Fundamentals of tractors and linkage system; tire soil mechanics; tractor-implement connections and interfaces; performance and stability. Field capacity of machines, costs of operation, machinery selection. The mechanization of agricultural operations. Performance of agricultural equipment.
Machinery performance evaluation, annual use and cost of operation, technical choice of equipment.
Machines and equipment for tillage, seeding, fertilizer application, pesticides distribution. Grain harvesting machines, forage harvesters; equipment for haymaking and forage drying. Mechanical fruit harvesting (grape and olive).
Storage, handling and disposal of animal slurries; environmental and legal aspects.
Milking equipment for cows, sheep and goats: design and components. Milking techniques and work organization.
Basic concepts of precision farming, precision agricultural technologies.