New Research on Automated and Efficient Agricultural Machineries

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

The field of agriculture is currently under pressure from the growing demand for food linked to the increasing global population. Academia and industry are focusing their attention on searching for new solutions to increase the productivity and efficiency of agricultural machinery in order to meet this demand, minimizing the environmental impacts of agricultural operations to the greatest extent possible. Electrification and automation can play important roles in revolutionizing traditional farming practices, reducing the amount of fossil fuels required to perform field activities. The synergy between electrification and automation is particularly evident when it comes to the development of agricultural tractors and autonomous rovers, for which technological advancements can allow tasks to be performed with higher precision, less fuel consumption, and minimal human intervention, lowering both environmental impact and costs.

Today’s challenge is to think of new powertrain systems that can increase these machines’ work efficiency, thus limiting the amount of fuel burnt per unit of work performed. Electrification, biofuels, hydrogen, and intelligent energy management systems can allow us to achieve this important goal. Simultaneously, it is important to work on increasing task efficiency to facilitate maximum productivity. Autonomous rovers can play an important role in optimizing field and plant treatments since they allow continuous monitoring from the field.

The aim for this Topic is to gather contributions from experts in the field of agricultural machineries and rovers devoted to the pursuit of efficiency improvements at the powertrain or system level. Topics of interest for publication include the following:

• The design, modelling, control, and optimization of hybrid, electric, and fuel cell powertrain systems;
• The design, modelling, control, and optimization of hydrostatic, hydraulic, and electro-hydraulic systems for machine automation;
• Systems for autonomous guidance and agricultural field operations;
• The design and development of advanced mobile robotic systems for agricultural mechanization;
• Circular design and the environmental impact of innovative vehicles and powertrain components;
• Diagnostic and predictive maintenance for powertrain efficiency optimization during vehicle service life.

Dr. Francesco Mocera
Prof. Dr. Aurelio Somà
Dr. Simone Pascuzzi
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Agriculture agriculture	3.6	6.3	2011	18.8 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
AgriEngineering agriengineering	3.0	4.7	2019	22 Days	CHF 1800	Submit
Applied Sciences applsci	2.5	5.5	2011	16 Days	CHF 2400	Submit
Automation automation	2.0	4.1	2020	30.9 Days	CHF 1200	Submit
Energies energies	3.2	7.3	2008	16.8 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Sci sci	-	5.2	2019	26.7 Days	CHF 1400	Submit

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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All Agriculture Applied Sciences Sci Energies AgriEngineering Automation

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34 pages, 71061 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Design and Experimental Evaluation of a Self-Propelled Tracked Double-Row Cabbage Harvester

by Qinghui Zheng, Zhiyu Zuo, Qingqing Dai, Haitao Peng, Yongqiang Fu, Shenghe Zhang and Hanping Mao

Agriculture 2026, 16(9), 941; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16090941 - 24 Apr 2026

Viewed by 600

Abstract

To improve the harvesting efficiency of mechanized cabbage harvesting and reduce damage, the structural configuration of a cabbage harvester was designed based on the cabbage cultivation pattern, physical morphological parameters, and mechanical harvesting characteristics. The harvester consists of a crawler power chassis, pulling [...] Read more.

To improve the harvesting efficiency of mechanized cabbage harvesting and reduce damage, the structural configuration of a cabbage harvester was designed based on the cabbage cultivation pattern, physical morphological parameters, and mechanical harvesting characteristics. The harvester consists of a crawler power chassis, pulling device, crop guiding device, clamping and conveying device, profiling device, root-cutting device, and leaf-stripping and collecting device, which enables simultaneous pulling, conveying, root cutting, outer leaf separation, and collection for two rows of cabbages in a single pass, thereby enhancing harvesting efficiency. The sources of cabbage damage during the harvesting process were analyzed, and dynamic analyses of the key components were performed to determine their structural parameters. Through single-factor experiments and response surface methodology optimization tests, the effects of forward speed, pulling roller rotational speed, clamping and conveying speed, and cutter rotational speed on the harvest qualification rate were evaluated. The optimal working parameter combination of these factors was determined and validated through field harvesting performance tests. The results showed that, under the operating conditions of forward speed 0.4 m/s, pulling roller rotational speed 114 r/min, clamping and conveying speed 0.51 m/s, and cutter rotational speed 338 r/min, the average harvest qualification rate reached 96.4%, and the average damage rate was 3.6%, which is close to the maximum theoretical harvest qualification rate of 96.78% predicted by the optimization model. The field validation tests demonstrated good performance, with all indicators meeting the design requirements and relevant standards, providing theoretical support and reference for the development and improvement of cabbage harvesting machinery. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic New Research on Automated and Efficient Agricultural Machineries)

