A bibliometric analysis of agricultural engineering research in China (2020–2024)

Agricultural engineering (AE) is crucial for sustainable agriculture. China prioritizes AE research, yet a systematic bibliometric analysis of its recent output was lacking. This study maps the landscape, hotspots, and trends of China’s AE research (2020–2024). Bibliometric analysis was conducted on 12,158 articles/reviews from Web of Science Core Collection (WC = Agricultural Engineering; Country = China; 2020–2024) using CiteSpace software. Analyses included publication trends, top institutions/authors/journals, citation analysis, and keyword analysis (frequency, clustering, bursts). China’s AE publications grew significantly, especially post-2020. Leading institutions were Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Affairs, and Nanjing Forestry University. Peng Yongzhen was the most prolific author; Wang Wei had the highest collaboration centrality. Bioresource Technology was the top journal. Core research hotspots were ‘biomass’, ‘microbial community’, and ‘anaerobic digestion’. Cluster analysis identified eight key themes (e.g. anammox, enzymatic hydrolysis, composting). Burst keywords revealed emerging frontiers like ‘municipal solid waste’ (2020–2021) and ‘fiber’ (2022–2024). This study provides the first systematic bibliometric overview of China’s rapidly growing AE research (2020–2024), highlighting key contributors and research foci on sustainability and bioresource utilization. Findings offer valuable insights for researchers and policymakers to guide future AE development in China. Strengthening domestic journals is recommended.