Improved Cleansing Process of Stuck Soil Brush from Cleaners during the Sugar Beet Harvest

Purpose of the present research is to improve the quality of cleaning sugar beetroot crops with a brush cleaner by developing a device for removing stuck soil. The article defines the dependence of the impact velocity on the distance to the place of impact, which changes linearly, increasing with increasing distance to the place of impact. Analysis of the dependence shows that the speed can be most significantly influenced by the speed of the conveyor and the radius of the trajectory of the end of the bending lint, which directly depends on the diameter of the cylindrical brush. Nomogram was obtained to determine the most optimal parameters of the impact site on the lint. When conducting studies with heavy loamy chernozem soils with a moisture content of ≈28%, it revealed that the minimum required brush lint impact velocity to separate soil from the coils of the spring is about ≈ 2.5 m/s. The analysis of the dependence shows that the most effective cleaning of the brush lint from the stuck soil (90-98%) occurs when a blow is applied at a distance of 40 to 78 mm from the place of attachment of the lint with a lint length of 100 mm. The impact velocity of the brush lint should be large enough to separate the soil of maximum stickiness from the coil of the spring, however, it should not be greater than the speed causing lint cutting, i.e. the speed at which the brush lint are destroyed.

THE PRICE OF AGRICULTURAL LAND, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE COST OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES OF SOILS

According to the latest data of the State Service of Ukraine for Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre on the normative monetary valuation of farmland in the regions of Ukraine, the results of calculations of the minimum and maximum initial price of agricultural land in Ukraine are given, as well as the average cost per hectare, which is almost one and a half times higher than their approximate starting value, announced with the opening of the domestic land market. The classification of factors of change of the price of hectare of agricultural land structured in three groups is proposed and accordingly specified: i) general factors of formation of the price of agricultural lands; ii) factors of price increase; iii) factors reducing the price of agricultural land. For the first time, such a factor in the formation of the price of agricultural land as the amount of income from the consumption of ecosystem services is presented and revealed. The importance of this factor is proved by the results of monetary assessment of the contribution of two types of ecosystem services of agricultural soils of local ecosystem assets of the Mykolayiv Oblast: regulatory services for soil carbon retention provided by the soils of lands of natural growth of agricultural crops, and providing services for the supply of crops provided by the soils of agricultural lands.. The results of hypothetical extrapolation of the value of the contribution of the providing ecosystem service for crop supply, which produced by chernozem soils of agricultural lands of the ecosystem assets of the territorial community of Semenivka village of Mykolayiv Oblast to the size of the initial value of agricultural lands of the regional ecosystem assets of the Mykolayiv Oblast are given. As a result, a much more expensive, but more realistic indicative price per hectare of land for the region is obtained, taking into account the amount of income from the use of such an ecosystem service of chernozem soil. It is concluded that there is a strong potential for growth of agricultural prices in the regions of Ukraine, as well as the actual unpreparedness of the starting price positions of the land market in Ukraine, primarily due to inconsistency of the current initial land price with objective socio-economic realities.

Effect of granular fertilizer of disinfected chicken dung application on crop productivity and soil fertility

On dark gray forest and leached chernozem soils of the Tambov region, the effectiveness of using new granular organic fertilizer from poultry excreta was evaluated. After disinfection of the litter by deep drying, the total content of NPK in the fertilizer constitutes 11-12%, the content of trace elements is about 1g/kg. Field experiments conducted in 2019 showed that the yield increase from the introduction of the studied organic fertilizer at a dose of 4-8 t/ha on spring wheat was 25-30%, on spring barley - 20-23%, on sugar beets from the introduction of 8 t/ha - 10-12%, on potatoes - 40-50%, on tomatoes from 6 t/ha - 30-32% Profitability from the use of this fertilizer on cereals is 130-145%, on technical crops - 140-150%, on vegetables - 230-250%. Optimal fertilizer doses contribute to increasing protein in wheat grains by 1.5%, sugar content in sugar beets by 8-9%, starch content in potatoes by 3-4%, and sugar, dry substances and vitamin C content in tomatoes by 1-2%. The introduction of fertilizer in doses higher than optimal contributes to the increase of basic nutrients and micronutrients content in the soil.

