The first robotic cutting mechanism—or "end-effector"—for a fully automated, computerized pruning system for modern apple orchards has been designed by a Penn State research team, an early step in the ...

Fruit trees are pruned to maintain a desired tree shape and size to increase light penetration into the canopy, thereby enhancing fruit quality and flower bud development. Most modern apple orchards ...

(a) The shoot length was calculated by summing the distances between neighboring points after skeletonization of the shoot point cloud. (b) The shoot angle was determined based on the inclination of ...

Trees growing in groups blew down less frequently and had less damage than trees growing alone. Trees that were properly pruned had less damage than trees that were unpruned, or improperly pruned.