The purpose of this study is to improve the fuel economy of the cotton picker equipped with self-designed hydro-mechanical continuously variable transmission,so that the engine of the cotton picker can work in the best fuel economy speed regulation characteristic curve under the two typical working conditions of picking and transportation.A speed ratio matching control strategy based on fuel economy was proposed.The speed ratio matching control module was used to collect the engine accelerator pedal opening signal,the optimum fuel economy speed of the engine under the engine accelerator pedal opening was calculated,and then control signals were sent to the variable pump displacement ratio control module and the shift control module to adjust the speed ratio of the hydro-mechanical continuously variable transmission of the cotton picker,so that the engine speed was stabilized at the target fuel economy speed under the effect of the speed regulation characteristics.The simulation results show that under this control strategy,the actual speed of the cotton picker engine can be stable near the target fuel economy speed under the given load torque and the opening of the engine accelerator pedal.This study provides theoretical basis for the fuel economy control of cotton picker equipped with self-designed hydro-mechanical continuously variable transmission.