DEPENDENCE OF GERMINATION OF SEEDS OF FODDER CROPS ON THE DURATION OF STORAGE IN A GAS ENVIRONMENT

The research was carried out in the laboratory conditions of the Federal Williams Research Center of Forage Production and Agroecology on the seed material of nineteen varieties of the selection of VIC, stored since 1986 in a gas environment. The viability of the seeds was determined after 33 years of storage. The laboratory germination rate of the samples after storage varied from 0.7 to 90.3%. Aging of cereal grasses is faster. After storage in a gas environment for 33 years germination of more than 80% was observed in four samples of the legume family and one of the cereals. After being removed from the CSG and placed in normal conditions for a year, most of the samples retained their economic validity, with the exception of forage cereals: brome grass, meadow and reed fescue, and cocksfoot.

Diversity of the Seed Material of Selected Plant Species of Naturally Valuable Grassland Habitats in Terms of the Prognosis of Introduction Success

The current conservation status of semi-natural grassland habitats in Poland indicates that actions for their restoration are necessary. Many of the degraded sites require the introduction of diaspores of representative species because other methods of improving their condition are not sufficiently effective. Meanwhile, little is known about the diaspores of native wild-flower species and the biology of their seeds. The aim of the present study was to find an answer to the question of which features of the seed material can guarantee the success of the introduction. The study covered 28 plant species of 4 non-forest natural habitats (codes: 6440, 6410, 6510, 6210) occurring in river valleys. Diaspores were collected in 2015–2017. Morphometric measurements of diaspores were performed, the weight of 1000 diaspores was determined and the germination capacity analysis was carried out in accordance with ISTA Rules. The analysis was made with the division into normal seedlings, abnormal seedlings, dead seeds and fresh ungerminated seeds. Species with similar parameters of seed material were selected using the method of hierarchical clustering and PCA analysis. Three groups of species were distinguished: (1) with good seed germination capacity (above 65%), which, regardless of weather conditions during the generative development, and despite the small size of diaspores, can guarantee successful introductions (Verbascum thapsus, Veronica longifolia, Daucus carota, Plantago lanceolata); (2) species of little suitability for introduction, due to the large proportion (over 50%) of dead seeds (Armeria maritima, Linaria vulgaris, Potentilla erecta, Centaurea stoebe, Sanguisorba officinalis, Cnidium dubium); (3) species with relatively large size of diaspores and low seed germination capacity, due to the high proportion of fresh ungerminated seeds which means dormant seeds (Lathyrus pratensis, Geranium pratense).

The Ways to Improve the Efficiency of Agricultural Enterprises

In the modern world a person strives for an industrial society more and more, accumulating power and trying to enclose them in one machine that would perform several operations in one pass over the field surface. So there are implements performing tillage with application of fertilizers or soil cultivation with simultaneous planting and application of fertilizers. Using such implements allows to reduce costs for further cultivation of crops. However, the stake placed on soil preparation and application of fertilizers can not always give the desired effect without due attention to the seed material and technical maintenance. That is why seedbed preparation, the seed material and machines are the main problems of high technology society.

Improvement of the technological process of sowing sunflower seeds with a pneumatic seed planter

The article provides the objectives for the need to study the influence of the shaper on the seed velocity, as well as the influence of the arrangement of its rods on the grain speed at the outlet of the seed flow shaper. The general scheme of the seed flow shaper, its description, 3D model and its arrangement on the seeder are given in the article. It also describes the method of measuring the velocity of seed material. As a result of the study, the dependence of the velocity of sunflower seeds on the distance of the placement of rods, as well as the velocity of grains without a flow shaper, is presented. It was found that as the distance between the axes of the rods increases from 5 to 30 mm, the seed velocity at the outlet from the diffuser increases insignificantly, being in the range of 3.2 – 2.7 m/s. The results of using the seed flow shaper of the proposed design on the seed line of the Amazone DMC Primera pneumatic seed planter for sunflower sowing are also presented. As a result of the assessment of the uniform distribution of plants in rows by seedlings, it was concluded that the quality of seeding improved, the coefficient of variation of intervals between plants was 61.2 and 78.4% with and without the use of a shaper, respectively.

