Triticeae Genomics and Genetics, 2025, Vol.16, No.5, 212-219 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/tgg 216 6 Challenges and Limitations of Mechanized Wheat Planting Systems 6.1 Economic barriers to application It costs a lot to buy an agricultural machine, which is particularly burdensome for small farmers. In addition to buying the machine, the subsequent maintenance and oil consumption also cost a lot. These expenses make some farmers hesitate to use machines to farm (Amoozad-Khalili et al., 2020). Although farming with machines is generally efficient and profitable, many people cannot use these good tools if it is difficult to get loans or there are too few places to rent equipment (Kim et al., 2012). 6.2 Technical and operational limitations Sometimes the machine slips in the field, which will cause uneven sowing and incorrect row spacing. If the sowing is not done well, reseeding is required, which increases labor costs (Wang et al., 2024b). Some domestic harvesters are of unstable quality, do not harvest cleanly, and have a lot of grain losses, so farmers earn less (Chen et al., 2022). In addition, there are not many people who can use the machine, and it is difficult to find people to repair the machine. If the machine breaks down and no one repairs it, or it is used incorrectly, the efficiency will be lower. In some places, if the machine is not adjusted properly and is not modified according to local conditions, the yield is even lower than that of traditional methods. 6.3 Policy and infrastructure gaps Inadequate policies and infrastructure also make it difficult to promote mechanization. In some places, there are no rental centers or training classes, and farmers do not know how to use the machines, so the machines are useless (Econopouly and Jones, 2020). In addition, the promotion is not enough, and farmers do not understand the new technology and are unwilling to try it (Wang et al., 2024c). In addition, some old farming and irrigation methods have a great impact on the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce better policies to promote environmentally friendly and energy-saving agricultural mechanization (Wang et al., 2009). 7 Future Perspectives and Recommendations 7.1 Integration of AI, robotics, and autonomous systems In the future, the development of wheat mechanization may increasingly rely on artificial intelligence, robots, and automatic control technologies. These technologies can work together to improve each link of planting, management, harvesting, and processing (Li et al., 2021). For example, AI can help machines determine how to plant the best results, robots can do repetitive work, and plans can be adjusted in time according to actual conditions. These methods can not only cope with weather changes, but also save water and fertilizer, making wheat yields higher and more stable (Robertson et al., 2016). 7.2 Enhancing sustainability and energy efficiency It doesn't mean that everything will be fine after using machines. If wheat mechanization wants to develop sustainably, energy conservation and environmental protection will have to be faced sooner or later. Some practices have actually been used by people for a long time, such as reducing the number of ploughing times, controlling the amount of water and fertilizer, and switching to solar energy equipment - these may seem insignificant, but they can save a lot of resources behind them (Wang et al., 2009; Kheiralipour et al., 2024). There is also a new method that has been discussed a lot recently, the so-called "indoor vertical farming". It does not rely on large tracts of land or too much water, but it can increase the yield. It sounds ideal, but if it is really promoted on a large scale, the cost will be stuck (Asseng et al., 2020). The equipment is expensive, the electricity bill is high, and the technology is still in the exploratory stage. Therefore, this method is more of an experiment and exploration at present, and there is still a way to go before it can be popularized. What should be considered is not only the yield, but also how to be more economical and sustainable. However, it still needs to be done step by step to really land it. 7.3 Policy support and capacity building To make mechanized wheat planting better, technology alone is not enough, policy support is also needed. The government can introduce some policies to encourage farmers to use new technologies, especially to take care of small farmers so that they can also afford or use new machines and tools (Rajaram, 2001a; 2001b). At the same
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