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FARM MACHINERY AND PROCESSES MANAGEMENT IN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE. VI INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC SYMPOSIUM, Lublin 2013

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This year the symposium takes place in Lublin, Poland and the University of Life Sciences in the host of the event. As always the symposium is an important occasion for scientists and practitioners to show progress in sustainable agriculture. It is also our great hope that it will stimulate the participants to start new ideas, exchange them with colleagues and to implement them in practice. The following proceedings contain 45 reviewed extended-abstracts presented at the Symposium. It shows developments achieved in the theory and practice in the area of sustainable agriculture. Both the methodological and practical aspects of sustainable agriculture are outlined and presented.
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... Due to the increasing world population, global food demand is projected to double by 2050 (Hunter et al. 2017). The need to increase agricultural productivity and food security in a sustainable way poses a great challenge, especially in developing countries (Lorencowicz et al. 2017). It is necessary to evaluate the potential of the land for increasing the use efficiency of available resources to achieve both sustainability and production goals. ...
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Improving agricultural sustainability and increasing production are the most important goals for the near future especially for developing countries. Accordingly, in these countries, a land suitability evaluation (LSE) study based on the FAO framework is recommended, whereas the high cost caused a dramatic reduction in LSE studies particularly in irrigated paddy fields. Therefore, in this study two depth scenarios (scenario2: 0–50cm and scenario3: 0–25cm) were compared to the FAO framework depth scenario (scenario1: 0–100cm) to investigate the ability of the two new scenarios in qualitative and quantitative LSE classification for irrigated paddy fields. The study was conducted in Guilan province, Iran. Seventy-seven soil profiles were described, soil samples from genetic layers and 30 yield samples were collected. The results showed that, in both qualitative and quantitative LSE, the calculated values for both new scenarios were significantly correlated to the values in scenario1. Moreover, the coefficient of determination, the paired t-test, and the kappa coefficient showed very strong agreements between the two proposed scenarios and senario1. Overlaying three scenarios maps also didn’t reveal notable differences. Although the use of scenario1 is preferred, scenario2 due to very close results to scenario1 and being time-and-cost-saving, will be recommended.
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Farmers in developing countries show low adoption rates of sustainable agricultural practices. Therefore, this review examines influential factors contributing to sustainable agricultural practices adoption among rural farmers in developing countries in Asia, Latin America, Europe, and Africa, thereby highlighting challenges and constraints. The research indicated that behavioural factors influence the participation in and adoption of sustainable agricultural practices. Farmers are often unaware of environmental issues such as climate change and need support through knowledge, technology, and training. The behavioural insights of farmers need to be incorporated for better policymaking. Therefore, urgent attention is needed to address the social, agronomic, structural, political, and technical barriers before taking up new roles in adopting sustainable agricultural practices in their agricultural systems. From a policy perspective, this review explained how current policies should be implemented and periodically amended to achieve long-term goals.
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The paper describes data requirements in precision agriculture. Different types of data, specific in agriculture is discussed. The collection and use of data is looked in view of risks and threats it generates. Also, the rights of data and its administration is presented in view of the EU Code of Conduct for Agricultural Data Sharing by Contractual Agreement. The code, launched in Brussels in 2018, was introduced to foster trust in data sharing and can be considered as a milestone in regulating problems related to agricultural data. Code of Conduct explains contractual relations, making the actual contract between parties involved, the primary instrument in ensuring concord. It also provides guidance on the rights of access and use of the agricultural data.KeywordsPrecision agricultureBig dataInternet of ThingsAgriculture 4.0Data ownershipAgricultural production chain
Chapter