Precision separation process of sunflower seeds

According to the requirements for the technological processes of purification and separation of the seed mixture to obtain the sunflower seed material of the parent components (varietal purity – 98,0-99,9%) for all parts of the breeding and seed production process, a rational precision technological scheme of the separation processes has been developed, which includes automation of technical processes of separation means. In order to increase the efficiency of the sunflower breeding and seed-growing process, a device for automatic seed phenotyping has been added to the developed technological line, which can significantly intensify and shorten the breeding process and improve the design of the breeding program through bioinformatic data analysis and seed sorting. Functional dependencies are established and methods of automated control of precision mechanized process of seed separation are developed on the basis of coordination of its mode and technological parameters. Tape device for automatic phenotyping of sunflower seed material according to its morphological and marker features have been developed. The device are configured for high accuracy of individual measurement of the geometric dimensions of sunflower seeds with determination of their shape and color and provide low complexity and high technological implementation of the phenotyping process (determination, identification and separation) of seeds.

Prerequisites for the Creation of a Mechatronic System of Indented Cylinders for the Separation of Fine Seeds

Nowadays, an important aspect for achieving a high level of seed production is the expansion of the range of high-quality seed material, which disrupts the technological process of separation and increases its costs. The purpose of the study is to analyse indented separator cylinders for cleaning small-seed crops and develop an appropriate mechatronic system for their control, the use of which would allow performing the technological process of separation with lower specific operating costs and higher productivity. The presented analysis of the technical support of the process of separation of seed material of small-seeded crops indicates the need to improve indented separator cylinders based on automated control of their parameters using photo or video recording of the seed separation with subsequent processing. It has been established that the determination of formal performance indicators of an indented separator cylinder is not trivial. Based on the results of the analysis, a design and technological scheme of the mechatronic system of an indented separator cylinder has been developed. The difference between the proposed system and the conventional one is that the camera captures the trajectory of seeds. This information is processed in the control unit, which in turn changes the speed of rotation of the gear motor and, as a result, the drum with cells, the angle of inclination of the tray, the angle of rotation of the flap with the stepper motor of the hopper dispenser. These manipulations with the operating parameters of the indented separator allow adjusting it to changes in the seed mixture composition, thereby improving the quality and productivity of separation. In addition, due to the automatic adjustment of the operating parameters of the indented separator, the participation of the operator in the separation process is practically not required, which reduces labour costs

Fruitfulness of Georgian Oak (Quvercus iberica Stev.) in Kakheti Region

We studied the fruitfulness of Georgian Oak in Kakheti Region: in the gorge of the river Batsara in Akhmeta municipality at an altitude of 650-700m above the sea level, with oak dominance in a grove represented by a slope of up to 150 slopes of south-western exposure. Akhmeta municipality of Kakheti region was selected for the study of the issue, where in two different ecotopes and forest-type groves, sample areas with a size of 50 X 50 m were taken..In addition, we have divided the model tree drills allocated to the sample areas into two parts, namely, the parts facing the north and south exposures, and several sections of the tree trunk - the lower, middle and upper sections. Separately, we studied the seed yield and the difference between these indicators in terms of both exposure and vertical parts of the exercise - both quantitatively and by weight. We also observed the shape, size and other characteristics of the oak fruits on the sample areas, according to which the shape of the oak is oval, slightly elongated, with an average size of 2.8 cm. Length and 1.1 cm. Width. On average, 655 pieces (65.5%) of the fruit were found to be fit - healthy, and the rest (34.5%) - underdeveloped, damaged and incapable of emergence. These indicators are of great importance in the production of forestry and cultural works. In all sample areas, due to the better quality of insolation, the oak productivity is better in the southern part than in the north. With proper protection and care in the Georgian oak groves of Kakheti, it is possible to get an average of 1 ton of fruit per 1 ha, which is quite enough to achieve the best indicators of its natural renewal and to prevent these difficult problems. As we can see from the Georgian oak cultivations we have studied, in the vicinity of Akhmeta municipality (Batsari River gorge) it is possible to get an average of 1 ton of seed material, which is quite enough to get a reliable adult in terms of protecting the farm and promoting natural renewal.

