Table Of ContentENERGY SAVINGS IN
AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY AND MECHANIZATION
This study was carried out under contract at the Centre for Studies and Information
of the European Communities upon request of the Directorate-General for Energy,
Commission of the European Communities, Brussels, Belgium
ENERGY SAVINGS
IN AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY
AND MECHANIZATION
Edited by
G. PELLIZZI
Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Milan University, Italy
A. GUIDOBONO CAVALCHINI
and
M. LAZZARI
Institute of Agricultural Mechanics, University of Udine, Italy
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WITH 21 TABLES AND 64 ILLUSTRATIONS
~) 1988 ECSC, EEC, EAEC, BRUSSELS AND LUXEMBOURG
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1988
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Energy savings in agricultural machinery and mechanization
I. Agricultural energy savings equipment
I. Pellizzi, G. II. Cavalchini, A. Guidobono
III. Lazzari, M.
631.3'7
Library of Congress CIP data
Energy savings in agricultural machinery and mechanization.
Bibliography: p.
1. Agriculture-European Economic Community countries
-Energy conservation. I. Pellizzi, G. II. Guidobono
Cavalchini, A. III. Lazzari, M.
TJI63.5.A37E54 1988 631.3 88-11071
ISBN-13: 978-94-010-7108-6 e-ISBN-13: 978-94-009-1365-3
001: 10.1007/978-94-009-1365-3
Publication arrangements by Commission of the European Communities, Directorate-General
Telecommunications, Information Industries and Innovation, Luxembourg.
EUR 11247
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v
I N T ROD U C T ION
In the context of the demonstration programme of the Directorate-General
for Energy of the Commission of the European Communities on energy
savings in the agricultural sector, the question of potential energy
savings in agricultural machinery and mechanization is extremely import
ant.
Direct and indirect energy consumption in Community agriculture has a
marked effect on the prices of agricultural products and on market com
petition, and correct management of agricultural machinery and farming
practices ~s bound to have a positive effect on the sector's economic
performance.
Since the i~formation available is fragmented and not always directly
comparable, the Directorate-General for Energy has commissioned this
study with the specific aim of quantifying the energy saving potential in
the agricultural sector in a uniform manner so that future energy demon
stration projects can be tailored to identified needs.
The study was carried out under contract at the Centre for Studies and
Information of the European Communities by Prof. G. Pellizzi of the In
stitute of Agricultural Engineering of Mi lan UniversitY,by Prof. A. Guido
bono Cavalchini of the Institute of Agricultural Mechanics of the Uni
versity of Udine and by Mr. M. Lazzari, a researcher at the same Insti
tute. The study contains a lengthy and comprehensive list of all exist
ing agricultural machinery and current farming practices, and the energy
saving potential of each.
The study aims to give a preliminary summary of the various types of
ene rgy-savi ng potenti <3'1: although some aspects need to be studi ed in
greater detail for a more complete picture, it is nevertheless a useful
tool for deciding the Communuty's approach and the basic priorities for
action at Community and national level.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. P. Abbaticchio
and Dr. R. Gabellieri for their valuable contribution in drafting the
final document and Dr. H.E. Williams for his painstaking work on the
English version of the text.
G.L. FERRERO
VB
CONTENTS
Introduction and summary 1
1 General considerations 2
1.1 Farming structure and mechanisation 2
1.2 Energy consumption 6
1.3 The\agricultura1 machines and tractor industry 9
1.4 Potential energy saving in field mechanisation 16
2 Operational schemes and energy requirements for the
different crops 17
2.1 Cereals 18
2.1.1 Farming techniques 18
2.1.2 Energy consumptions 18
2.2 Forages 21
2.2.1 Farming techniques 21
2.2.2 Energy consumptions 21
2.3 Sugar beet 23
2.3.1 Farming techniques 23
2.3.2 Energy consumptions 24
2.4 Potatoes 24
2.4.1 Farming techniques 24
2.4.2 Energy consumptions 25
2.5 Oil seed crops 26
2.5.1 Farming techniques 26
2.5.2 Energy consumptions 26
2.6 Vineyards 27
2.6.1 Farming techniques 27
2.6.2 Energy consumptions 28
2.7 Fruit and citrus tree crops 29
2.7.1 Farming techniques 29
2.7.2 Energy consumptions 30
2.8 Olive trees 31
2.8.1 Farming techniques 31
2.8.2 Energy consumptions 31
2.9 Energy consumptions for handling in farming activities 32
2.10 Conclusions 33
Vlll
3 Tractors and agricultural aachines aanufacturing:
Evolution and energy saving perspectives 35
3.1 Tractors and other agricultural vehicles 35
3.1.1 Engines 38
3.1.2 Tyres 44
3.1.3 Electronic control devices 46
3.1.4 Tractor architecture 57
3.1.5 Fuel oil replacement 61
3.1.6 Operative conclusions 72
3.2 Primary and secondary tillage machines 73
3.2.1 Ploughs 73
