future rubber tapping.