Sugar beet harvest technology

Das sogenannte Putzen der Rübenköpfe erlangt wieder an Bedeutung. Da die Minimierung der Köpfdicke zum vermehrten Verbleib von Blattresten am Rübenkopf der gerodeten Rüben führt, bieten die Hersteller weiche Kunststoffschlegel an, die entweder vor dem Köpfschnitt oder danach den Rübenkopf nachputzen. Zur Minderung der Bodenbelastung durch die hohen Maschinengewichte können nun die Reifen auf einen Innendruck von 140 kPa eingestellt werden und fahrwerkstechnische Maßnahmen verbessern die Radlastverteilung bei den Rodern. Assistenzsysteme dienen der Entlastung des Fahrers bei gleichzeitiger automatisierter Optimierung des Rodeprozesses.Flail-cleaning of beet crown is again an option of defoliation devices. By minimizing the scalping cut more petioles on the beet crowns remain and are delivered to the refineries raising the gross tare of beets. Rotating soft flails are used to clean the crown from leaf residues. To reduce soil compaction from heavy tankers tire inflation pressure is now reduced to 140 kPa and kinematics of wheel suspension has been improved to balance wheel load. Automation of the complex machine operations serves for optimization of the machine process and relieve of operator

Sugar beet harvest technology

Das Angebot in der Zuckerrübenerntetechnik ist wesentlich verbreitert worden, insofern als dass nun die drei führenden Hersteller in Deutschland das gesamte Produktspektrum aus 2- und 3-achsigen Rodern mit 6-, 8- und 9-reihigen Rodeaggregaten und Ausstattungen für die Entblätterung Rüben mit und ohne Nachköpfer anbieten. Alle Hersteller haben nun auch Reinigungslader im Programm. Andererseits ist durch Firmenübernahmen die Anzahl der Anbieter vermindert worden. Die selbstfahrenden 6-reihigen Köpfrodebunker setzen sich damit weiter in Europa als Erntekonzept durch. Die Arbeitsqualität dieser Maschinen ist gekennzeichnet durch einen Masseverlust von 3,9% und einem Erdanteil von 9,8% bei einer Arbeitsgeschwindigkeit von 6 km/h. 78% der Rüben werden gut geköpft oder entblattet.The offer of harvesting machines has been extended. Totally three leading manufacturers produce 2- and 3-axle tankers with 6-,8- and 9-row headers with either topping or defoliation device. The product range of all these companies includes now cleaner loaders. However the number of producing manufacturers for harvesting equipment has been again reduced by taking possessions. This industrial structural adaption is the cause for or a consequence of the trend in Europe towards tanker type self-propelled harvesting. The quality of harvesting by these machines is characterized by mass losses of 3.9% and soil tare of 9.8% related to a travel speed of 6 km/h. 8% of the beets were harvested with good topping or defoliation quality

Technology for row crops, sugar beet harvest technology

Die Rodetechnik wird durch elektronische Komponenten verbessert. Automatische Einstellung der Rodefunktionen, das Wenden am Vorgewende und das Befüllen der Transportfahrzeuge durch Reinigungslader wird elektronisch überwacht und automatisch gesteuert. Zunehmend werden die Systeme mit der Abfuhrlogistik und dem Service der Maschinenhersteller vernetzt.The harvesting technology is improved by electronic components. Automatic setting of the lifting functions, turning at the headlands and filling the transport vehicles with cleaner loaders is electronically monitored and automatically controlled. The digital systems are increasingly networked with the transport logistics and services of the machine manufacturers

