Yield Of Agricultural Products Research Articles

(t,n): Sensor Stipulation with THAM Index for Smart Agriculture Decision-Making IoT System

The rapid growth of industrial infrastructure creates ecological issues such as climate change. Field indecisiveness affects agricultural yields due to improper measurement, field assessment, selection of sensors and deployment of sensors. The accurate prediction of changes in weather parameters, field assessment and soil parameters, has become an outstanding challenge for the agricultural IoT. To solve this problem, we propose a (t, n) sensor selection mechanism and a soil temperature, humidity, air- and water-quality measurement (THAM) index for node stipulation, based on a smart decision-making system for the agricultural domain that considers the temperature quotient, an NPK fertilizer regulatory model and the agronomy function. The (t, n) node stipulation index defines an optimal number of sensors to monitor the field. The temperature quotient considers soil temperature and moisture to assess the growth rate. The agronomy function, based on water pH level and SO$${_2}$$ concentration level in air, assesses the production yield rate of the field. This framework improves the prediction performance for detecting abnormal conditions by 75%, with a reduction in the creation of unimportant data and the resources loss rate. It increases the agricultural production yield compared to existing systems.

Поликарбонатные теплицы с трансформируемой кровлей

Single-span arch and frame greenhouses with polycarbonate roof are considered. Cultivation facilities of this type are supplied by manufacturers for small forms of management. Polycarbonate roof has a number of advantages over plastic and glass fencing: it provides energy saving during the cold season, resists impact loads and does not require operating costs. However, during the summer, due to the greenhouse effect in the polycarbonate greenhouse, a significant temperature increase is possible, reducing the yield of agricultural products and deteriorating its quality. The maximum decrease in temperature in the structure is possible with natural air exchange through a tape ventilation opening created by lifting the ridge part of the roof. According to the results of the experiment, the aeration parameters necessary to reduce the internal temperature are established on the model of the greenhouse - the width of the tape opening and the height of the roof, expressed as a function of the span of the cultivation structure. The possibility of reducing the costs for the construction of a greenhouse in small form of ownership farms compared to the costs for the greenhouse of the factory supply are considered. The constructive scheme of a single-span frame greenhouse of construction production with a frame from rolling profiles with nodal connections on welding and enclosing designs from polycarbonate panels is offered. The dependences for determination of energy-efficient space-planning dimensions of the structure and steel consumption on the frame elements as a function of the parameters influencing it are derived. For the first three snow areas the pitch of frame frames corresponding to the minimum of steel consumption is justified.

The Cushion Performance of Mycelium-Cornstraw Biofoams

Biofoams are considered to be one of the best alternatives to polymer foam. In many biofoams, mycelium-based biofoams are favored in the recent years for its zero pollution and renewability during the forming and after treatment process. Mycelium-wood biofoams, mycelium-cottonseed shell biofoams have been proved to have good mechanical or sound absorption properties. While, whether corn straw, as the by-product of the largest yield of agricultural products, is suitable to prepare mycelium-based biofoam has not been studied yet. Here we used Pleurotus ostreatus mycelium bonding corn straw to prepare mycelium-cornstraw biofoams, and mechanical properties as well as bonding mechanism of the mycelium-cornstraw biofoams were studied. It was discovered that inoculum quantity was an important factor on the performance of mycelium-cornstraw biofoams, and inoculum quantity of 1.8% was considered as the optimal inoculum quantity. At this inoculum quantity, when relative deformation was 10%, the compressive strength of mycelium-cornstraw biofoam was about twice that of mycelium-broadleaf sawdust biofoams reported, but the time spent on material preparation is only about their 1/3.

Nano-pesticides: A great challenge for biodiversity?

Problems such as food shortages in the world, serious soil nutrient loss, and residues of pesticides in the environment have put enormous pressure on humans and the environment. In order to improve the yield and quality of food and alleviate the pressure of traditional pesticides on the environment, nano-pesticides have appeared and have been widely used due to their great role in saving agricultural costs, increasing the output of agricultural products, improving the nutrition and shelf life of foods, and achieving precision agriculture. However, the impact of nano-pesticides on biodiversity is still lacking clear research. We discuss here whether the use of nano-pesticides is a great challenge for biodiversity.