The aim of this study was to analyse changes on the new farm tractors market in Poland. The work covered the period between 2010 and 2020, and was based on new farm-tractor sales data measured by the number of registrations. The paper presents the semi-annual sales figures, the demand for selected tractor brands, and the sales of new farm tractors representing various engine power segments. New tractors were considered to be those registered for the first time in Poland with either the same or preceding year of manufacture. Between 2010 and 2020, over 144,000 new farm tractors were registered in Poland, with the highest number of tractors sold being recorded in 2012, and the lowest in 2016. Unfortunately, no Polish brand made its way to the top 10 of the top-selling tractors. The Polish market was largely dominated by tractors produced in Western Europe and the USA. The analysis revealed that New Holland tractors (23,780 vehicles) accounted for the largest number of registrations, followed by John Deere (19,453), Zetor (16,398) and Deutz-Fahr (10,508). The total share of these four manufacturers between 2010 and 2020 was 48.6%. In the reference period, vehicles representing the 51–70 kW engine power segment had the largest share (35.17%), followed by 71–100 (24.44%), 31–50 (14.00%), <30 (7.68%), 101–120 (7.4%), 121–140 (4.85%), >161 (3.69%), and 141–160 kW (2.76%). Among the farm tractors representing lower power segments, i.e., up to 50 kW, Kubota was the most frequently purchased brand. As regards higher engine power segments, i.e., 50–140 kW, New Holland tractors held market dominance, while in the >140 kW engine power segment, John Deere tractors were prevalent.KeywordsFarm tractorTractors marketSales of farm tractors in PolandRegistrationEngine power
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The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of using different design of agricultural nozzles on the spray effectiveness in the wheat plants canopy. Moreover, the effect of using worn nozzles on the spray quality was also evaluated. Four types nozzles was used in the tests: TT, TTj60, DG, and XR. They are produced by TeeJet (Spraying Systems Co., Illinois USA). The first three types has a pre-orifice design, while XR was considered as control treatment because it is wide used internationally. Nozzles were subjected to the accelerated wear test according to the ASAE S471 standard. The flow rate after finishing the accelerated wear test was reached to 10% higher than the nominal flow rate, and these nozzles was named “Worn nozzles”. These nozzles (new and worn) was evaluated concerning its spray quality in wheat plants in the laboratory conditions, and using water sensitive papers (WSP). Spray coverage (%), stains diameter (μm), and stains density on square centimetre were calculated. Results data showed that highest spray coverage was achieved using the XR worn nozzles (19%), while using TTj60 nozzle (new and worn) resulted in the lowest value of coverage (14% for both). Biggest stain diameter was registered when using worn DG nozzle (538 μm), lowest value of stain diameter was 445 μm when using new XR nozzle. Concerning the spray density, XR nozzle (new and worn) produced highest spray density, while using worn TT nozzle resulted in the lowest number of stains on square centimetre (333 stain/cm2).
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Najczęściej w ochronie roślin stosowane są rozpylacze ciśnieniowe, które zamieniają energię potencjalną sprężonej cieczy na energię kinetyczną cieczy rozpylonej. Ilość wytwarzanych kropel oraz ich spektrum zależy od ciśnienia roboczego, wielkości i kształtu dyszy oraz parametrów rozpylanej cieczy. Celem pracy jest określenie wielkości oraz ilości znoszenia kropel wytwarzanych w rozpylaczu przy różnych prędkościach wiatru. Przeprowadzone obliczenia funkcji Rosina-Rammlera wykazały, że nierównomierność oprysku powstająca w wyniku znoszenia kropli przez wiatr jest znaczna. Największa nierównomierność oprysku powstaje w niewielkiej odległości od opryskiwacza. Ze wzrostem tej odległości ilość znoszonej cieczy gwałtownie się zmniejsza.
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The purpose of this study was the analysis of clinical picture of upper respiratory tract allergic disease and conjunctival symptoms that appear in response to different aeroallergens. The study was conducted in the years 2002-2003. We analyzed the frequency and severity of allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis in a group of 660 subjects from Warsaw area with hypersensitivity to hazel, alder, birch, grass, mugwort, plantain, nettle, Alternaria and Cladosporium allergens. Aerobiological measurements, patients' symptoms score cards and the results of physical examination were analyzed. First symptoms were visible during exposure to a concentration of 20 pollen grains in 1 m 3 of air (25% subjects sensitised to grass pollen). Symptoms were noted in all the subjects sensitised to grass pollen at a concentration of approximately 50 grains/m3 of air. During exposure to a concentration of 65 pollen grains per m3 the symptoms were strengthened and included both nasal passage blockade, watery nasal secretion, sneezing, palate pruritus, patency disturbances of Eustachian tubes and conjunctival symptoms. A several hours' exposure to grass pollen concentration exceeding 120 grains/m3 caused dyspnoea in some patients. Similar intensified symptoms occurred after exposure to alder, birch and mugwort pollen. Patients with positive skin prick tests to plantain and nettle pollen allergens experienced symptoms of low intensity or even none symptoms during pollination period. Subjects with hypersensitivity to Alternaria allergens experienced the symptoms during exposure to a concentration of approximately 80 spores in 1 m3 of air. Clinical symptoms of allergic disease were connected with the concentration and the kind of aeroallergen the subjects were exposed to.
