Meet the editors

Dr. Fiaz Ahmad is an assistant professor and lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Engineering, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan. He obtained a Ph.D. in Agricultural Bioenvironmental and Energy Engineering from Nanjing Agriculture University, China, in 2015, and a postdoctorate in Agricultural Engineering from Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China, in 2020. He was awarded a fellowship from the Higher Education

Commission of Pakistan for Ph.D. studies and from the Chinese Government for post-doctoral studies. He earned a BSc and MSc (Hons) in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan, in 2004 and 2007, respectively. He is the author of more than fifty journal and conference articles. He has supervised six master's students to date. In addition, he is supervising five master's and two doctoral students. Dr. Ahmad has completed three research projects. His research interests include the design of agricultural machinery, artificial intelligence (AI), and plant protection environment. He is currently working on the application of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sprayers for agrochemical applications.

Dr. Muhammad Sultan is an assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Engineering, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan. He obtained a BSc and MSc in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan, in 2008 and 2010, respectively. He also obtained a Ph.D. in Energy and Environmental Engineering from Kyushu University, Japan, in 2015. He did postdoctoral research in

Energy and Environmental Engineering at Kyushu University, Japan, in 2017, and in Mechatronic Systems Engineering at Simon Fraser University, Canada, in 2019. He has published more than 200 articles in international journals, conferences, books, and book chapters. He has been a reviewer for more than seventy renowned journals and is an editor for five journals. His research focuses on developing energy-efficient temperature and humidity control systems for agricultural applications including greenhouse, fruits/vegetable storage, livestock, and poultry applications. His research includes adsorption heat pumps, desiccant air-conditioning, evaporative cooling, Maisotsenko cycle, adsorption desalination, energy recovery ventilator, atmospheric water harvesting, and wastewater treatment.

Contents

**Section 1**

across Africa

*by Evans Kituyi*

*by Songül Gürsoy*

System (RAS)

*by Abel Olajide Olorunnisola*

Agricultural Machines

*Avery Simundsson and Franklin Ogidi*

**Preface XIII**

Agricultural Equipment Engineering **1**

**Chapter 1 3**

**Chapter 2 33**

**Chapter 3 51**

**Chapter 4 75**

**Chapter 5 95**

**Chapter 6 113**

**Chapter 7 135**

Real-Time Sensory Information for Remote Supervision of Autonomous

*by Fiaz Ahmad, Aftab Khaliq, Baijing Qiu, Muhammad Sultan and Jing Ma*

A New Paradigm in the Delivery of Modernizing Agricultural Technologies

Modalities for Scaling up Implementation of Innovations and Best Practices

Soil Compaction Due to Increased Machinery Intensity in Agricultural

Potentials of Wood, Bamboo and Natural Fibre-Reinforced Composite Products as Substitute Materials for Fabricating Affordable Agricultural

Promoting Domestic Production of Fish Using Recirculating Aquaculture

*by Daniel D. Mann, Uduak Edet, Mitchell Green, Olayinka Folorunsho,* 

Advancements of Spraying Technology in Agriculture

*by Paul L. Woomer, Welissa M. Mulei and Rachel M. Zozo*

Production: Its Main Causes, Effects and Management

Equipment and Processing Machines in Africa

*by Shadrack Kwadwo Amponsah and Luiz Guilherme*

for Resilient Agricultural Systems in Africa

## Contents



**III**

**Chapter 18 339**

Energy Systems Engineering **367**

**Chapter 19 369**

**Chapter 20 387**

**Chapter 21 409**

Computer Applications in Agriculture **435**

**Chapter 22 437**

**Chapter 23 453**

**Chapter 24 471**

**Chapter 25 495**

*by Ghulam Hasnain Tariq, Muhammad Ashraf and Umar Sohaib Hasnain*

Experimentally Investigated the Development and Performance of a Parabolic Trough Solar Water Distillation Unit Concerning Angle-Wise

Precision in Agriculture Decision Making Based on Machine Learning

Tomato Leaf Diseases Detection Using Deep Learning Technique *by Muhammad E.H. Chowdhury, Tawsifur Rahman, Amith Khandakar,* 

