Validation of a Custom-Built Software for Measuring Trajectory Overlap and no Cut Areas in Autonomous Turfgrass Mowing

Turfgrasses deliver essential ecosystem services, including soil protection, temperature mitigation, and aesthetic enhancement of green areas. Mowing is a key practice to ensure these benefits, particularly when performed in a proper way, as with autonomous mowers. However, mowing patterns and the resulting trampling can influence the visual quality of turfgrass, especially through overlapping and uncut areas caused by turn trajectories. This study aimed to validate the measurement accuracy of a new function in a custom-built software (v2.5.0.0) designed to analyze mower trajectories via RTK-GPS data, and to assess the influence of three mowing patterns (vertical, horizontal, diagonal) on overlapping and uncut areas. The software outputs were validated against two manual tracking methods: chalk powder and wire. The experiment was conducted on a mature Bermudagrass stand, and trajectory data were analyzed using ANOVA. Results showed that the measurement method significantly affected straight trajectory overlap, with the wire method underestimating overlap (2.36 cm) due to field-related operational limits. In contrast, chalk powder (3.72 cm) and software (4.71 cm) produced comparable results. Significant differences were also observed in turn trajectory no-cut areas, especially with the diagonal mowing pattern, which generated the largest uncut zones (0.059 m2 ).