Changes in the content of chlorophyll in leaves when using pesticides and microfertilizers

One of the ways to reduce the phytotoxicity of herbicides on cultivated plants is the use of trace element fertilizers. The article presents the results of research on the influence of liquid trace element fertilizers on the content of chlorophyll in leaves and the productivity of sugar beet. It was found that three days after the treatment of crops with herbicides together with microfertilizers, the amount of chlorophyll a and b pigments was 4% higher than when applying herbicides without microfertilizers. In the control version, where pesticides and microfertilizers were not applied, the content of chlorophyll in the leaves was 0.350% by weight. As the observations showed, the photosynthetic activity of sugar beet plants was restored 4-5 days after the treatment by herbicides. Herbicides, with the simultaneous introduction of micro-fertilizers, had a less negative effect on the photosynthesis of sugar beet than herbicides alone. The biological yield of root crops in the variant with the combined use of pesticides and microfertilizers was 56.36 t/ha. The polarization of sugar beet root crops with the combined use of pesticides and microfertilizers was 0.64% higher than in the variant without microfertilizers.

A reference genome sequence resource for the sugar beet root rot pathogen Aphanomyces cochlioides

Aphanomyces cochlioides, the causal agent of damping-off and root rot of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.), is a soil-dwelling oomycete responsible for yield losses in all major sugar beet growing regions. Currently, genomic resources for A. cochlioides are limited. Here we report a de novo genome assembly using a combination of long-read MinION (Oxford Nanopore Technologies) and short-read Illumina sequence data for A. cochlioides isolate 103-1, from Breckenridge, MN. The assembled genome was 76.3 Mb, with a contig N50 of 2.6 Mb. The reference assembly was annotated and was composed of 32.1% repetitive elements and 20,274 gene models. This high-quality genome assembly of A. cochlioides will be a valuable resource for understanding genetic variation, virulence factors, and comparative genomics of this important sugar beet pathogen.

REVEALING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE IMPACT SULFIDE-CONTAINING REAGENTS ON MICROBIOLOGICAL CONTAMINATION OF SUGAR BEET PROCESSING SEMI-PRODUCTS

Величина неучтенных потерь сахара в России составляет 0,06–0,14 млн т в год, что обусловливает необходимость внедрения мероприятий по их снижению. В статье представлены результаты исследований по снижению микробиологической обсемененности диффузионного сока, очищенного сока II сатурации и сиропа, выведенного на длительное хранение. Рассмотрены причины, обусловливающие обсемененность корнеплодов сахарной свеклы патогенными микроорганизмами. Приведена методика постановки лабораторных исследований. Установлено, что на стадии обработки экстрагента применение сернистого ангидрида позволяет снизить обсемененность диффузионного сока МАФАнМ и плесневыми грибами на 41,75 и 40,26% соответственно. На стадии обработки фильтрованного сока II сатурации применение сернистого ангидрида снижает обсемененность сока МАФАнМ на 76,67% и практически полностью обеспечивает угнетение плесневых грибов. На стадии обработки сиропа применение сернистого ангидрида позволяет снизить обсемененность сиропа после длительного хранения МАФАнМ и плесневыми грибами на 68,97 и 58,33% соответственно, тогда как применение бисульфита натрия – только на 31,03 и 33,33% соответственно. На основании результатов исследований сделан обоснованный вывод, что обработка полупродуктов свеклосахарного производства сульфитсодержащими реагентами, а именно сернистым ангидридом, является эффективным технологическим приемом для обеспечения снижения неучтенных потерь сахарозы, возникающих в результате жизнедеятельности микроорганизмов. The value of unaccounted sugar losses in Russia is 0,06–0,14 million tons per year, which makes it necessary to implement measures to reduce them. The article presents the results of studies to reduce the microbiological contamination of diffusion juice, purified juice of the and syrup removed for long-term storage. The reasons for the contamination of sugar beet root crops with pathogenic microorganisms are considered. The method of setting up laboratory tests is given. It was found that at the stage of processing the extractant, the use of sulfurous anhydride reduces the contamination of the diffusion juice with MAFAnM and mold fungi by 41,75 and 40,26%, respectively. At the stage of processing filtered juice of second carbonation, the use of sulfur dioxide reduces the contamination of MAFAnM juice by 76,67% and almost completely suppresses mold fungi. At the syrup processing stage, the use of sulfurous anhydride reduces the contamination of the syrup after long-term storage by MAFAnM and mold fungi by 68,97 and 58,33%, respectively, while the use of sodium bisulfite – only by 31,03 and 33,33%, respectively. Based on the results obtained, a reasonable conclusion is made that the treatment of beet sugar production intermediates with sulfite-containing reagents, namely, sulfur anhydride, is an effective technological technique to ensure the reduction of unaccounted losses of sucrose resulting from the vital activity of microorganisms.

