Optimization of a Pre-Sowing Treatment of Corn Seeds with Low-Frequency Pulse Electric Field to Improve the Germination and Development of Seedlings

Corn is one of the key forage crops in agriculture. However, corn production in Russia still remains behind of its demand, so the search and development of technologies allowing to improve its yield are very relevant. Pre-sowing treatment of seeds of corn and other crops with physical fields provides stimulation of the growth and development of plants, but its efficiency depends on some parameters including duration of such treatment. The laboratory evaluation of the effect of a pre-planting treatment of corn seeds with low-frequency pulse electric field for 1–9 h on their germination, average lengths of the coleoptile and radicle root, and the number of seminal roots made it possible to determine the optimum exposure time (4 h) providing a significant improvement of germination (+26.7% of the control) and increase in the coleoptile length (+21.2% of the control). The maximum negative effect was revealed for a 5-h exposure; it resulted in a significant reduction of the coleoptile and radicle root lengths (421.7 and 16.3% of the control, respectively), as well as the reduction of the average number of seminal roots (4.8% of the control).

Theoretical aspects of calculating the main design parameters of an electric bird repeller

The problem of scaring birds, which has turned into a problem of protecting economic objects from biological damage caused by birds, was born in ancient times and remains relevant to this day. Elevators, fishing and animal husbandry facilities, and other agricultural structures have become the favorite habitats of synanthropic birds. The first ones cause irreparable economic damage to agriculture, destroying, in particular, crops in fields and gardens. One of the solutions to this problem, which became the goal of this work, is to increase the efficiency of protecting agricultural facilities from synanthropic birds with the help of electric bird repellents. To carry out this research work, an experimental stand was designed and constructed in the laboratory of the State Agrarian University of the Northern Trans-Urals, which received a positive decision for a patent. With its help, an analytical dependence of the magnitude of the scaring pulse on the mass of the bird was obtained; a method for calculating the minimum and maximum distances of the scaring range for the blue pigeon was developed. Keywords: SYNANTHROPIC BIRDS, AGRICULTURAL STRUCTURES, ELECTRIC BIRD REPELLER, DESIGN PARAMETERS PULSE, ELECTRIC CURRENT, EFFICIENCY