Agricultural Production on Erosion-Affected Land from the Perspective of Remote Sensing

In this article, we discuss the influence of soil erosion on crop yield in the erosion-prone chernozem region of South Moravia. Erosional and depositional areas show significant differences in soil properties, which are also reflected in total crop yield. Plots of winter wheat, grown during the years 2016–2019 were used for analysis. The Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), referred to in literature as one of the best correlates of yield, was used to provide indirect information on yield. Although erosional areas are visible on orthophoto images on chernozem soils, the necessary orthophoto images are not always available. Thus, we have proposed a method for the identification of such erosion-affected areas based on the use of Sentinel 2 satellite images and NDVI or NBR2 indices. The relationship between yield and erosion was expressed through Pearson’s correlation on a sample of pixels randomly selected on the studied plots. The results showed a statistically significant linear reduction in yield depending on the level of degradation. All plots were further reclassified, according to level of degradation, as high, medium, or low state of degradation, where the average EVI values were subsequently calculated. Yield on non-degraded soil is 16 ± 1% higher on average.

Experience In Creating Artificial Forest Plants In The Territory Of Belgorod Region

The experience of creating artificial forest plantations on the territory of the Belgorod region within the framework of the “Green Capital” project is considered. As part of the project, it was envisaged to create more than 100 thousand hectares of forest plantations on chalk slopes and erosion-hazardous areas of the region for 2010 - 2020, that is, bringing the forest cover of the region to 15% - the optimal value for the region. For the period 2010 - 2020 forest plantations were laid on the territory of more than 87.7 thousand hectares. For afforestation in the region, species are recommended that provide sustainable, durable and ecologically capacious afforestation: as the main species on chernozem soils: Quercus robur L., Q. rubra, Fraxinus excilsior L., Larix sibirica Ledeb .; on sandy soils - Pinus sylvestris L. Reforestation has been carried out since 2010 on the territory of 22 districts of the region. In 2016-2020 more than 6 thousand hectares of oak forests were created. As a result, the species Q. robur occupies an area of 22.2% of the area of artificial plantations; P. silvestris accounts for 13.2% of the area of artificial plantations in the oblast. Next in terms of planting volumes are such crops as A. hippocastanum, R. pseudoacacia and F. excélsior - 12.1%, 24.7% and 14.4%, respectively. The share of fruit crops, as well as B. pendula, A. platanoide, A. campestre, and U. laevis, is 11.7%.

THE LONG ROAD TO THE LIGHT: ON THE NINETIETH ANNIVERSARY OF T.L. BYSTRITSKAYA

Tatyana Lvovna Bystritskaya is a prominent representative of the post-war pleyade of Soviet soil scientists, who laid the foundations of functional ecological soil science in connection with the problem of bioproductivity of terrestrial ecosystems. She can rightfully be considered as one of the most signifi Russian researchers of the year-round carbon cycle and conjugated biophilic elements in natural and anthropogenic steppe ecosystems on the chernozem soils of the USSR. Tatyana Lvovna Bystritskaya is also the developer of the methodology for instrumental monitoring of “soil life” (the daily and seasonal dynamics of soil solutions using ion-selective electrodes), an international expert on black fusion soils of Eurasia and on the fusion processes unfavorable to agricultural soils, author and co-author of classical monographs on the bioproductivity of herbal ecosystems in connection with soil processes and nature management, on the genesis and evolution of soils in the opolian landscapes of Central Russia, on the vertisols of Eurasia, soil solutions of chernozems and gray forest soils in Russia and Ukraine. In November this year, Tatyana Lvovna celebrates her ninetieth birthday, and we present this publication as a humble gift on this momentous occasion.

Szélerózió okozta talaj-, humusz- és tápanyag-áthalmozás különbségeinek feltárása különböző szerkezeti adottságú csernozjom talajokon terepi szélcsatorna kísérletek alapján

