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Agriculture
Special Issues
Agriculture Machinery for a Sustainable and Efficient Mechanization
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Agriculture Machinery for a Sustainable and Efficient Mechanization

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2017) | Viewed by 54466

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jacopo Bacenetti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
Interests: life cycle assessment; renewable energy; biomass; anaerobic digestion; environmental impact assessment; biogas
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ester Foppa Pedretti

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Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, via Brecce Bianche 1, 60131 Ancona, Italy
Interests: agricultural mechanics and mechanization; renewable energy
Prof. Dr. Domenico Pessina

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milano, MI, Italy
Interests: agricultural machinery; agricultural ergonomics and safety
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Modern production patterns and consumption systems have been recognized as being unsustainable in the long term, from an economic, social, and environmental point of view. In this context, mechanization of field and farm operations plays a relevant role. Fossil fuels consumed by self-propelled machines are recognized as one of the main factors responsible of environmental concerns related to agriculture (e.g., global warming and emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere). Nevertheless, an effective mechanization can increase yield, improve product quality and reduce the use of manpower and agrochemicals.

This Special Issue spotlights the role of agricultural machinery in efficient agricultural mechanization towards more sustainable agro-food production systems.

Manuscripts (reviews, perspectives, or original articles) are invited and may include, but are not limited to, these topics:

  • Sustainable and efficient mechanisation for crop production
  • Precision farming
  • Economic, energetic and environmental assessment of agricultural machinery operations

Dr. Jacopo Bacenetti
Dr. Ester Foppa Pedretti
Prof. Domenico Pessina
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Agricultural machinery and mechanization
  • Precision farming
  • Robotics
  • Sustainable crop management
  • New machinery for crop productions
  • Performance evaluation
  • Life cycle assessment

