Experimental Assessment of Autonomous Fleet Operations for Precision Viticulture Under Real Vineyard Conditions

The increase in global population and climatic instability places unprecedented demands on agricultural productivity. Autonomous robotic systems, specifically unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), provide potential solutions by enhancing precision viticulture operations. This work presents the experimental evaluation of a heterogeneous robotic fleet composed of Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), operating autonomously under real-world vineyard conditions. Over the course of a full growing season, the fleet demonstrated effective autonomous navigation, environment sensing, and data acquisition. More than 4 UGV missions and 10 UAV flights were successfully completed, achieving a 95% data acquisition rate and mapping resolution of 2.5 cm/pixel. Vegetation indices and thermal imagery enabled accurate detection of water stress and crop vigor. These capabilities enabled high-resolution mapping and agricultural task execution, contributing significantly to operational efficiency and sustainability in viticulture.