SPECIAL SESSION #02

Manuela Zude-Sasse

Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy, Germany

• mzude@atb-potsdam.de

Nikolaos Tsoulias

Hochschule Geisenheim University, Germany

• nikolaos.tsoulias@hs-gm.de

Dimitrios S. Paraforos

Hochschule Geisenheim University, Germany

• dimitrios.paraforos@hs-gm.de

This sessopm highlights recent advances in close-range perception technologies and automation systems dedicated to specialty crops, including vineyards, orchards, berries, and other high-value perennial or horticultural crops. Contributions are invited on innovative sensing modalities, machine vision pipelines, 3D canopy modelling, and sensor fusion techniques that enable real-time crop, canopy, and microclimate monitoring. Particular emphasis is given to embedded intelligence and on-board processing supporting autonomous or semi-autonomous field operations.

The session welcomes high-quality studies addressing perception-driven automation, such as robotic manipulation, variable-rate applications, navigation in dense canopies, and high-throughput phenotyping platforms. Research integrating perception data with decision support, digital twins, or mechanistic and AI-based models is encouraged. Applications demonstrating operational readiness through prototypes, field robots, or pilot-scale automation systems in specialty crops are also highly relevant.

We welcome contributions that cover the following topics:

• Close-range sensing (e.g. depth and spectral sensors) for canopy and crop characterization;
• Computer vision and 3D point cloud analysis for crop geometry, abiotic or abiotic stresses, yield and quality;
• Edge computing and embedded AI for real-time perception and actuation;
• Perception-driven applications and AI model integration;
• High-throughput phenotyping and mobile platforms for breeding and trait assessment;
• System integration, calibration, and validation of multi-sensor robotic platforms;
• Case studies, prototypes, and field demonstrations from specialty crop robotics and automation testbeds.

Manuela Zude-Sasse obtained a PhD at the Technical University Berlin, became Associate Professor at Humboldt University with habilitation in “Applied Plant Physiology”, and subsequently Professor at the Beuth University of Applied Science Berlin, Germany. Presently, she serves as group leader for PRECISION HORTICULTURE at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy and start-up founder of company CP, Dallgow, Germany, meanwhile publishing >90 papers, editing several special issues of international journals and a book on optical methods for crop sensing, and being associate editor in two journals. The organizer works in the areas of sensor data processing and turning the signals into plant information. Models have been adapted to use the plant information in the agronomic processes.

Nikos Tsoulias Senior researcher and lecturer at Hochschule Geisenheim University. Dr. Nikos Tsoulias holds a PhD in Agricultural Engineering from the Agricultural University of Athens (Greece) since 2021. He received his M.Sc. in Precision Farming (2016) at Harper Adams University (United Kingdom) fully funded by CNH Industrial, while he holds a BSc is in Agriculture with an integrated M.Sc. in Agricultural Engineering from Agricultural University of Athens (Greece).
Currently, he works at the Department of Agricultural Engineering at Hochschule Geisenheim University, where he gives lectures on precision agriculture, phenotyping, digital twins, agricultural machines and robotics in horticulture and viticulture. From the beginning of his professional career, he worked as a researcher, and has focused on strong cooperation with the industry and research. He is an expert in machine vision and optical sensors in the agri and food sector.