Development of an encapsulation process for toxic waste and hazardous chemicals in a fluidized bed

Objectives. This paper presents research results on the encapsulation of a fluidized bed of liquid and solid toxic waste containing chemicals with a hazard class of 1–3.Methods. Soils contaminated with hexachlorobenzene and hexachlorocyclohexane were used as the seed material. Ceresin was selected as the encapsulant, which was sprayed onto the fluidized bed through a pneumatic nozzle at a temperature of 135°C. Before the spraying of the ceresin, binders were introduced into the fluidized bed of the seed material through pneumatic nozzles in the form of a melt of high-temperature coal-tar pitch and wastewater containing sodium and arsenic salts as well as heavy metal oxides. The experiments were carried out using a modified GLATT AGT-150 laboratory unit.Results. The results demonstrate that the mechanism for granule formation is a mixed mechanism. The binding of the seed material is carried out by both the pitch and salting out. In this case, the cavities in the agglomerates are partially filled with salt deposits, which increases the strength and integrity of the final product’s structure. Ranges for the process parameter values were established at the point at which there was no unwanted agglomeration in the fluidized bed, and dust formation did not exceed 5%. When the ratio of the bed mass to the mass of ceresin is equal to unity, a moisture-resistant free-flowing product of hazard class 5 is obtained, which is suitable for transportation and long-term storage. The average diameters of the initial particles and encapsulated granules were 0.5 and 1.5 mm, respectively.Conclusions. The present study demonstrates a potential process for the granulation– encapsulation of toxic waste and hazardous substances with a hazard class of 1–3 in a single fluid-bed apparatus, resulting in the formation of a moisture-resistant hazard class-5 granular product suitable for transportation and long-term storage. The results obtained can be used in the development of an industrial large-scale process for encapsulating waste of hazard classes 1–3.

Improving the mechanical-mathematical model of grain mass separation in a fluidized bed

This paper has substantiated the prospect of modeling the processes of separating grain mass into fractions as one of the tasks in the production of high-quality seed material. It has been determined that this could optimize the parameters of separation processes and design new working surfaces for its implementation. It is noted that modeling should take into consideration the influence of the structural and kinematic parameters of grain cleaning machines, the physical and mechanical properties of raw materials, the intralayer processes and forces. The reported theoretical study has improved the mechanical-mathematical model of grain mass separation in a pseudo-fluidized bed according to its density. The model establishes a relationship between the effective coefficient of dynamic viscosity and the density of particles in the discrete and continuous phases and the volumetric concentration of discrete phase particles. At the same time, the porosity of a fluidized bed has been accounted for, as well as the longitudinal and transverse angles of inclination of the base surface to the horizontal plane, the amplitude and frequency of oscillations of the particles of the continuous phase; the direction angle of oscillations relative to the perpendicular to the base surface. The adequacy of the improved mechanical-mathematical model has been confirmed by comparing the experimental and theoretical results of grain mass fractionation modeling. It was found that the differences in the density values of the separated fractions of GM did not exceed 7...8 %, that is, they were within the margin of error. It has been established that the improved model of grain mass separation in a fluidized bed could be used to determine the rational values for the parameters of a pneumatic sorting table that is used for the fractionation of the corresponding seed material. The initial data, in this case, are the density of the continuous and solid phases of grain mass, the friction coefficient of the seeds, and the equivalent radius of the particle. The result of modeling is the rational values of the amplitude and oscillation frequency of the working surface of the pneumatic sorting table, and the angles of inclination of the working surface