Application of shape analysis to the assessment of geometrical properties of grains in the selected species of spring cereals

The competition in many branches of industry including agriculture has grown as a result of Polish access to the European Union. It resulted in the intense research development in order to intensify production processes and improve the quality of the final product. One of the methods which might be helpful in this process is the shape analysis. This method makes it possible to measure selected properties of materials in a very precise way. The paper presents the possibilities of computer analysis in the research of grain geometrical features of 128 species of cereals. The program ImageJ was used. It enabled us to define surface, perimeter, width, height and circular projection of every caryopsis. Shape analysis also helps to define basic values of the tested features of caryopsis species. Significant differences between the shape of tested cereals species were indicated. However, significant differences between varieties of the same species were not found. Barley grain had the largest average surface while rye grain had the smallest one. Winter barley grain had the largest perimeter and spring wheat had the smallest one. Oat was characterized by the longest average length while spring wheat had the smallest one. Winter barley had the largest grain width and rye had the smallest one. Spring wheat grain is the most circular while oat grain is the less circular one. Taking into consideration the data mentioned above, one can use them in the production of equipment and machines used for seed planting, selection, segregation of cereal seeds both in agriculture as well as in agricultural and food processing industry

The rate of the eu funds use use in rural areas

W pracy przedstawione zostały korzyści oraz środki finansowania, jakie wynikają z przystąpienia Polski do Unii Europejskiej, na przykładzie trzech powiatów województwa podlaskiego. Opisany został Program Rozwoju Obszarów Wiejskich na lata 2007–2013, który jest podstawowym narzędziem realizacji polityki rolnej UE . Jego głównym zadaniem jest pomoc w rozwiązaniu problemów strukturalnych polskiego rolnictwa oraz poprawa jakości życia na obszarach wiejskich. Na Program Rozwoju Obszarów Wiejskich na lata 2007–2013 przeznaczonych zostało 17,42 mld euro i jest to kwota ponad trzy razy większa niż na lata 2004–2006 (budżet 5,38 mld euro), świadczy to o coraz większym wykorzystaniu środków unijnych w Polsce. Poziom wykorzystania środków przeznaczonych na poszczególne działania był zróżnicowany. Najwyższy odsetek wykorzystania limitu środków dotyczy działań Modernizacja gospodarstw rolnych oraz Ułatwienie startu młodym rolnikom. W przypadku pozostałych działań PROW zrealizowano mniej projektów, przez co limit z dotacji nie został wykorzystany.The advantages of the EU funds use and financial means resulted from Poland’s access to the European Union are presented in the article. They are presented on the example of three districts in Podlaski Region. Rural Development Programme for the years 2007–2013, which was a fundamental tool of the implementation of the EU agricultural policy, was also described. Its main purpose was the support in solving structural problems of Polish agriculture and the improvement of life quality in rural areas. 17,42 billion euro were allocated to Rural Development Programme in the years 2007–2013. This amount is three times higher than in the years 2004–2006 (the budget 5,38 billion euro). This indicates the higher use of the EU funds in Poland. The rate of the EU funds allocated to specific measures was diverse. Such activities as The modernization of agricultural holdings and Setting up of young farmers had the highest percentage of the funds limits use. As for the other activities within Rural Development Programme, fewer projects were implemented, as a result, the limit of the fund was not reached

Impact of Wind Power Plant Operation on Voltage Quality Parameters—Example from Poland

In Poland, there has been a steady increase in the share of wind-generated energy in the overall energy balance of the country. However, wind power plants belong to unstable energy sources—the amount of generated power is variable in time. Variable generation may cause problems with the quality of energy transmitted in electricity networks. Therefore, this article presents the results of field tests of the impact of the Vestas V90 2 MW wind turbine on selected voltage quality parameters occurring in the grid. Due to the multifaceted influence of the power plant on the parameters of the grid to which it is connected, the article focuses only on four selected parameters: voltage value, zero and reverse asymmetry, and the value of the voltage distortion factor. The research conducted by the authors confirmed the positive influence of the operation of the wind power plant on the quality parameters of the electricity transmitted through the power grid. An increase in the power generated in the tested Vestas V90 power plant resulted in a decrease in the values of both the asymmetry factor (zero and reverse) and the total voltage distortion factor THDU

Analysis of the Influence of Load on the Value of Zero-Voltage Asymmetry in Medium-Voltage Networks Operating with Renewable Energy Sources

The phenomenon of voltage asymmetry is common in electricity networks and is the cause of many unfavourable phenomena occurring, such as an increase in power and energy losses, as well as the abnormal operation of certain loads. Voltage asymmetry can be caused by several different factors, which include the design of the transmission line (e.g., routing of conductors in relation to each other and the earth), the parameters of consumer circuits (e.g., unequal loading of individual phases), or the design of network equipment (e.g., generators or transformers). An asymmetrical condition also occurs during system disturbances such as single-phase short circuits or lightning. One of the many factors impinging on voltage asymmetry in the electrical network is also the effect of load, but in the case of medium voltage power networks, this effect is neglected in the literature. This paper presents and evaluates the influence of the power consumed by consumers on the values of zero-voltage asymmetry factor indices in medium voltage compensated power networks with the neutral point earthed by an inductance (Petersen coil) operating with wind and photovoltaic power plants

