Search results for "Agricultural Engineering"
showing 10 items of 81 documents
Investigations in intensification of grain drying by active ventilation applying ozone
2020
The financial support of the Rural Support Service project No l8-00-A01620-000003 “Technology development of grain drying with active ventilation using ozone” is greatly acknowledged. The authors thank for the support and active cooperation the representatives of the farm “Mazkalniņi” Dr.sc.ing. Aivars Cēsnieks and ing. Sandris Cēsnieks.
A SIMPLE CULTIVATION CHAMBER FOR THE STUDY OF AERIAL REPRODUCTIVE ELEMENTS OF FUNGI
1970
Detecting crop water requirement indicators in irrigated agroecosystems from soil water content profiles: An application for a citrus orchard.
2022
Abstract Most perennial crops sensitive to water scarcity, such as citrus, can benefit from efficient water management, which allows for reduced water consumption while increasing crop production on a long-term basis. However, when implementing water-saving strategies, it is necessary to monitor soil and/or plant water status in order to determine crop water demand. A plethora of devices providing indirect measurements of volumetric soil water content, such as the “drill and drop” multi-sensors probes (Sentek, Inc., Stepney, Australia), have been developed over the last decade. The objective of the paper was to analyse time-series of soil water content profiles and meteorological data colle…
Application of A Precision Apiculture System to Monitor Honey Daily Production †
2020
Precision beekeeping or precision apiculture is an apiary management strategy based on the monitoring of individual bee colonies to minimize resource consumption and maximize the productivity of bees. Bees play a fundamental role in ensuring pollination
Design of an innovative system for precision beekeeping
2019
The innovative technologies of precision agriculture can be applied today to different productive sectors of agriculture in order to optimize crop production and to improve the quality of the final products. One of these is beekeeping, a very important sector both from an environmental and a production standpoint. The production of honey depends on many factors, some of which are environmental factors such as temperature, relative humidity and wind. The aim of this study was the design of a Precision Apicolture System (PAS) platform for monitoring and controlling the main environmental factors, both inside and outside the hive, in order to assess their influence on the honey daily productio…
Effects of packaging on shelf-life and quality of minimally processed fennel
2018
Fennel is not a widespread product among minimally processed vegetables, due to the fast deterioration mainly caused by browning of the cut surfaces, even during cold storage. In order to extend the shelf-life of fresh-cut fennel, the influence of different packaging techniques was studied. Sliced fennel, dipped in a citric acid solution (0.5%), was placed in polystyrene trays, sealed with PE film or vacuum packaged in PE bags and stored up to 14 days at 4°C. During this period the weight loss, soluble solid content, pH, color and firmness were evaluated. Minimally processed fennel packed in sealed trays and cold-stored at 4°C, extended its shelf-life to 14 days maintaining acceptable quali…
Assessing Hydrus-2D model to investigate the effects of different on-farm irrigation strategies on potato crop under subsurface drip irrigation
2019
The objective of this paper was to assess the performance of Hydrus-2D model to simulate the effects of different on-farm irrigation strategies applied on potato crop. The ability of the model to simulate the stress coefficient (Ks), obtained as the ratio between actual and maximum transpiration, and to define the productive function of potato crop under the semi-arid conditions of central Tunisia were also evaluated. Experiments were carried out on potato crop under full (FI) and deficit irrigation (DI) and two different water qualities supplied by means of a subsurface drip irrigation system. Results evidenced that the model, despite some discrepancies locally observed, can fairly accurat…
USING ROTATING SPRINKLER GUNS IN CENTRE‐PIVOT IRRIGATION SYSTEMS †
2019
The use of centre-pivot irrigation systems has significantly increased in the last few decades, since they are easier and less time-consuming to manage compared to other irrigation systems. Standard high-pressure impact sprinklers, low-pressure spray sprinklers or LEPA (Low Energy Precision Application) systems are usually combined with a centre-pivot irrigation system (CP-SYS). However, when applying waste water or with reclaimed effluents that are extremely dirty, small nozzle sizes that require CP-SYS could get plugged. As an alternative to common centre-pivot irrigation systems, this paper analyses the ‘geometry’ of areas irrigated by rotating sprinkler guns in a centre-pivot irrigation…
Centre-pivot irrigation system design for uniform water application rate
2020
<p>In the last few decades, the use of centre-pivot irrigation systems has significantly increased, since it makes farming easier, is more efficient and less time-consuming compared to the other irrigation systems. Several studies have been focused on the hydraulics of the centre-pivot systems. Standard high-pressure impact sprinklers or low-pressure spray sprinklers or Low Energy Precision Application (LEPA) systems are generally mounted on the pipeline.</p><p>To ensure the uniformity of water application, the centre-pivot design requires increasing the flow rates along the lateral, because the sprinklers farther from the pivot move faster, and th…
Field non-destructive determination of nectarine quality under deficit irrigation
2021
This study investigated the effects of deficit irrigation (DI) at different fruit growth stages and tree orientation on fruit quality of ‘September Bright’ nectarines (Prunus persica L. Batsch). Control trees were fully irrigated throughout the entire fruit development period, whereas deficit irrigation was supplied at fruit growth stage I (cell division, DI-I), II (pit hardening, DI-II), IIIa (cell expansion, DI-IIIa) and IIIb (fruit maturation, DI-IIIb). Non-destructive measurements of fruit maturity and quality were carried out using portable devices based on near-infrared spectrometry and pigment fluorescence on west- and east-oriented trees of an Open Tatura system. Chlorophyll degrada…