Modelling the process of local application of manure under glass crops

Abstract

The main lever for the production of an environmentally friendly product and an increase in crop yields, as well as a constant increase in soil fertility, as shown by domestic and foreign experience, is the use of organic fertilizers. At present, for all agricultural crops, including melons and gourds, organic fertilizers are mainly applied for plowing with manure spreaders. However, in relation to melon crops, such application technology is both irrational and uneconomical. This is explained by the fact that melons and gourds are cultivated on wide (from 1.8 m to 4.0 m) aisles. Therefore, when spreading (continuous) method of application, a significant part of the manure is not used by plants. Consequently, one of the main tasks of agricultural science is the creation of fundamentally new technological processes and machines that provide a significant increase in the efficiency of fertilizer use. Theoretical studies were carried out using the general laws of mechanics, mathematical modeling, taking into account the technological features of the application process and the physical and mechanical properties of manure. Studies show that the speed of the manure mass lags behind the speed of the spreader’s chain-slat conveyor, therefore, when calculating the productivity, a correction factor Ko = 0.5 … 0.6 should be introduced. The lower value corresponds to the minimum feed and the upper limit to the maximum. To divide the manure flow into three equal parts, it is necessary to install the dividers at a height of 0.64 m and the speed of the belt conveyor in the range of 0.25 … 0.44 m/s.