Automation in combine harvesting - a field performance study

Tóth, Réka and Korzenszky, Péter Emőd and Horváth, Zs. (2025) Automation in combine harvesting - a field performance study. HUNGARIAN AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING (44). pp. 29-42. ISSN 0864-7410

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Abstract

This study presents the results of four comparative field tests evaluating the performance of combine harvester operation under manual and automatic control modes. The tests -planed and performed in real harvesting conditions during the 2024 season- assessed key performance parameters such as throughput, field capacity, travel speed, and fuel consumption across multiple test configurations and crop types. The automatic control system consistently outperformed manual operation, with improvements ranging from 5% to 18% in core efficiency indicators. While total fuel consumption was slightly higher under automation, specific fuel efficiency (litres per ton of grain harvested) showed parity or improvement. The findings confirm the operational and energetic benefits of automated optimization in modern harvesting and highlight its potential to mitigate operator variability, improve productivity, and support sustainable large-scale agricultural practices.

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