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26 pages, 3551 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Generalized Extended-State Observer-Based Switched Sliding Mode for Path-Tracking Control of Unmanned Agricultural Tractors with Prescribed Performance

by Shenghui Li, Benjian Dai, Zhenzhen Huang, Jinlin Sun and Li Ma

Agriculture 2026, 16(4), 490; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16040490 - 22 Feb 2026

Viewed by 394

Abstract

Time-varying disturbances arising from complex terrain and the lack of rigorous constraint-handling mechanisms significantly degrade the path-tracking performance of unmanned agricultural tractors (UATs). To address these issues, this paper proposes a generalized extended-state-observer-based prescribed-performance sliding-mode (GESO-PPSM) control method. First, a homeomorphic mapping-based prescribed [...] Read more.

Time-varying disturbances arising from complex terrain and the lack of rigorous constraint-handling mechanisms significantly degrade the path-tracking performance of unmanned agricultural tractors (UATs). To address these issues, this paper proposes a generalized extended-state-observer-based prescribed-performance sliding-mode (GESO-PPSM) control method. First, a homeomorphic mapping-based prescribed performance function is employed to impose hard performance constraints, guaranteeing that the preview error remains within predefined bounds throughout the entire process. Second, a generalized super-twisting extended-state observer (GESO) is developed to compensate for lumped uncertainties, enabling finite-time and high-accuracy disturbance estimation compared with that of conventional observers. Furthermore, a switching sliding mode surface is designed to achieve fast convergence far from equilibrium while effectively suppressing overshoot near the origin. Unlike traditional sliding mode control, a continuous path-tracking control law based on a power function is formulated to ensure robustness while avoiding discontinuities. Comparative co-simulations based on a high-fidelity UAT model demonstrate that the proposed control method achieves superior steady-state accuracy, with significant reductions in preview error standard deviations of up to 92.52%, 84.33%, and 80.44% compared to PID, model predictive control (MPC), and GESO-based conventional sliding mode (GESO-SM) control, respectively. These results validate the superiority of the GESO-PPSM method in terms of accuracy, robustness, and strict constraint satisfaction in complex agricultural environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic New Research on Automated and Efficient Agricultural Machineries)

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27 pages, 6648 KB  

Open AccessReview

Application of Metal Detection Technology in Agricultural Machinery Equipment

by Dejian Shen, Qimin Gao, Pengjun Wang, Zhe Jian and Mingjiang Chen

AgriEngineering 2026, 8(1), 15; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriengineering8010015 - 1 Jan 2026

Viewed by 1114

Abstract

Metal foreign objects left in fields pose a significant challenge during silage harvester operation, leading to reduced mechanical efficiency, compromised feed quality, and risks to livestock safety. However, due to the complex and demanding working environment of agricultural machinery, such as high levels [...] Read more.

Metal foreign objects left in fields pose a significant challenge during silage harvester operation, leading to reduced mechanical efficiency, compromised feed quality, and risks to livestock safety. However, due to the complex and demanding working environment of agricultural machinery, such as high levels of vibration, dust, and temperature/humidity fluctuations, and the minimal dimensions of critical metallic foreign objects, which often require detection down to a few millimeters, the application of traditional metal detection technology faces significant technical challenges in this field. As a result, metal detection devices have not yet become standard equipment on silage harvesters in China. By consulting the relevant literature, this paper systematically analyzes the basic principles of metal detection technology, compares the technical characteristics of metal detection devices in the field of agricultural machinery and equipment at home and abroad, and puts forward suggestions for the challenges of reliability, foreign object removal, and system response time of metal detection devices. The application of metal detection technology in the field of agricultural machinery and equipment provides information support. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic New Research on Automated and Efficient Agricultural Machineries)

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16 pages, 5030 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Design and Evaluation of an Automated Rod-Feeding Mechanism for Small Arch Shed Machine Based on Kinematics

by Panpan Yuan, Pengfei Wen, Jia You, Sidikejiang Aiwaili, Xingliang Zhu, Huiqing Peng and Zhikun Wang

Agriculture 2026, 16(1), 30; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16010030 - 22 Dec 2025

Viewed by 644

Abstract

Current small arch shed machine designs rely on manual pole placements, resulting in low construction efficiency and mechanized levels. These machines were not designed with key components tailored to the agronomic requirements of Xinjiang’s small arch shed cotton cultivation model. An automated rod-feeding [...] Read more.

