Influence of tied ridging technology on the rate of surface runoff and erosion in potato cultivation

ArticleWater management and securing good condition of soil is becoming an important factor in agriculture one of the reasons being adaptation to the increasingly frequent extremes in weather. Tied ridging technology enables to reduce significantly the loss of water and soil from arable land. The effect of a tied ridger mounted on 2-row planter and effect of 6-row tied ridger on basin renewal was tested in potato cultivation on plots of land with length of 10 m. During entire season lasting 135 days the technology helped achieve 78% of efficiency in reduction of surface water runoff and 88% of efficiency in case of soil loss. In the case of furrows with only tied ridging the water retained represented additional 15% of total water from rainfall (37.5 mm of 250 mm) over untreated furrows. In the case of basins formed in furrows with wheel trails the water retained represented 15% of total water from rainfalls in the trail. This water retained on the land would have otherwise flown off and would not have been utilized without this technology. The renewal of dams after 1/3 of the season increased significantly the efficiency of this technology. The technology of tied ridging significantly contributes to sustainable agriculture management

The impact of weather conditions on microclimate in storage facilities

ArticleThe key to maintaining good qualitative parameters of stored grain on farms is to achieve and maintain suitable storage temperatures relative to the outside temperature. In the framework of this research, the main focus was on typical representatives of grain storage facilities used in the Czech agriculture. In the post - harvest period after the crops were stored in the chosen storage facilities, the temperature of the material was monitored at 15 - minute intervals using an external temperature probe as well as the temperature and dew point of the outdoor air. A simple linear regression model was used for data analysis. The correlated temperature d ependence of the stored grain varies considerably in the monitored storage facilities. The storage halls were characterized by a low dependence (r = 0.2208) of the temperature of the material on the outside air temperature in the first 4 months following t he harvest when the grains were being stabilized by active aeration. In addition to the grain and the air temperature, the second focus was monitoring the dew point, i.e. assessing the risk of water vapour condensation on the surface in the upper layer of the stored grain, which is very undesirable for maintaining the quality of the stored grain. The results show that the monitored storage hall can be characterized by the ability to maintain the required climate due to outdoor climatic conditions. In genera l, this ability mainly depends on the type and design of the storage facility, the aeration system and also the storage capacity. Mainly during spring the dew point and water vapour condensation can often happen within the grain, therefore the need to focu s on appropriate measures such as reduced aeration or increased grain mixing, and thus avoiding the formation of critical spots

Comparison of a 1 t and a 55 t container when storing spelt grain in mild climate of the Czech Republic

ArticleMaintaining a suitable microclimate inside the storage space is the most significant factor in maintaining good quality of stored grain for small farmers. This article is aimed at evaluating the influence of outdoor climatic conditions on the storage conditions, specifically the temperature of stored grain in two storage containers. One structure was a 4 × 6 m cylindrical container (55 t capacity) with a steel wire mesh wall lined with a textile shell. Spelt grain (Triticum spelta) was also stored simultaneously at the same location in a fabric intermediate bulk container (FIBC) bag with maximum capacity of 1 t. Neither structure was mechanically aerated. Grain moisture and temperature were monitored during the spring and start of the summer period of the year 2017 because of the biggest differences between the night and day temperatures. For monitoring of the grain microbiological changes samples were taken for laboratory tests during the whole experiment. Grain quality parameters measured during storage included the bulk density, crude protein, falling number, germination, gluten content, sedimentation index and contamination by mycotoxins. Monitored outdoor environment parameters were temperature, dew point and relative humidity. Results showed a strong dependence of the stored material temperature on the outside temperature in the case of FIBC bags (coefficient of determination R 2 = 0.927), whereas the dependence was weaker in the larger structure (R 2 = 0.625). Mycotoxins monitored during the period were below the detection limit in both cases