Harvest of sugar beet

Der Anbau von Zuckerrüben in Deutschland hat sich auf einer Fläche von 360 000 ha stabilisiert. Die Hersteller von Erntetechnik konnten deshalb über einen hohen Absatz auch Neuerungen in den Markt bringen. Dazu zählt insbesondere die veränderte Technik zur Entfernung des Blattes. Zwei Ansätze beginnen sich durchzusetzen, einmal das Abschlegeln mit einem zweiwelligen Schlegelvorsatz ohne Köpfschnitt und zweitens das Köpfen mit Schnittstärkenverstellung. Mit diesen Verfahren kann zwischen 3 und 4 % mehr Rübenmasse geerntet werden. Der Hersteller Kleine hat eine neue Baureihe von KRB 6 SF in zwei- und dreiachsiger Ausführung vorgestellt mit einem Bunkerfassungsvermögen von bis zu 40 m³. Reinigungslader werden jetzt mit einer Aufnahmebreite von bis zu 10 m und höhenverstellbaren Kabinen angeboten.Sugar beets have been grown on an area of 360 000 ha in Germany. Growers used the stable conditions to purchase new equipment, manufacturers of harvest technology could sell their newest products and as a consequence the related innovations entered into the practice. High attention was given to mass loss reducing of beet topping. Two approaches are now established in the famers practice. Defoliation by two shaft choppers with flails and micro topping by cutting device have lowered the cut height for smaller plants. The average mass loss by traditional topping is estimated at 3 to 4 % of the beet mass. A new chassis with tow joints in the central frame and wheel steering on all axles has been launched by the company Kleine for tankers with load capacity of up to 40 m³. Loader cleaners are now offered with 10 m pickup devices and liftable cabins

Cup plant: crop establishment by sowing

Die Durchwachsene Silphie, ein ausdauernder Korbblütler aus Nordamerika, hat sich bei der Suche nach alternativen Biogassubstraten als aussichtsreich erwiesen. Bisherige Pflanzenbestände der Durchwachsenen Silphie wurden mittels des zeit- und kostenintensiven Pflanzverfahrens etabliert. Durch die Verwendung eines Einzelkornsäverfahrens können die Verfahrenskosten für die Bestandesetablierung deutlich gesenkt werden. Das unför­mige Saatgut erschwert die Saatguteinzelung und die geringe Triebkraft erfordert eine präzise Saatgutbedeckung. Ziel der Versuche ist es, eine praxisübliche Einzelkornsämaschine ohne große Änderungen am technischen System so zu modifizieren, dass ein gleichmäßiges Auflaufergebnis der Durchwachsenen Silphie erzielt wird.Cup plant, a perennial composite from North America, has been found as a promising plant species in search for alternative biogas substrates. It is common to establish cup plant by the transplanting method which is time consuming and expensive. Sowing of cup plant might cause a significant reduction of the process costs, but the bulky seed complicates singling of the grains and due to the low germination power a precise seed cover is required. The aim of the experiments was to adjust an ordinary precision seeder to establish the cup plant without major modifications of the technique of the precision seeder

Mineralization of vegetable oils used for thermal weed control in arable soils

Hot vegetable oil can be used for weed control as an alternative to the use of herbicides. We analysed the temporal development of vegetable oil mineralization in soil and tested the role of nutrient supply on oil mineralization. Further, we investigated the effect of oil application on mineralization of native soil organic carbon (SOC), i.e. the priming effect. In a laboratory experiment, three oil dosages (0.1, 1.0 and 3.0ml per 35g soil) were applied to three arable soils and soil respiration was measured hourly. Both a C3-sunflower oil and a C4-corn oil were used in order to differentiate oil-derived CO2 from SOC-derived CO2. The results revealed that after 42days of incubation, 9.6 to 39.7% of the applied oil was mineralized which, however, also primed the mineralization of SOC by a factor of 2.2 to 4.2. The higher the applied oil amount, the lower was the percentage of oil-C mineralization, but the higher was the priming effect. The addition of fertilizer (0.29mgNg(-1) soil and 0.048mgPg(-1) soil) increased oil-C mineralization to 39.9 to 50.9%. We conclude that oil can temporarily accumulate in soil, especially in case of low nutrient supply. As the addition of oil stimulates SOC mineralization, a decrease of native SOC stocks may occur, which needs further quantification in long-term field experiments.Peer reviewe

