Dear Colleagues,

Since the Industrial Revolution provided access to machines for a broad range of rural populations, farm mechanization and soil tillage have evolved side by side, constantly setting new challenges for each other. It was, however, the excessive power demands for soil tillage that at the setting of the 20th century triggered farm mechanization, one of the main driving forces that boosted the global agricultural production. From the first John Deere’s cast-steel plow to the modern composite, multipurpose tillage implemented in soil tillage has evolved to meet farmers’ demands for effective and timely soil preparation for the establishment of annual crops. Nevertheless, from the mid-twentieth century onwards, soil tillage has been subjected to wide criticism regarding its long-term effects on soil quality and subsistence. Soil erosion, soil compaction, losses of soil organic matter, reduction in soil fertility, and elimination of soil biodiversity are only some of the most common negative consequences of long-term intensive tillage practices. These problems have brought alternative approaches to the foreground, such as minimum tillage, strip tillage or even no tillage, thus providing the foundation for the development of new farm machinery such as vertical cultivators, strip tillers, direct drills, etc. Moreover, the recent concern for climate change mitigation stresses even further the energy-intensive traditional tillage that relies mainly on fossil fuel power and induces CO₂ emissions from losses on soil organic carbon.

Nevertheless, we are at the dawn of the 4th industrial revolution in agriculture, which has introduced informatics and automations into farm machinery. Technologies such as autosteering, on-the-go sensors, and constant exchange of information with base stations turn farm tractors gradually into autonomous farm robots with a substantial level of artificial intelligence to smartly interact with the field environment. There is an on-growing discussion around whether we are still in need of big agricultural machines or whether we should replace them with small autonomous tractor fleets performing multiple tasks on a 24-hour basis. Such an evolution may overturn the demands for soil tillage to adapt to low power autonomous tractor technology.

The objective of this Special Issue is to explore the current state and innovation in farm machinery technology associated with soil tillage and identify future trends and transformations in farm mechanization in the context of soil conservation and resilience to climate change.

Specifically, this Special Issue invites scientists and researchers to contribute with their work into the following themes:

• Development and testing of contemporary tillage implement and farm tractor innovations that promote effective and efficient soil tillage and crop establishment operations;
• Development and adaptations of farm machinery for the enhancement of soil sustainability;
• Effects of soil tillage on soil quality (effects on soil erosion, compaction, fertility, biodiversity, water, etc.);
• Effects of soil tillage on crop establishment and growth (growth stages, biomass, root growth, final yield, etc.);
• Effects of conservation tillage and other alternative methods on soil sustainability and contribution to mitigation and adaptation to climate change;
• Smart farming, precision agriculture, and other cutting-edge innovations that promote soil sustainability;
• Use of remote sensing to evaluate the effects of soil tillage on crops and soils;
• Studies evaluating the economic impact, energy use, natural resource footprints from the implementation of alternative tillage, and farm management methods related to crop establishment;
• Studies on innovative strategies and policies that promote soil sustainability through conservative tillage methods;
• Surveys over farmers’, policymakers’, and other stakeholders’ opinions reporting experiences and their perceptions for sustainable soil management approaches.

Dr. Chris Cavalaris
Guest Editor

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• Soil tillage
• Farm mechanization
• Agricultural mechanization
• Soil conservation
• Soil sustainability
• Conservation tillage
• No tillage
• Smart farming
• Remote sensing
• Soil management strategies
• Energy use
• Economic impact
• Climate change