Current small arch shed machine designs rely on manual pole placements, resulting in low construction efficiency and mechanized levels. These machines were not designed with key components tailored to the agronomic requirements of Xinjiang’s small arch shed cotton cultivation model. An automated rod-feeding mechanism for a small arch shed was designed using SolidWorks 2023 to bridge this gap. Its major components include rod separation and conveying units, enabling the separation and orderly transportation of tunnel rods. A kinematic simulation of the conveyor rod during the transport process using ADAMS 2024.1 software was performed to examine the effects of motor speed, synchronous belt stop block height, and horizontal distance on the conveyor rod. Using MATLAB 2023a to fit the center-of-mass distance curve yields the optimal values for the parameters (motor speed = 17.57 rpm, stop block height = 16.79 mm, and horizontal distance = 103.95 mm). Bench test results confirmed the simulation performance of the device with a motor speed of 17 rpm, a synchronous belt stop block height of 15 mm, and a horizontal distance of 100 mm. The automated rod-feeding device exhibited an 80.8% feeding rate. The prototype operates stably, and this design can serve as a reference for developing automated equipment for small arch sheds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic New Research on Automated and Efficient Agricultural Machineries)

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35 pages, 6889 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Optimization of Root Blanket-Cutting Device for Rice Blanket Seedling Cutting and Throwing Transplanter Based on DEM-MBD

by Xuan Jia, Shuaihua Hao, Jinyu Song, Cailing Liu, Xiaopei Zheng, Licai Chen, Chengtian Zhu, Jitong Xu and Jianjun Liu

Agriculture 2025, 15(20), 2105; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15202105 - 10 Oct 2025

Viewed by 822

Abstract

To solve the problems of large root damage and incomplete seedling blocks (SBs) in rice machine transplanting, this study numerically optimized the root blanket-cutting device for rice blanket seedling cutting and throwing transplanters based on the discrete element method (DEM) and multi-body dynamics [...] Read more.

To solve the problems of large root damage and incomplete seedling blocks (SBs) in rice machine transplanting, this study numerically optimized the root blanket-cutting device for rice blanket seedling cutting and throwing transplanters based on the discrete element method (DEM) and multi-body dynamics (MBD) coupling method. A longitudinal sliding cutter (LSC)–substrate–root interaction model was established. Based on the simulation tests of Center Composite Design and response surface analysis, the sliding angle and cutter shaft speed of the LSCs arranged at the circumferential angles (CAs) of 0°, 30°, and 60° were optimized. The simulation results indicated that the LSC arrangement CA significantly affected the cutting performance, with the optimal configuration achieved at a CA of 60°. Under the optimal parameters (sliding angle of 57°, cutter shaft speed of 65.3 r/min), the average deviation between the simulated and physical tests was less than 11%, and the reliability of the parameters was verified. A seedling needle–substrate–root interaction model was established. The Box–Behnken Design method was applied to conduct simulation tests and response surface optimization, focusing on the picking angle, needle width, and rotary gearbox speed. The simulation results showed that the picking angle was the key influencing factor. Under the optimal parameters (picking angle of 20°, seedling needle width of 15 mm, rotary gearbox speed of 209 r/min), the average deviation between the simulated and physical tests was less than 10%, which met the design requirements. This study provides a new solution for reducing root injury, improving SB integrity, and reducing energy consumption in rice transplanting, and provides theoretical and technical references for optimizing transplanting machinery structure and selecting working parameters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic New Research on Automated and Efficient Agricultural Machineries)

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25 pages, 18914 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Optimization and Experimental Study of a Soil Loosening and Root Lifting Device for Shanghai Green (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis) Harvesting Based on an EDEM-RecurDyn Simulation

by Qingqing Dai, Zhiyu Zuo, Qinghui Zheng, Yongqiang Fu, Shenghe Zhang and Hanping Mao

Agriculture 2025, 15(17), 1865; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15171865 - 31 Aug 2025

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1298

Abstract

To mitigate the high stubble rates (root residue rates) and plant damage associated with the current mechanized harvesting of Shanghai Green (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis), this study developed and optimized a novel soil loosening and root lifting device. A theoretical dynamic [...] Read more.

