TECHNOLOGIES AND MACHINES FOR MAKING PHYSICAL IMPACT ON SOIL, SEEDS, AND PLANTS

Abstract

Getting a high-quality yield depends on a signifi cant number of factors: soil and climatic conditions, the quality of seed or planting material, cultivation technologies, the level of technical equipment, etc. In addition, the effi ciency of agricultural production depends primarily on the use of chemicals to treat various biological objects (soil, seeds, and plants). In turn, they contribute to the “pollution” of chemical compounds and their components used in the treatment of soil, soil waters, rivers, and reservoirs, as well as crops grown. To prevent the negative eff ect of chemicals on biological objects, it is necessary to use alternative treatment methods, which can include a physical infl uence, carried out by various types of radiation, gaseous media, etc. The authors outline tasks to be solved in the machine design. They include ensuring physical infl uence on biological material, using basic design principles to solve the problems of forming a system of agricultural machines and technologies to ensure high productivity, environmental safety, and obtaining healthy food by completely or partially replacing chemical infl uence with the physical one. The paper proposes designs of devices to process the soil, seeds, and plants by physical methods aimed at combating weeds, pests, and diseases, as well as stimulating the germination and intensive development of seed and planting material cultivated both in open and protected ground.