Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Mechanization has become indispensable for achieving efficiency, sustainability, and profitability in agriculture. Conventional farm implements typically perform single operations such as tillage, sowing, or basin formation, which necessitates multiple field passes, leading to higher fuel consumption, labor demand, soil compaction, and delayed operations. Combined agricultural machinery, which integrates two or more functions into a single pass, offers a practical solution to these challenges. This review synthesizes research advancements in basin formation machinery, sowing and planting devices, watercourse and furrow formers, and integrated combination implements developed for multi-crop farming systems. Studies consistently report that such machinery improves timeliness of operations, reduces operational costs by 30-50%, enhances field efficiency by 20–30%, and contributes to yield increases of 15–35% through better soil-water management and precise seed placement. Special attention is given to basin lister-cum-seeding devices, multi-crop seed drills, bund formers, sugarcane earthing-up cum fertilizer applicators, and automated basin listers, which demonstrate particular relevance for small and medium-scale farmers. While challenges remain in terms of high initial investment, adaptability to diverse soil conditions, and the requirement for skilled operation, the integration of lightweight modular designs with precision technologies such as GPS, IoT-based monitoring, and automated seed metering represents the future of combined agricultural machinery. The review concludes that widespread adoption of these innovations can play a transformative role in advancing sustainable and resource-efficient mechanization for multi-crop farming systems.
Authors: A Darekar, P Kadam, S. M Nalawade, A. A Walunj
Institution: Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7161631954