Kutatásunk során Magyarország két dél-alföldi réti csernozjom talajú területét vizsgáltuk azon céllal, hogy in situ körülmények között számszerűsítsük a különböző szélesemények által okozott talajveszteség mértékét, az ezzel együtt járó humusz- és tápanyagáthalmozás nagyságrendjét, valamint a két terület defláció érzékenységében tapasztalt különbségek okait.Vizsgálati területeink Békés megyében, Makótól K-re mintegy 10 km-re, Apátfalva külterületén, valamint Csongrád megyében Szegedtől ÉNy-ra 2 km-re helyezkedtek el. Kutatásunk célkitűzései az alábbiak voltak: terepi szélcsatornás mérésekre alapozott laboratóriumi mérések alapján különböző szerkezeti állapotú csernozjom talajokra meghatározni◾az indítósebességet,◾a szélerózióval áthalmozott szedimentben mért makroelem, és humuszanyag feldúsulását,◾valamint az ezekre ható talajtani tényezőket.A hasonló mechanikai összetételű, Szeged és Apátfalva melletti réti csernozjom talajok aggregátum összetételében, valamint a CaCO3 és humusztartalomban megfigyelhető különbségek hatására a Szeged melletti csernozjom mintaterület talaja defláció érzékenyebb. A Szegedtől É-ra eső csernozjomokon 6,5–9,0 m s–1 közötti indítósebesség értékeket mértünk, míg Apátfalván 13,0 m s–1 volt az indítósebesség értéke. Az apátfalvi terület talajának magasabb karbonát- és humusztartalma, valamint aggregátum összetételében mért magasabb morzsa arány az indítósebességérték növelésének irányába hat. A feltalajban a 0,5 mm-nél kisebb aggregátumok magasabb aránya következtében nemcsak kisebb indítósebesség értékeket, hanem nagyobb áthalmozódó talajmennyiséget, valamint ezzel együtt nagyobb mennyiségű humusz- és foszfor elmozdulást mértünk az egységesen 10-10 perces fújatási kísérleteink alkalmával a szegedi mintaterületen. Megállapítható tehát, hogy egyazon talajtípusba eső, s azonos textúrájú (homokos vályog) talajok esetében az aggregátum összetételben, valamint a CaCO3 és humusztartalomban megfigyelhető eltérések hatására jelentős különbségek tapasztalhatók a defláció érzékenység, az indítósebesség, a szediment szállítás módja és a humusz- és elemáthalmozás mértéke között.In our research, two Chernozem soil areas were examined in the southern part of the Great Hungarian Plain in order to quantify the amount of the soil loss, humus and nutrient transport caused by different wind events and in order to show the causes of the differences in the sensitivity of deflation between the two areas.Our study areas were located in Békés County, one of them was near Apátfalva, about 10 km east of Makó, and the other one was 2 km northeast of Szeged in Csongrád County. Our in situ wind tunnel experiments were accomplished on 2–4 June 2011 at Apátfalva and in July 2013 in Szeged. The objectives of our research were the followings:◾determination of the enrichment ratios for humus, macro- and microelements in the wind eroded sediments in the case of Chernozem soils with different structures based on field experiments and laboratory measurements;◾determination the affecting actual soil factors;◾estimation of soil loss and element rearrangement trends on Chernozem arable lands under different wind velocity on plot scale.Because of the differences in the aggregate size distribution, CaCO3 and humus content, Chernozem soil near Szeged is more sensitive to deflation than near Apátfalva. Threshold friction velocity was measured between 6.5 and 9.0 m s–1 near Szeged, while the same parameter was 13.0 m s–1 at Apátfalva. The higher carbonate and humus content and the higher crumb ratio of the soil on the Apátfalva area result increasing threshold friction velocity. Due to the higher proportion of aggregates smaller than 0.5 mm in the topsoil, we have measured not only lower threshold friction velocities, but also a larger quantity of transported soil and a larger humus and phosphorus loss during the uniform 10-10 minute long wind tunnel experiments in the Szeged sample area. It can be concluded that even in spite of the same soil type and same texture there are significant differences between deflation sensitivity, threshold friction velocity, sediment transport mode, humus and nutrient transportation because of the significant differences in aggregate size distribution, CaCO3 and humus content.It means that the agronomic structure of the soils greatly influences the mitigation and aggravation of the soil the stress effects caused by climate change. Extreme weather situations have drawn attention to the fact that improperly applied cultivation methods, tools, and overuse of Chernozem soils can modify the soil structure. One of the most serious affect is the dusting of the surface layer of the soil. During this process the larger macroaggregates disintegrate into microaggregates and the resulting smaller fractions are more exposed to wind erosion.The dust load affecting our settlements is mainly originated from arable lands. The mitigation of this emission is fundamentally based on the regulation of land use, farming practices and deflation. “Best Management Practices” (BMPs) mean a group of selected tools that can reduce or eliminate the transport of pollutants from diffuse sources before, during and/or after agricultural activities. However, these diffuse agricultural loads caused by wind erosion can only be quantified if the magnitude and spatial movement of the dust and pollutants is monitored.