Review of open-field vegetable automatic following transportation technology and equipment

Authors

  • Jianfei Zhang Nanjing Institute of Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing 210014, China.
  • Jincheng Tang College of Engineering, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
  • Zhiyu Song Nanjing Institute of Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing 210014, China.
  • Jianbo Liu College of Engineering, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
  • Xiaofeng Ning College of Engineering, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
  • Guangqiao Cao Nanjing Institute of Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing 210014, China.

Keywords:

vegetables, field transport, positioning technology, automatic following technology, path tracking

Abstract

The vegetable industry is the largest sector within China’s planting industry. The integration of modern informationtechnologies such as big data and the Internet of Things (IoT) with agricultural equipment has facilitated the intelligentupgrading and transformation of the vegetable industry. This paper addresses the lack of automatic field transportationequipment for open-field vegetables. Around the main production scenarios of open-field vegetables, this paper summarizes theresearch status of field transportation equipment at home and abroad, and compares the characteristics of oil-powered andelectric transporters. The paper also points out that the automatic following technology of field transportation equipment is acrucial technology for achieving coordinated harvesting and transportation. It proposes that automatic following technology isprimarily realized through navigation and positioning technology and path tracking technology, and elaborates on theapplication research status of both. Based on this, the paper outlines the current application of field transporters in China,identifying issues such as poor integration of agricultural machinery and agronomy, poor adaptability of transport vehicles,poor navigation and positioning stability, insufficient environmental adaptability of path tracking algorithms, and immaturemulti-machine coordination technology for field transportation. The future development trends of standardized vegetableplanting, optimization of transportation equipment structure, precision and intelligence of automatic following technology,multi-machine collaborative operation, and emphasis on energy utilization and environmental protection are proposed. Finally,the paper summarizes the applicable scenarios of field transportation equipment, navigation and positioning modes, and pathtracking algorithms in conjunction with the content of the full text.
Keywords: vegetables, field transport, positioning technology, automatic following technology, path tracking
DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20261904.9963

Citation: Zhang J F, Tang J C, Song Z Y, Liu J B, Ning X F, Cao G Q. Review of open-field vegetable automatic following transportation technology and equipment. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2026; 19(4): 1–15.

Author Biographies

Jianfei Zhang, Nanjing Institute of Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing 210014, China.

Zhang Jianfei, Male, born in November 1989, from Jianping, Liaoning, China. I am a Communist Party member and hold a Ph.D. in Engineering. Currently, I serves as an Associate Researcher at the Nanjing Institute of Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.. I am a key member of the Innovation Team for Fruit, Vegetable, and Tea Harvesting Technology and Equipment at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Mechanization Position Team for Tea Garden Production within the National Tea Industry Technology System, a member of the Youth Work Committee of the Jiangsu Society of Agricultural Engineering. Additionally, I serve as an off-campus master's supervisor at Shenyang Agricultural University. My primary research areas include vegetable harvesting and unmanned technology and equipment for complex terrains. I have presided over 5 provincial and ministerial-level projects or topics, such as the Special Fund for Basic Research Operations of Central Public Welfare Scientific Research Institutes, Modern Agricultural Machinery Equipment and Technology Demonstration and Promotion in Jiangsu Province, and the Shandong Provincial Key Research and Development Program. I have also participated in over 10 National Key R&D Program of China and various scientific research projects at the provincial and municipal levels. Except for ongoing projects, all have been successfully completed with high quality. I have obtained 46 national patents, including 31 invention patents, and have registered 9 software copyrights. I have published over 20 academic papers, seven of which have been indexed by SCI/EI. I have also authored two academic books and received 13 scientific and technological achievement awards. I serve as a reviewer for SCI/EI journals such as the International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering(IJABE), Journal of Jilin University (Engineering and Technology Edition), and International Agricultural Engineering Journal(IAEJ).

Jincheng Tang, College of Engineering, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China

MS candidate, research interest: agricultural machinery and equipment,College of Engineering, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang

Zhiyu Song, Nanjing Institute of Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing 210014, China.

Researcher, research interest: tea, fruit and vegetable production and processing machinery,Nanjing Institute of Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Jianbo Liu, College of Engineering, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China

MS candidate, research interest: agricultural machinery and equipment,College of Engineering, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China

Xiaofeng Ning, College of Engineering, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China

Associate Professor, research interest: agricultural mechanization engineering,Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China

Guangqiao Cao, Nanjing Institute of Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing 210014, China.

Researcher, research interest: agricultural mechanization engineering, Nanjing Institute of Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing 210014, Jiangsu, China. Tel: +86-15366092929, Email: caoguangqiao@126.com

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Published

2026-09-03

How to Cite

(1)
Zhang, J.; Tang, J.; Song, Z.; Liu, J.; Ning, X.; Cao, G. Review of Open-Field Vegetable Automatic Following Transportation Technology and Equipment. Int J Agric & Biol Eng 2026, 19.

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