Mechanization in agriculture & Conserving of the resources
Vol. 67 (2023), Issue 4

Table of Contents

  • MECHANIZATION IN AGRICULTURE

    • Experimental study of transportation of pool materials by a flexible sectional screw conveyor

      pg(s) 113-115

      The article presents the construction of a sectional screw robotic body, the use of which will increase the functional and operational characteristics of flexible screw conveyors when transporting bulk and lumpy materials. An experimental setup of the flexible screw conveyor has been developed to carry out experimental studies. According to the results of the experimental studies of the sectional screw conveyor graphical dependences of torque value changes T and power N on the frequency of rotation of the drive shaft of the working body at full filling of the technological line with the grain material, arising in the process of transporting goods by screw
      conveyors were plotted.

    • Development of a method for carrying out a multi-factory experiment on cleaning root crops from soil and vegetable impurities

      pg(s) 116-119

      Cleaning of root and tuber crops, in particular potato tubers, from soil impurities and plant residues when they are excavated from the soil is an important and urgent problem in the agricultural industry. This article discusses a new construction of a vibrating spiral root and tuber cleaner and a new experimental setup that makes it possible to study the influence of the main structural and kinematic factors on the operation of a spiral type cleaner, as well as to substantiate its rational structural and kinematic parameters. The main constructional difference of the developed cleaner is that the technological process of cleaning root and tuber crops from soil and plant impurities is carried out by moving the heap with coils of cantilevered spiral springs rotating at a certain angular speed and forced oscillatory movements of the ends of the spiral springs themselves in the longitudinal-vertical plane. In this case, soil and plant impurities are effectively sifted not only through the separating gaps and coils of the spirals, but are also significantly destroyed due to oscillatory movements. At the same time, the root and tuber bodies are guaranteed to be transported by the spiral coils themselves towards the unloading conveyor. In the case of covering the spiral coils with a rubber coating, there is no damage to the bodies of root and tuberous crops. The article also presents the developed methodology for conducting a multifactorial experiment on cleaning root and tuber crops from soil impurities and plant residues.

    • Study of conditions for further development of high-tech agro-industrial production in Ukraine

      pg(s) 120-122

      The article presents the results of a study of the conditions for further improvement and development of high-tech agricultural production in Ukraine. The purpose of this study is to define conceptual approaches to the technical and technological modernization of the agro-industrial complex as a key element of sustainable development of the real sector of Ukraine’s economy and strategic directions of research in agricultural science. The study found that in the context of inevitable climate change, the basis for the formation of highly automated agriculture will be flexible environmentally friendly technological processes in agricultural production, built on fundamentally new technical and technological principles, namely: intellectualization, digitalization, integrated automation and robotization. A concept for the development of high-tech agricultural production in Ukraine based on the principles of sustainable development and the innovative concept of Industry 4.0 was also developed, which will ensure high and sustainable economic growth of the agro-industrial complex, development of domestic agricultural engineering and related sectors of the economy. The strategic tasks for agricultural science in the development of the technical and technological base of highly automated agricultural production are outlined. The study of modern trends in the development of economies of advanced countries and their effectiveness give grounds to assert that the identified strategic directions of technical and technological modernization of the agricultural sector will be the basis for the formation of an effective model for the development of high-tech agro-industrial climate-oriented production in Ukraine.

    • Use of numerical methods in generalizing nusselt numbers depending on the reynolds number for a compact tube beam

      pg(s) 123-126

      When developing new types of heat exchanger constructions, such factors as their mass-size characteristics, efficiency of heat transfer through the separating heat-carrier surface, pressure losses in the paths for each of the heat-carriers and other parameters characterizing the heat-exchange apparatus play an important role. CFD modeling of heat and mass transfer processes in a tube bundle at different Re numbers with compact placement of tubes, using ANSYS Fluent software package, has been conducted. The mathematical model is based on Navier-Stokes equation, energy conservation equation for convective flows and continuity equation. The standard k-ε model of turbulence is used in the calculations. The fields of velocities, temperatures, pressures in the studied channels have been obtained. The hydrodynamic flow conditions in the channels are analyzed and the intensity of heat transfer between the hot and cold coolant through the wall separating them is estimated. Based on the results of CFD modeling, the criterial equation of Nu, number is derived, which can be used in engineering calculations of heat exchange apparatuses with compact tube bundles.