STATE SUPPORT FOR AGRICULTURAL SECTOR AND ITS IMPACT TO FORM RESULTS INDICES OF THE ACTIVITIES AT BRANCH ENTERPRISES

The financial support of agricultural producers at the expense of the state budget according to the of programs and regional peculiarities was analyzed. It was proved that the efficiency of activity at agricultural enterprises under modern conditions of management was impossible without an effective mechanism of state support. In Ukraine, it is implemented through programs financing envisaged by the legislation. The main ones are financial support of measures in the agro-industrial complex by reducing the cost of loans; development of farms; hop growing, laying of young gardens, vineyards and berry plantations and care of them; livestock raising. State support for agricultural producers is not only unstable but also significantly lower than that in Europe. In addition, the complexity and imperfection of the preparation process, the filing of documents and making a decision as to the payment of support led to the fact that not all amounts provided by the Law of Ukraine "About the Budget of Ukraine" are used. Therefore, a very small number of farming entities can use state funds, and farms of population i.e. individuals, are only able to receive a special budget subsidy for young cattle raising. Due to the artificial selection of enterprises that receive budget support, small and medium farms lose the prospect of further development. The above mentioned factors cause distortion in the objectives of state support for agriculture and do not contribute to the dynamic and stable development of the industry.The analysis of the used state support amount in the context of the administrative-territorial regions of Ukraine allowed to reveal a significant variation in its indices value per hectare of agricultural land and one agricultural enterprise that functioned during the research period. In addition, there was an uneven distribution of the state financial support amount concerning the regions with a share ranging from 28,7% to 1,2%. The calculated coefficients of pair correlation allowed us to conclude that the amounts of financial state support and the gross output of agricultural products at constant prices were closely interrelated.

Державне регулювання у сфері підвищення продуктивності використання ресурсного потенціалу аграрного сектора

Introduction. The agro-industrial sector has a significant impact on the national economy state, so the key task of public policy is to ensure its continued development. The purpose of the research is to evaluate the experience of highly developed countries (such as the USA) in the state regulation field of the productivity of the resource potential use at the agricultural sector to determine the key directions of the domestic agrarian policy development. Results. The possibility of using "green box" levers in domestic agricultural policy has been established aimed at optimizing the use of resource potential. The criteria of belonging of state measures to the "green box" are defined: their influence should not concern the price support of productions, financing is carried out at the expense of government budget programs, and not consumers of agricultural production. Uncertainty of goals and strategy of domestic agrarian reform has been revealed. The main reason for the imperfect development strategy of the domestic agrarian sphere is outlined - the lack of a concept and mechanism for state regulation of the productivity utilization of the resource potential at the agricultural sector enterprises. The low level of attention of the state authorities to the agriculture resource potential is justified. It has been established that the current practice of crop management leads to a deterioration of the soil and climatic conditions. This necessitates the search for new approaches to shaping the resource potential of agricultural enterprises. The unsatisfac-tory condition of fixed assets used in agriculture and their impact on the yield of agricultural products are characterized. The chronology of the state regulation system transformation of productivity of resource potential use in the USA’s agricul-tural sector is considered. The existence of permanent goals of agricultural policy has been established. The main types of US farms are characterized: individual farms, family partnerships and corporations. The American system orientation on strengthening the influence of state regulation in order to provide conditions for efficient use of resource potential is estab-lished. The main shortcomings of the domestic agricultural policy are identified and the directions of its improvement are suggested. Conclusions. Today there is no alternative to active state regulation aimed at the formation, restoration and utiliza-tion of the resource potential of the domestic agrarian sector. In this regard, it is necessary to ensure the optimal structure of market and social leverages on the resource potential. This impact must be comprehensive and continuous in order to achieve the stated goal. Keywords: resource potential, mechanism, agricultural enterprise, productivity, agrarian sector, agrarian policy, strategy, agrarian reform.

Alleviation of atrazine toxicity to maize seedlings grown in soils with amendment of biochar derived from wheat under different temperatures.