Modeling the Fluid Dynamics in a Human Stomach to Gain Insight of Food Digestion

During gastric digestion, food is disintegrated by a complex interaction of chemical and mechanical effects. Although the mechanisms of chemical digestion are usually characterized by using in vitro analysis, the difficulty in reproducing the stomach geometry and motility has prevented a good understanding of the local fluid dynamics of gastric contents. The goal of this study was to use computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to develop a 3-D model of the shape and motility pattern of the stomach wall during digestion, and use it to characterize the fluid dynamics of gastric contents of different viscosities. A geometrical model of an averaged-sized human stomach was created, and its motility was characterized by a series of antral-contraction waves of up to 80% relative occlusion. The flow field within the model (predicted using the software Fluent™) strongly depended on the viscosity of gastric contents. By increasing the viscosity, the formation of the 2 flow patterns commonly regarded as the main mechanisms driving digestion (i.e., the retropulsive jet-like motion and eddy structures) was significantly diminished, while a significant increase of the pressure field was predicted. These results were in good agreement with experimental data previously reported in the literature, and suggest that, contrary to the traditional idea of a rapid and complete homogenization of the meal, gastric contents associated with high viscous meals are poorly mixed. This study illustrates the capability of CFD to provide a unique insight into the fluid dynamics of the gastric contents, and points out its potential to develop a fundamental understanding and modeling of the mechanisms involved in the digestion process

Northern Eurasia Future Initiative (NEFI): facing the challenges and pathways of global change in the 21st century

During the past several decades, the Earth system has changed significantly, especially across Northern Eurasia. Changes in the socio-economic conditions of the larger countries in the region have also resulted in a variety of regional environmental changes that can have global consequences. The Northern Eurasia Future Initiative (NEFI) has been designed as an essential continuation of the Northern Eurasia Earth Science Partnership Initiative (NEESPI), which was launched in 2004. NEESPI sought to elucidate all aspects of ongoing environmental change, to inform societies and, thus, to better prepare societies for future developments. A key principle of NEFI is that these developments must now be secured through science-based strategies co-designed with regional decision makers to lead their societies to prosperity in the face of environmental and institutional challenges. NEESPI scientific research, data, and models have created a solid knowledge base to support the NEFI program. This paper presents the NEFI research vision consensus based on that knowledge. It provides the reader with samples of recent accomplishments in regional studies and formulates new NEFI science questions. To address these questions, nine research foci are identified and their selections are briefly justified. These foci include: warming of the Arctic; changing frequency, pattern, and intensity of extreme and inclement environmental conditions; retreat of the cryosphere; changes in terrestrial water cycles; changes in the biosphere; pressures on land-use; changes in infrastructure; societal actions in response to environmental change; and quantification of Northern Eurasia's role in the global Earth system. Powerful feedbacks between the Earth and human systems in Northern Eurasia (e.g., mega-fires, droughts, depletion of the cryosphere essential for water supply, retreat of sea ice) result from past and current human activities (e.g., large scale water withdrawals, land use and governance change) and potentially restrict or provide new opportunities for future human activities. Therefore, we propose that Integrated Assessment Models are needed as the final stage of global change assessment. The overarching goal of this NEFI modeling effort will enable evaluation of economic decisions in response to changing environmental conditions and justification of mitigation and adaptation efforts

Performance Test of a Sensor Array-Based Odor Detection Instrument

Rosana G. Moreira, Editor-in-Chief; Texas A&M UniversityThis is a paper from International Commission of Agricultural Engineering (CIGR, Commission Internationale du Genie Rural) E-Journal Volume 6 (2004): A. Yuwono and P. Schulze Lammers. Performance Test of a Sensor Array-Based Odor Detection Instrument. (May 2004)