THEORETICAL BACKGROUND OF INCREASING THE SEPARATING SYSTEM OF A ROOT HARVESTING MACHINE WITH THERMAL ENERGY OF THE EXHAUST GAS SYSTEM

To improve the quality indicators of harvesting root crops in conditions of high humidity, it is proposed to mount a separating device on the combine, which ensures the separation of root crops from soil and plant impurities with simultaneous blowing of their surface with hot exhaust gases from the power plant of the harvesting machine. Heat losses with exhaust gases (Q_G = 51960 J/s) exceed its amount equivalent to useful work (Q_A = 50900 J/s), therefore, it is necessary to ensure efficient use of the heat released into the atmosphere to increase the efficiency of the energy component of harvesting root crops and potatoes in conditions of high soil moisture. The aim of the study is to theoretically substantiate the improvement of the quality of separation of sugar beet root crops in conditions of high humidity with the use of blowing the working surface of the cleaning devices with exhaust gases from the power plant of the self-propelled harvester in the separation system of the harvester. The subject of research is the separation system of a combine harvester, represented by a cleaning star with installed deflectors for blowing the working surface. The condition for the uniform distribution of a heap of commercial products over the separating working surface is determined and theoretical dependences of the angular velocity v_EL and the rotational speed n_SP of the separating star on the forward speed of the sweeper and the radius of the separating star with uniform blowing of exhaust gases on the working surface are obtained

RESULTS OF EXPLORATORY RESEARCH OF THE SEPARATING SYSTEM WHEN CLEANING SUGAR BEET ROOT

The most important problem of implementation of technology for production of agricultural crops is reduction of labor costs, energy and resource saving with a simultaneous increase of cultivated crop yield and, as a consequence, a decrease of production cost, which cannot be ensured without specification and subsequent reduction of energy costs for agricultural production operations. To improve quality of sugar beet root harvesting in the conditions of high humidity, it is proposed to use a separating system in the design of the combine harvester, providing energy efficiency with possibility of simultaneous operations of digging, separating root crops from soil and plant impurities, blowing of the separating surface with hot exhaust gases from the power plant of the harvesting machine. The aim of the study is to provide the possibility of improving the quality of separation of sugar beet root in the conditions of high humidity by using blowing of the working surface of the cleaning devices with exhaust gases from the power plant of the self-propelled combine harvester. The separation system of a combine harvester was adopted as an object of the research; it is represented by a cleaning star with installed deflectors for blowing of the working surface with the exhaust gases of the power plant. A method of conducting exploratory research of the separating system to determine quality parametres of cleaning is presented. The results of the research indicate the prospects for further theoretical and experimental work of the proposed separation system to improve individual elements of its design.

Volunteer potato interference and removal timing in sugar beet

Field studies were conducted from 2005 to 2009 in Idaho and Oregon to 1) evaluate the competitive effect of volunteer potato on sugar beet yield (volunteer potato competition experiment), and 2) determine the optimum timing of volunteer potato removal from glyphosate-tolerant sugar beet fields using glyphosate (volunteer potato removal timing experiment). The volunteer potato competition experiment consisted of eight potato densities, including the untreated check: 0, 6,741, 10,092, 13,455, 16,818, 20,184, 26,910, and 40,365 tubers ha−1. The volunteer potato removal experiment consisted of 10 removal timings (including the untreated check) ranging from the 10-cm rosette stage to mid-tuber bulking. There was a linear decrease in sugar beet root and sucrose yield as volunteer potato density increased (P < 0.001) such that with every volunteer potato tuber per square meter, sugar beet root yield decreased by 15% and sucrose yield decreased by 14%. At the highest volunteer potato density (40,365 tubers ha−1), sugar beet root yield was 29,600 kg ha−1 (compared to 73,600 kg ha−1 for the untreated), representing a 60% reduction in sugar beet root yield. In the removal timing study, a one-time application of glyphosate at the 10-cm rosette, hooking, and tuber initiation stages provided 74% to 98% reduction in volunteer potato tuber biomass. Delaying volunteer potato removal beyond the tuber initiation stage reduced sugar beet root and sucrose yield (12% to 20%), resulting in an economic loss of $104 to $161 per hectare. The best potato removal timing that optimizes the trade-off between improved control and potential for sugar beet yield reductions is before or at the tuber initiation stage.