To mitigate the high stubble rates (root residue rates) and plant damage associated with the current mechanized harvesting of Shanghai Green (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis), this study developed and optimized a novel soil loosening and root lifting device. A theoretical dynamic model was first established to analyze the device’s operational principles. Subsequently, a coupled multi-body dynamics and discrete element method (RecurDyn-EDEM) model was established to simulate the complex interactions between the device, soil, and plant roots. Response surface methodology was employed to optimize key operational parameters: walking speed, loosening depth, and vibration frequency. The simulation-based optimization was validated by field tests. The optimal parameters were identified as a walking speed of 0.137 m/s, a loosening depth of 34.5 mm, and a vibration frequency of 1.34 Hz, under which the Shanghai Green pulling force was 35.41 N, yielding optimal extraction performance. Field tests conducted under these optimal conditions demonstrated excellent performance, achieving a qualified plant posture rate of 87.5% and a low damage rate of 7.5%. This research provides a robust design and validated operational parameters, offering significant technical support for the development of low-loss harvesting equipment for leafy vegetables. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic New Research on Automated and Efficient Agricultural Machineries)

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29 pages, 8648 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Design and Experimentation of Comb-Spiral Impact Harvesting Device for Camellia oleifera Fruit

by Fengxin Yan, Yaoyao Zhu, Xujie Li, Yu Zhang, Komil Astanakulov and Naimov Alisher

Agriculture 2025, 15(15), 1616; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15151616 - 25 Jul 2025

Viewed by 1191

Abstract

Camellia oleifera is one of the four largest woody oil species in the world, with more than 5 million hectares planted in China alone. Reducing bud damage and improving harvesting net rate and efficiency have become the key challenges to mechanized harvesting of [...] Read more.

Camellia oleifera is one of the four largest woody oil species in the world, with more than 5 million hectares planted in China alone. Reducing bud damage and improving harvesting net rate and efficiency have become the key challenges to mechanized harvesting of Camellia oleifera fruits. This paper presents a novel comb-spiral impact harvesting device primarily composed of four parts, which are lifting mechanism, picking mechanism, rotating mechanism, and tracked chassis. The workspace of the four-degree-of-freedom lifting mechanism was simulated, and the harvesting reachable area was maximized using MATLAB R2021a software. The picking mechanism, which includes dozens of spirally arranged impact pillars, achieves high harvesting efficiency through impacting, brushing, and dragging, while maintaining a low bud shedding rate. The rotary mechanism provides effective harvesting actions, and the tracked chassis guarantees free movement of the equipment. Simulation experiments and field validation experiments indicate that optimal performance can be achieved when the brushing speed is set to 21.45 r/min, the picking finger speed is set to 341.27 r/min, and the picking device tilt angle is set to 1.0°. With these parameters, the harvesting quantity of Camellia oleifera fruits is 119.75 kg/h, fruit shedding rate 92.30%, and bud shedding rate as low as 9.16%. This new model for fruit shedding and the comb-spiral impact harvesting principle shows promise as a mechanized harvesting solution for nut-like fruits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic New Research on Automated and Efficient Agricultural Machineries)

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27 pages, 68526 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Design and Evaluation of a Novel Actuated End Effector for Selective Broccoli Harvesting in Dense Planting Conditions

by Zhiyu Zuo, Yue Xue, Sheng Gao, Shenghe Zhang, Qingqing Dai, Guoxin Ma and Hanping Mao

Agriculture 2025, 15(14), 1537; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15141537 - 16 Jul 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1171

Abstract

The commercialization of selective broccoli harvesters, a critical response to agricultural labor shortages, is hampered by end effectors with large operational envelopes and poor adaptability to complex field conditions. To address these limitations, this study developed and evaluated a novel end-effector with an [...] Read more.

The commercialization of selective broccoli harvesters, a critical response to agricultural labor shortages, is hampered by end effectors with large operational envelopes and poor adaptability to complex field conditions. To address these limitations, this study developed and evaluated a novel end-effector with an integrated transverse cutting mechanism and a foldable grasping cavity. Unlike conventional fixed cylindrical cavities, our design utilizes actuated grasping arms and a mechanical linkage system to significantly reduce the operational footprint and enhance maneuverability. Key design parameters were optimized based on broccoli morphological data and experimental measurements of the maximum stem cutting force. Furthermore, dynamic simulations were employed to validate the operational trajectory and ensure interference-free motion. Field tests demonstrated an operational success rate of 93.33% and a cutting success rate of 92.86%. The end effector successfully operated in dense planting environments, effectively avoiding interference with adjacent broccoli heads. This research provides a robust and promising solution that advances the automation of broccoli harvesting, paving the way for the commercial adoption of robotic harvesting technologies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic New Research on Automated and Efficient Agricultural Machineries)

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