  • CONSERVING OF THE RESOURCES

    • Soil erosion processes and estimation of erosion risk in southeren part of Albania

      pg(s) 127-129

      Soil erosion and associated nonpoint pollution pose critical problems affecting the economic welfare, food security, and public health of Albania. Each year nearly 60 million tons of sediment are deposited by Albanian rivers into the Adriatic Sea. Because of favorable natural factors and strong human impact over environment during centuries, area of Albania is characterized with high soil erosion rate. In last decades, faster economic growth of the country and lack of soil resources, fresh water, forests etc., reinforce the need for soil protection and soil conservation. The objective of this paper is to quantify the magnitude of soil erosion and its effects on water quality at three levels of intensity—site-specific, watershed, and nation as a whole and to identify high-risk areas for immediate soil erosion control using a
      geographic information system.

    • Assessing the Potential of Pálinka Spent Wash Compost as Soil Organic Amendment

      pg(s) 130-133

      In Hungary, the production of Pálinka, a Hungarian hard liquor, generates a significant amount of organic waste, specifically a residual liquid waste known as spent wash (SW). The environmental impact of SW pollution is a pressing concern mainly due to its high organic load, low pH, notable content of recalcitrant compounds, and high biochemical and chemical oxygen demand. Composting presents an eco-friendly management solution for SW by its stabilization into a humified material and inactivation of phytotoxic substances. Monitoring of physicochemical parameters and enzyme activity of the SW before and after the composting process was conducted, alongside germination tests to assess its seed growth suitability. The application of Bokashi composting and co-composting with various materials resulted in notable improvements in the SW parameters. The findings validate the potential of SW compost as an effective soil amendment, promoting soil health and fertility.

    • Water resource management problems and their possible solutions in the Lower Tisza river basin Water for the landscape, but from where, how and at what cost?

      pg(s) 134-139

      One of today’s biggest challenges is to manage the extremes in water resource management associated with climate change. Central Europe and Hungary are among the regions most affected by the impacts of water management extremes. The study area is one of the most vulnerable regions of Hungary, with a high climate sensitivity. Although there is a significant network of infrastructure in place to mitigate water shortages, it is both overstretched and burdened by significant operating costs. The recent energy price explosion has focused attention on the operational issues of these systems. However, for areas beyond their reach, only locally available primary and secondary water resources offer the potential for prevention and mitigation. These have a limited reach and are costly to use. One of today’s popular slogans is ‘water to the landscape’, and the paper will discuss the possibilities and limitations of this in the sample area.

    • Soil biological indicators under sunflowers field in a long-term tillage experiment of luvisol

      pg(s) 143-146

      Tillage is the common practice in crop production, providing a suitable environment for root development. However, many studies suggest that long-term tillage practice affects the deterioration of soil properties. Soil biological indicators can be employed to evaluate the soil changing due to the long-term tillage application. The evaluation of soil biological indicators in the long-term tillage application has not been widely discussed in Hungary. We investigated two types of 19 years of long-term tillage experiments, i.e., conservation tillage, reduced tillage and leaving 30% or more crop residue after harvesting (CT), and conventional tillage, a mouldboard ploughing technique (PT). The soil was sampled thrice during the growing season at 0-5, 10-15, and 20-25 cm depths. The activity of dehydrogenase (DHA), β-glucosidase (BGA), phosphatase (PHA), labile carbon concentration (POXC), and soil water content (SWC) were measured in this investigation. Our results indicated that the tillage system significantly affected the BGA (p<0.001). Meanwhile, soil depth remarkably regulated the DHA (p<0.05). The highest activity of DHA and BGA was identified near the surface layer of CT. In contrast, the PHA was relatively distributed uniformly in all depths, reflecting that this enzyme activity was more dominated by the root effect. Tillage practice notably increases substrate availability, representing the higher POXC concentration in the CT and PT in all soil layers. POXC concurrent with SWC were remarkably associated with DHA (r=0.51, p<0.01), BGA (r=0.29, p<0.05), and PHA (r=0.28, p<0.05). On the other hand, POXC was notably correlated only with the DHA (r=0.46, p<0.01). CT practice also indicated a remarkably positive effect on stem and flower diameter growth.