Agricultural Tractors: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities for the Green Transition

Dear Colleagues,

In the context of growing attention to sustainability and food security, the agricultural tractor is a central element of mechanization in farming. Over the past decades, its technological development has evolved alongside production needs, integrating advanced engine management systems, automated systems, digitalized data, and precision farming equipment. Today, however, the main challenge is to combine productivity and efficiency with reduced environmental impact, in line with the objectives of the green transition.

Innovation in agricultural tractors is therefore moving toward the use of new energy sources (electric, hybrid, biofuels), the optimization of fuel consumption, the use of lighter, more sustainable materials, and the integration of onboard systems with intelligent monitoring and data management devices. Increasing interest is also directed toward smart or robotized tractors capable of performing some operations autonomously, potentially optimized through artificial intelligence to improve precision, efficiency, and real-time decision-making. It is also crucial to address issues such as operational safety, ergonomics, emission reduction, and adaptability to diverse production and landscape contexts.

This Special Issue aims to gather interdisciplinary studies and contributions that analyze the current trends, challenges, and opportunities offered by the evolution of agricultural tractors within the framework of the green transition, and that also hypothesize possible futures. Original research articles and reviews are welcome, spanning mechanical and electronic engineering, energy modelling, artificial intelligence training, logistics, safety, and farm management.

Dr. Bruno Franceschetti
Dr. Marco Bietresato
Guest Editors

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