Comparison of yield six selected varieties of winter triticale three consecutive growing seasons under Podlasie

W pracy porównano plonowanie sześciu odmian pszenżyta ozimego na dwóch poziomach agrotechnicznych a1 i a2. Na poziomie a1 stosowano podstawowe nawożenie mineralne uwzględniające przedplon i rodzaj gleby. Na poziomie a2 zwiększano nawożenie azotowe mineralne o 40 kg∙ha-1 z zastosowaniem nalistnych nawozów wieloskładnikowych i ochroną przed wyleganiem. W obu przypadkach w razie potrzeby stosowano środki chemiczne na insektycydy i fungicydy. Zbiór wykonano w fazie dojrzałości pełnej według skali BBCH 89. Najwyższy plon pszenżyta ozimego uzyskano w roku 2014. Średni plon pszenżyta ozimego na poziomie agrotechnicznym a1 w roku 2014 wyniósł 92,4 dt∙ha-1 i był większy w stosunku do plonu w roku 2012 i 2013 odpowiednio o 17% i 25%. Przy zastosowaniu poziomu agrotechnicznego a2 średni plon pszenżyta ozimego w 2014 roku wynosił 108,4 dt∙ha-1 i był większy w stosunku do roku 2012 i 2013 odpowiednio o 19% i 22%. Najniższy plon pszenżyta ozimego w trzech okresach wegetacyjnych na poziomie agrotechnicznym a1 uzyskano z odmiany Cerber, a jej plon w 2013 roku wyniósł 60,8 dt∙ha-1. Najwyższy plon pszenżyta ozimego na poziomie agrotechnicznym a1 uzyskano z odmiany Agostino, której plon w 2014 roku wyniósł 101,2 dt∙ha-1. Na poziomie agrotechnicznym a2 najniżej plonowała w ciągu trzech lata badań odmiana pszenżyta ozimego Cyrkon, a jej plon w 2013 roku wyniósł 75,1 dt∙ha-1. W 2014 roku z tej samej odmiany pszenżyta ozimego uzyskano najwyższy plon w ciągu całego okresu prowadzenia badań. Jej plon na poziomie agrotechnicznym a2 w 2014 roku wyniósł 112,2 dt∙ha-1. Plon pszenżyta ozimego odmiany Cyrkon w 2014 roku przy takiej samej agrotechnice był wyższy o 37,1 dt∙ha-1 co stanowi33,1% w stosunku do 2013 roku.The study compared yield of six cultivars of winter triticale on two levels agronomic a1 and a2. At the level of a1 applied the basic mineral fertilization taking into account forecrop and soil type. At the level of a2 increased mineral nitrogen fertilization of 40 kg ∙ ha-1 using foliar fertilizers and protection of incubation. In both cases, if desired, to chemical insecticides and fungicides. The collection was carried out in full maturity stage scale BBCH 89. The highest yield of winter triticale obtained in 2014. The average yield of winter triticale at the level of agricultural technology a1 in 2014 amounted to 92.4 dt ∙ ha-1 and was higher compared to the yield in 2012 and 2013, respectively, 17% and 25%. By applying the agro-technical a2 average yield of winter triticale in 2014 amounted to 108.4 dt ∙ ha-1 and was higher compared to the year 2012 and 2013 respectively A19% and 22%. The lowest yield of winter triticale in three growing seasons at the level of agricultural technology a1 obtained from a variety of Cerberus, and its yield in 2013 amounted to 60.8 dt ∙ ha-1. The highest yield of winter triticale at the level of agricultural technology a1 obtained from a variety Agostino, whose yield in 2014 was 101.2 dt ∙ ha-1. At the level of agricultural technology a1 yielded the lowest in over three years of research cultivar of winter triticale Zirconium and its yield in 2013 amounted to 75.1 dt ∙ ha-1. In 2014, the same variety of winter triticale obtained the highest yield during the whole period of research. Its yield at the level of agricultural technology a2 in 2014 amounted to 112.2 dt ∙ ha-1. The yield of winter triticale varieties Zirconium in 2014 with the same agricultural techniques was higher by 37.1 dt ∙ ha-1 which is 33.1% compared to 2013