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Drought is one of the major constraints limiting crop production worldwide. Crop growth models predict that this issue will be more severe in future. Drought impairs normal growth, disturbs water relations, and reduces water use efficiency in plants. Plants, however, have a variety of physiological and biochemical responses at cellular and whole organism levels, making it a more complex phenomenon. The rate of photosynthesis is reduced mainly by stomatal closure, membrane damage, and disturbed activity of various enzymes, especially those involved in ATP synthesis. Plants display a range of mechanisms to withstand drought, such as reduced water loss by increased diffusive resistance, increased water uptake with prolific and deep root systems, and smaller and succulent leaves to reduce transpirational loss. Low-molecular-weight osmolytes, including glycinebetaine, proline and other amino acids, organic acids, and polyols also play vital roles in sustaining cellular functions under drought. Plant growth substances such as salicylic acid, auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, and abscisic acid modulate plant responses toward drought. Polyamines, citrulline, and several enzymes act as antioxidants and reduce adverse effects of water deficit. Plant drought stress can be managed by adopting strategies such as mass screening and breeding, marker-assisted selection, and exogenous application of hormones and osmoprotectants to seeds or growing plants, as well as engineering for drought resistance. Here, we provide an overview of plant drought stress, its effects on plants’ resistance mechanisms and management strategies to cope with drought stress.
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Recent research conducted at the Institute of Rural Health indicated the harmfulness of organic dusts present in the environments of agricultural producers. Due to the high concentration of biological agents contained in dust grains, derived from conventional and organic cropping systems, there is a real risk of developing respiratory diseases in people doing agricultural work. Conventional and organic cropping systems differ significantly in terms of fertilization method and plant protection. Such differences may also influence the composition of biological agents in grain dust, which can cause various health effects in humans. No assessment has been carried out in farms with different systems of farming. Ambiguous statements on existing health risks in people doing agricultural work on conventional and organic farms prompted the Department of Allergy and Environmental Hazards, Institute of Rural Health in Lublin, to perform mycological tests and assess the degree of contamination with fungi pathogenic for humans in grain dust and grain from organic and conventional farms. A literature review and research conducted at the Institute of Rural Medicine show that the problem of occupational exposure to the presence of molds and mycotoxins in grains and grain dusts and their possible role in the development of pathological changes of the respiratory system is very important from the standpoint of hygiene and occupational medicine, and still requires further studies.
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The European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis Hbn.) has been causing damage to maize crops (Zea mays L.) in Poland since the 1950s. Initially, this pest occurred on maize only in the south-western part of Poland, but since 1994 it has also been observed in the south-eastern part. Monitoring was carried out by the State Plant Health and Seed Inspection Service (SPHSIS) and the Institute of Plant Protection – National Research Institute, Regional Experimental Station in Rzeszów (IPP – NRI) in 2004–2008. The monitoring demonstrated that from the time the pest was first encountered on maize in the second half of the 20th century, up to the end of 2008, the distribution range of this species had moved in a northerly direction from the southern part of Poland. Up to the end of 2008, damage to plants caused by caterpillars of O. nubilalis was recorded in 185 districts located in 14 provinces. In the study years only two provinces located in northern Poland were free from the pest: Pomorskie and Warmińsko-Mazurskie.
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Each of the twenty chapters in The Photochemistry of Carotenoids is written by leading experts in the area of carotenoid research and gives a comprehensive overview of a particular topic in the field. The book is organized into five sub-areas: (1) Biosynthetic pathways and the distribution of carotenoids in photosynthetic organisms; (2) Structure of carotenoid-chlorophyll protein complexes; (3) Electronic structure, stereochemistry, spectroscopy, dynamics and radicals; (4) Eco-physiology and the xanthophyll cycle; and (5) Model systems. Correlations between the photochemical behavior of carotenoids in vitro and in vivo are discussed. The various contributions review the basic hypotheses about how carotenoids function and give details regarding testing different molecular models using state-of-the-art experimental methodologies. The book is intended for use by beginning graduate and advanced undergraduate students and researchers in Plant Physiology, Ecology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Biophysics and Medicine, and will also be extremely useful as a general reference on photochemical processes in Chemistry, Physics and Biology.
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Theoretical spray performance of swirl-type nozzles was developed by solving boundary flows in the swirl chamber of the nozzle using the integral momentum method. Essential structures of the discharge coefficient, the swath coefficient, and the volume median diameter were derived from the theoretical investigation of fluid motion. The nozzle parameters and average relative velocity at the discharge orifice governed the spray performance and flow regions. Extreme conditions that sensitively influenced the spray performance at high and low flow rates were identified from the theoretical analysis. The theoretical spray performance discussed in this study would be a basic form for the design of a variable flow swirl nozzle, and be subject to calibration for a specific configuration of the swirl nozzle.
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