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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1824 KiB  
Article
Validity of the Mechanical Threshing of Onion Seeds from the Point of View of Seed Quality
by Ester Foppa Pedretti, Daniele Duca, Giuseppe Toscano, Chiara Mengarelli, Giorgio Rossini, Andrea Pizzi, Manuela Mancini, Debora Tesei and Alessio Ilari
Agriculture 2017, 7(12), 102; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture7120102 - 5 Dec 2017
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 5788
Abstract
Background: The production of seeds for horticultural crops has seen a steady growth since 2006. Onion is one of the most widespread crops that followed this trend until 2013, undergoing a slight decline in 2016. Even though these crops are characterized by high [...] Read more.
Background: The production of seeds for horticultural crops has seen a steady growth since 2006. Onion is one of the most widespread crops that followed this trend until 2013, undergoing a slight decline in 2016. Even though these crops are characterized by high economic value, they present some important issues such as high costs and labor required by some operations such as threshing. The purpose of this study is the evaluation of a patented and dedicated system for mechanical threshing throughout the evaluation of seed quality parameters. Methods: The study was conducted comparing seed samples mechanically threshed obtained from 12 companies and samples of the same batches manually threshed to determine the maximum qualitative potential. The chosen terms for comparison are the most important qualitative parameters included within ISTA standards for seed evaluation. Results: The mechanically threshed seeds show lower values for all the considered quality parameters compared to those found in the control samples. In the same way, there is also greater variability. Conclusions: The introduction of the dedicated mechanical systems allows the reduction of seed processing time while maintaining the quality standards within the limits of merchantability, but for obtaining higher standards, further analysis is necessary. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agriculture Machinery for a Sustainable and Efficient Mechanization)
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219 KiB  
Article
Length of Operational Life and Its Impact on Life-Cycle Costs of a Tractor in Switzerland
by Markus Lips
Agriculture 2017, 7(8), 68; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture7080068 - 8 Aug 2017
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 8506
Abstract
Assuming full exhaustion of their estimated service life—also referred to as estimated technical working life—the low annual utilisation of agricultural machines in Switzerland leads to a long operational life. To determine the costs of an additional year’s service, we calculate the life-cycle costs [...] Read more.
Assuming full exhaustion of their estimated service life—also referred to as estimated technical working life—the low annual utilisation of agricultural machines in Switzerland leads to a long operational life. To determine the costs of an additional year’s service, we calculate the life-cycle costs (LCCs), which encompass all costs for an 82 kW four-wheel-drive tractor over its entire operational life. Assuming full utilisation of the estimated service life of 10,000 h, five operating versions are compared, each with an operational life of between 10 and 30 years and matched annual utilisations between 1000 h and 333 h. A key finding is that an additional year in service increases LCCs by 4.5% of the tractor’s purchase price. In addition, we carry out a sensitivity analysis by applying discount rates of between 0% and 4%, finding that a comparatively high discount rate of 3% leads to almost identical LCCs for all operating versions. We conclude that the annual utilisation and the resulting duration of operational life have a strong impact on LCCs. A short operational life associated with high annual utilisation is a promising strategy for substantially cutting machinery costs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agriculture Machinery for a Sustainable and Efficient Mechanization)
2701 KiB  
Article
Promoting Smallholder Adoption of Conservation Agriculture through Mechanization Services
by Brian Sims and Jennifer Heney
Agriculture 2017, 7(8), 64; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture7080064 - 30 Jul 2017
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 7758
Abstract
The importance of conservation agriculture (CA) is discussed in the context of producing food for a growing population while, at the same time, conserving and improving the natural resource base: sustainable crop production intensification. CA requires mechanization, and the necessary equipment may be [...] Read more.
The importance of conservation agriculture (CA) is discussed in the context of producing food for a growing population while, at the same time, conserving and improving the natural resource base: sustainable crop production intensification. CA requires mechanization, and the necessary equipment may be beyond the reach of the majority of smallholder farmers, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. A logical solution to this situation is to provide CA mechanization services from private sector entrepreneurs. These will be well-equipped with appropriate CA equipment and will usually benefit from specific training on the technical aspects of CA machinery operation and on the business skills needed to run a profitable venture. The technical skills to be reinforced include: equipment selection, calibration of planters, seeders and sprayers, field operation, maintenance and repair. Business skills needed include: market research and feasibility studies, business planning, calculation of operational costs, partial budgets, break-even points and cash flows. The case is made for local manufacture to reduce the costs of machinery acquisition and to encourage local adaptation. Start-up costs are discussed together with the options of obtaining finance. Guidelines for marketing and managing the mechanization service provision business are developed. These include the importance of contracts, work planning, regular maintenance schedules and record keeping. Finally the most appropriate vehicle for delivering the training and sustaining support is considered. Formal training courses are a good starting point, but can be expensive to organize and execute. Individual counselling from extension sources is a viable option when the quality of the service is high enough. Study groups of involved entrepreneurs should be encouraged and supported to overcome the problems that will inevitably arise in new business ventures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agriculture Machinery for a Sustainable and Efficient Mechanization)
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Review

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5958 KiB  
Review
Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization for Smallholders: What Is It and How Can We Implement It?
by Brian Sims and Josef Kienzle
Agriculture 2017, 7(6), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture7060050 - 10 Jun 2017
Cited by 75 | Viewed by 27127
Abstract
Smallholder farmers are the main producers of the world’s food and they will have to increase production by up to 100 percent by 2050 to feed the growing population. This must be achieved while preserving natural resources and that is why sustainable agricultural [...] Read more.
Smallholder farmers are the main producers of the world’s food and they will have to increase production by up to 100 percent by 2050 to feed the growing population. This must be achieved while preserving natural resources and that is why sustainable agricultural mechanization (SAM) will be fundamental to the process. SAM is climate-smart and environmentally benign and essentially means no-till conservation agriculture, which requires specific mechanization inputs. Principally, these are seeders and planters capable of penetrating soil surface vegetative cover to deposit seed and fertilizer at the required depth and spacing; and equipment for management of cover crops and weeds. Mechanization is required not only for crop production, but also for processing and along the entire value chain. Mechanization inputs are usually expensive and so specialist service provision will be the indicated way forward. This will need collaboration from both the private and public sectors and will involve public-private partnerships to be developed in one form or another. Given the poor track record of public sector mechanization provision, the delivery of SAM should be firmly in the hands of the private sector that should be committed to SAM principles or otherwise be incentivized to the concept through smart subsidies. Improved information flows via smallholder farmer-friendly innovation platforms; and continuing development and testing of SAM technologies via regional centres of excellence will both be required—especially for sub-Saharan Africa. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agriculture Machinery for a Sustainable and Efficient Mechanization)
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