A novel approach for analysing environmental sustainability aspects of combine harvester through telematics data. Part I: evaluation and analysis of field tests

Combine harvesters (CHs) use a high amount of diesel fuel. Their impact on greenhouse gases and air pollutants is significant. Reducing fuel consumption for agricultural machinery has immediate benefits, but new environmentally friendly techniques must be developed to achieve this. One aspect that could be considered to achieve this reduction could be the appropriate use of telematics data from the CHs in use. This article presents the dual approach method that includes a detailed analysis of telematics data and field trials to identify the potential sustainable use of CHs. This article shows field studies aimed at determining the exhaust gas composition and the effect of fuel consumption on global warming potential (GWP), when harvesting different cereals. It was determined that the feed rate to the CH and the engine load significantly impacted the share of GWP per ton of harvested crop. The results confirmed the benefits of maximum engine load (within the permissible limits of grain losses) in an economic and environmental context. During the tests, the maximum engine load ranged from 67.7 to 97.7%. Analysis of the telematics database of 215 CHs working in Lithuania and Latvia for 6 years showed that the average fuel consumption rate during harvesting, the total amount of fuel used and the impact on GWP were 56.7 ± 0.9 l h −1 , 10 481.1 ± 396.2 l year −1 , and 27 920.3 ± 1019.8 kg year −1 , respectively.