A Nonlinear Fuzzy Controller Design Using Lyapunov Functions for an Intelligent Greenhouse Management in Agriculture *by Lukman Adewale Ajao, Emmanuel Adewale Adedokun,* 

An Overview of CAN-BUS Development, Utilization, and Future Potential in Serial Network Messaging for Off-Road Mobile Equipment

*by Hannah M. Boland, Morgan I. Burgett, Aaron J. Etienne* 

*Nabil Ibtehaz, Aftab Ullah Khan, Muhammad Salman Khan, Nasser Al-Emadi, Mamun Bin Ibne Reaz, Mohammad Tariqul Islam* 

*by Ratnmala Bhimanpallewar and M.R. Narasinga Rao*

*Joseph Ebosetale Okhaifoh and Habib Bello Salau*

Evolution of the Soil-Based Agriculture and Food System to

Adsorption-Based Atmospheric Water Harvesting: Technology

*by Muhammad Sultan, Muhammad Bilal, Takahiko Miyazaki,* 

Fundamentals and Energy-Efficient Adsorbents

Biologically-Based Indoor Systems

*Uzair Sajjad and Fiaz Ahmad*

Solar Technology in Agriculture

*by Norman R. Scott*

**Section 3**

*by Fahim Ullah*

*and Sawal Hamid Md. Ali*

*and Robert M. Stwalley III*

**Section 4**


Preface

Food Security, sustainable agriculture, and poverty alleviation are the key themes of the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs). These are directly aligned with agricultural mechanization, automation and robotics, high-efficiency irrigation systems, farm energy systems, post-harvest handling and processing, and associated sustainable environment. Such agricultural, biological, and environmental engineering studies are the need of the 21st century, particularly

from the point of view of the agriculture–energy–food security nexus.

Therefore, this book *Technology in Agriculture* focuses on the wide range and

Chapter 1 discusses real-time sensory information for remote supervision of autonomous agricultural machines. Chapter 2 reviews advancements in spraying technology. Chapter 3 presents the approach and impacts of the technologies for the African agricultural transformation program. Chapter 4 describes the implementation of innovations and best practices for resilient agricultural systems in Africa. Chapter 5 reviews works related to soil compaction in agricultural areas under the influence of intensive machinery use. Chapter 6 discusses the potential of wood, bamboo, and other natural reinforced materials for developing agricultural machinery. Chapter 7 discusses the domestic production of fish using recirculating water. Chapter 8 provides updates related to precision vegetable farming technologies. Chapter 9 examines technological solutions and specific equipment for

Chapter 10 discusses the application of biofertilizers in maize. Chapter 11 considers the past, present, and future applications of nanotechnology for crop production. Chapter 12 examines the application of the fungi *chaetomium* in agriculture. Chapter 13 presents synchrotron-based techniques for soil analysis. Chapter 14 describes the bioinoculants in technological alleviation of climatic stress in plants. Chapter 15 examines the strategies and programs for enhancing nutrient use efficiency. Chapter 16 gives updates related to plant growth stimulators in modernized agriculture. Chapter 17 explains the role of nanoparticles in abiotic stress. Chapter 18 discusses the evolution of the soil-based agriculture and food system.

Chapter 19 discusses adsorption-based atmospheric water-harvesting technology. Chapter 20 reviews the applicability of solar energy technology for agricultural applications. Chapter 21 experimentally investigates a parabolic solar water

improving degraded grasslands.

distillation system.

interdisciplinary nature of the research for agricultural engineering technologies. It provides the reader with a comprehensive review of recent developments, perspectives, and opportunities in agricultural engineering technologies and applications. It also discusses biosystem technologies and applications related to farm mechanization, farm energy, smart farming, intelligent agriculture, conservation agriculture, and precision agriculture. The book consists of twenty-five chapters organized into four sections: "Agricultural Equipment Engineering" (Chapters 1–9); "Biosystems Engineering and Applications" (Chapters 10–18); "Energy Systems Engineering" (Chapters 19–21); and "Computer Applications in Agriculture" (Chapters 22–25).
