A crop picking end effector for robotic harvesting of crops includes a body. A cutting mechanism is arranged on the body and is operable to cut a stem or stalk of the crop. A gripper is operable to attach itself to the crop. A decoupling mechanism includes a tether connected to the gripper and tethering the gripper with respect to the body. A releasable securing mechanism releasably secures the gripper with respect to the cutting mechanism and is configured to allow the gripper to decouple, thereby to release the gripper with respect to the cutting mechanism.
