Estimating the current area of European tillage systems occupied by tramlines and a potential approach for the cultivation of this underutilised area

The global population is growing by 200,000 people per day. In order to provide enough food for this growing populous sustainable intensification methods need to be adopted. The use of technology, and in particular UAVs, may be one of these methods. The use of UAVs for the completion of agricultural tasks such as fertilising and spraying may negate the need for tramlines in European tillage systems. In the present study the amount of land currently occupied by tramlines was determined in an effort to ascertain the potential amount of combinable crop products that could be achieved if this area was utilised. The results of this study found that 3.42% of a field with a 24 m bout width is occupied by tramlines. By using this area for the cultivation of crops an additional 8.14 Mt worth €1.43 billion could be produced. This additional product could provide enough calories to feed 29.5 million people per year.