3.2.2 ,Rotary hoes and spading machines 80
3.2.3 'Secondary tillage 82
3.2.4 Operative conclusions 84
Auxiliary machines for crop cultivation 85
Machines for fertilizers distribution 85
Pesticides and herbicides spreaders - Alternative
solutions 87
3.3.3 Transplantation and seeding machines 92
3.3.4 Operative conclusions 93
3.4 Harvesting machines 94
3.4.1 Grains harvesters (cereal kernels, oil-seeds,
leguminosae, etc) 94
3.4.2 Forage harvesters 98
3.4.3 Sugar-beets harvesters 101
3.4.4 Potatoes harvesters 102
3.4.5 Fruit harvesters 102
3.4.6 Grapes harvesters 104
3.4.7 Olive harv~sters 105
3.4.8 Operative conclusions 107
4 Tractors and agricultural machines management - Evolution
and energy saving perspectives 108
4.1 Present operating conditions of the machines 110
4.2 Operative conclusions 115
5 Actions to develop and their impact 117
5.1 Summary of the situation and obtainable benefits 117
5.2 Actions to be continued 118
5.2.1 Interventions in the primarY,sector 119
5.2.2 Interventions in the industrial sector 124
5.2.3 Operative conclusions 126
lX
6 Cost/benefit analysis and conclusions 128
6.1 Preliminary cost/benefit analysis 128
6.2 Conclusions 128
7 Main references 130
7.1 National energy balance and energy saving in general 130
7.2 Crops and agricultural practices energy requirements 132
7.3 Ene\gy saving through a more appropriate use of
agricultural machines 133
7.4 Energy saving due to product and process innovations 136
8 Research institutes involved in energy saving in
lIIechanisation 141
9 National manufacturers associations 143
INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY
The aim of this work is to check the possibility of
substantial energy savings in the European agricultural
mechanisation. In this analytical survey the possibilities
of energy saving in stationary plants nor the indirect
savings in chemical inputs are considered.
The analysis has been essentially bibliographical,
without any direct experimental analysis.
After some general considerations on the European
farming structure and the present energy requirements of the
sector, ,the European agricultural machines and tractors
industry is outlined.
At the start of this analytical survey, the working
schemes and the energy requirements are examined for the
different crops. The evolution of tractor manufacturing and
the derived machines is also surveyed, gathering the
specific implements into the main groups: tractors (and
derived machines); soil tillage machines, intercultivation
machines and harvesting machines. The evolution and the
energy saving potential in tractors and farming machines
management is examined and the actions for development are
outlined.
A cost/benefit analysis justifies the interest, for the
EEC, to invest in agricultural energy saving and to extend
this type of analysis to agricultural machinery not
considered in the field operations.
2
1. - GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
1.1. - Farming structure and mechanization
EEC agriculture is probably the most intensive in the
world. The total cultivated area (arable and permanent
crops) is estimated to be 79 million ha (table 1). With an
EEC population of 319 million inhabitants, this figure
corresponds to an average of 4 inhabitants per cultivated
hectare. This value is double the corresponding average for
the USA, three times higher than for the URSS, and five
times higher than for Argentina. Moreover, the EEC farming
is essentially based on small-medium size units (~),
only 12-17 ha each, 10 times smaller than in the USA (in
1980: the average EEC farm size was 15.7 hal.
This situation, related to the need to supply food and
other raw materials for so many people by means of a
structure scattered in different climates and various
farming systems, induced the increase of mechanization to
high levels, sometimes reaching supersaturation. Therefore
the load on farm tractors and machines is very high (table
2) with a strong influence on the production cost as well as
on the GSP (Qross ~alable froduct).
This assessment represents a general approach, with
particular situations varying from one country to another.
Table 2 shows that the tractor density (tractors/l00 hal
is only 3 for Portugal but 21 for The Netherlands. Combine
harvesters also show this type of diversity: densities range
from 0.4 combines/l00 ha in Portugal to 2.8 units/l00 ha in
The Netherlands. Moreover, even inside each country some
differentiations are observed. Fig.2 gives the combine
density (units/l00ha) for some homogeneous cereal farming
areas in France, Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal.
Consider, for example, France, the combines density varies
from 0.3 (Landes) to 2.6 (Aisne).
Finally recent calculations show that the mechanization
costs, in Italy, in 1985, represent 15 to 16% of the GSP,
while the energy consumption represents 5%. Considering the
distribution of tractors and combines given in table 2, the
figures for Italy could be assumed to be an average roughly
valid for the whole European Community.