The Effect of Agricultural Biogas Plants on the Quality of Farm Energy Supply

Agricultural biogas plants are among the renewable energy sources. While they have many advantages, they are less common than photovoltaic or wind power plants. One of the reasons for the lack of support for the construction of new agricultural biogas plants is the belief that biogas plants will affect the operation of consumers connected in its immediate vicinity through interference introduced into the grid. This article presents the possibilities a biogas plant built on a farm offers. The impact of an on-farm biogas plant on the voltage parameters of a farm specializing in barnless cattle rearing is analyzed in detail. As demonstrated by the authors’ research in one of the agricultural biogas plants (with an electrical capacity of 40 kW), these plants do not introduce significant disturbances to the power quality into the grid. The most significant changes in the parameters of the voltage supplying the farm under study were caused by the operation of the digester mixer installed in the fermenter. Thanks to the research, it was also possible to identify a problem with the effect of the digester mixer on the energy parameters produced in the biogas plant. This problem has so far not been noticed or corrected by biogas plant manufacturers

Electricity supply to irrigation systems for crops away from urban areas

Water scarcity is a phenomenon that is occurring more and more frequently in larger areas of Europe. As a result of drought, there are significant drops in yields. As demand for food continues to rise, it is becoming necessary to bring about a substantial increase in crop production. The best solution to water scarcity appears to be irrigation for crops that are particularly sensitive to drought. Today, many technical solutions are used to supply and distribute water to crops. The optimal solution is drip irrigation, which makes it possible to deliver water directly to the plant root system to save melting freshwater resources. In the article special attention was paid to methods of supplying electricity to power irrigation pumps. The analysis was made for areas with a significant distance between the agricultural land and the urbanised area (which has water and electricity). The authors have selected the parameters of an off-grid photovoltaic mini-hydropower plant with energy storage (with a power of 1.36 kW). An analysis was made of the profitability of such an investment and a comparison with other types of power supply. Based on the performed calculations, a prototype power supply system equipped with photovoltaic panels was made to show the real performance of the proposed system. The tests carried out showed that the irrigation pump will be powered most of the time with a voltage whose parameters will be very close to the nominal ones

Impact of the Wind Turbine on the Parameters of the Electricity Supply to an Agricultural Farm

Wind power plants are an increasingly common source of electricity located in rural areas. As a result of the high variability of wind power, and thus the generated power, these sources should be classified as unstable sources. In this paper, the authors attempted to determine the impact of wind turbine operation on the parameters of electricity supplied to farms located near the source. As a result of the conducted field tests, variability courses of the basic parameters describing the supply voltage were obtained. The influence of power plant variability on the values of voltage, frequency, and voltage distortion factor was determined. To estimate the capacity of the transmission lines, the reactive power produced in the power plant and its effect on the value of the power factor were determined. The conducted research and analysis showed that the wind power plant significantly influences voltage fluctuations in its immediate vicinity (the maximum value registered was close to 2%, while the value required by law was 2.5%). Although all the recorded values are within limits specified by the current regulations (e.g., the THD value is four times lower than the required value), wind turbines may cause incorrect operation of loads connected nearby. This applies mainly to cases where consumers sensitive to voltage fluctuations are installed in the direct vicinity of the power plant

Comparison of yield six of some very early potato varieties in 2013–2014

W badaniach realizowanych w latach 2013–2014 w Stacji Doświadczalnej w Krzyżewie porównano plonowanie 6 bardzo wczesnych odmian ziemniaka jadalnego: Arielle, Denar, Justa, Lord, Miłek oraz Viviana. Celem pracy była analiza wysokości plonu bulw ziemniaka. Uzyskane wyniki wykazują, że czynniki klimatyczne najsilniej oddziaływały na wielkość plonu ogólnego i handlowego bulw. W pracy porównano plony z dwóch lat uprawy oraz plony z dwóch terminów zbioru (wczesny i późny).In surveys conducted in 2013–2014 at the Experimental Station in Krzyżewo compared yielding 6 very early potato varieties of edible Arielle, Denar, Justa, Lord, Miłek and Viviana. The aim of the study was to analyze the amount of potato tuber yield. The results show that climatic factors the strongest influence on the yield of general and commercial tubers. The paper compares the yields of the two years of cultivation and yields of the two dates set (early and late)

Practical aspects of the use of milking robots

The article presents results of monitoring carried out in barns with milking robots. The use of milking robots makes it possible, with proper stocking, to milk cows without human intervention. The analysis included all barns with Lely robots located in the Podlaskie Voivodeship in 2018-2021. In 2018-2019, there were seven such barns, and in 2020-2021 nine. In all barns, high milk yields were obtained of more than 1000 kg compared to the average milk yield obtained from stock of cows under monitoring in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. In 2021, four barns milked more than 9.5 thous. kg, three barns more than 10 thous. kg and two barns almost 12 thous. kg of milk. Fat and protein contents were typical for the breed. Three barns were monitored more closely in 2021, with varying numbers of robot milking stations in barns, i.e. A one, B two and C three milking stations. In 2021, over 700,000 kg was milked per stall in stall A, over 750,000 kg in B and over 850,000 kg of milk in C. The average milk per cow per milking was high, with over 11 kg in barn A, 12 kg in B and 13 kg in C