The effects of different biotransformation temperatures (250, 550, and 850 °C) and different dose (0-1%) of biochar on the physiological characteristics of maize seedlings under the stress of atrazine were studied. The results show that atrazine significantly inhibits the growth of maize seedlings, while biochar can alleviate the toxicity of atrazine to seedlings. Compared with the low temperature of biochar, the addition of BC850, the germination rate of maize was significantly increased. The biochars prepared at higher temperatures and adding 1% dose could significantly increase the plant height, while the effect of biochar on root growth of maize seedlings was not significant. According to the data, with the increase of biochar application, the accumulation of atrazine in maize leaves and roots gradually decreased. At the maximum application rate of 1%, the content of atrazine in maize leaves decreased by 58.94%, 60.70%, and 62.75%. The content of atrazine in maize roots decreased by 52.93%, 54.57%, and 55.42%, respectively. Meanwhile, the addition of biochar could slightly increase the chlorophyll content, but the change was not significant statistically, while the content of chlorophyll b increases with the application amount. The content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in roots and leaves decreased first and the increased with the dose of biochar from 0 to 1%. Compared with the atrazine treatment, the content of MDA in leaves and roots decreased significantly, and the lipid peroxidation of maize significantly decreased. With the addition of three kinds of biochar, the soluble content of plant tissues increased gradually, BC550 biochar has the most noticeable remediation effect. Given the toxicity of atrazine in soil, the quality and yield of agricultural products, and the potential health risks to human beings, biochar can be the soil remediation product.

Application of Ecovillage for the Redevelopment Strategy of Rural Communities in Taiwan. A Case Study of Jianguo Military Dependents’ Villages

Agriculture in Taiwan is facing challenges of issues related to industrial pollution, ground subsidence, agricultural safety as well as rural regeneration. Yunlin County has among the highest output of agricultural products in Taiwan. To achieve “Taiwan agricultural technology corridor” policy, Yunlin County promoted sustainable development model for creative water and energy saving agriculture and low-carbon environment by hosted the 2013 “Agricultural Expo.” Jianguo military dependents’ village, located nearby the Agricultural Expo Ecological Park, is the representative agricultural military dependents’ village in Taiwan which is evaluated to be redeveloped. Previous studies approved sustainable development was benefited with residents. Relative literatures indicated that imported brought positive effects for local redevelopment. This study, therefore, reviews the relevant literature on eco-village, and proposes a redevelopment strategies framework for eco-village based on that review and a two-stage questionnaire administered to experts. The first stage utilized the Fuzzy Delphi Method, which focuses on impact factors, and the second, the Analytical Network Process Method, deals with performance factors. The results indicate that the key impacts on the ecovillage redevelopment strategies for Jianguo military dependents’ village were (2.1) water and energy efficiency, (2.2) community symbiosis, and (2.3) cultural preservation. Water recycle, energy saving, and agricultural technology are the most important criteria for eco-village redevelopment strategies of Jianguo military dependents’ village.

Statistical Grounding of New National Priorities for the Land Using in the Agrarian Sector

Land resources of the agrarian sector are the most important сomponent of the national wealth of Ukraine. However, the efficiency of their use does not meet the present-day requirements, as it is aimed at the permanent increase in the gross output of agricultural products without taking into account the need for improvement and protection of soils, observing the ontology laws and ecology preservation. Land and agrarian reforms implemented through sharing and privatization of land plots have caused the formation of two largest groups of users and owners of agricultural lands: agroholdings and households. However, small and medium agrarian entities have not been properly developed, as it is done in many EU countries.
 The transformation of land relations in the domestic agrarian sector was directed to searching an honest landlord which had to be households. However, as follows from the study, true owners of land plots could not be found, as the reforms were implemented with significant violations and abuses. As a result, in many cases owners of land plots became individuals who were not directly related to agricultural lands. Unclaimed land shares and increased numbers of plots left by small owners indicate the failure of the land reform. 
 The owners of agroholdings exploiting their lands to obtain extra profits failed to use the leased lands in an efficient manner, mainly because the profitability of land was achieved without taking into account the need for preserving the soils fertility; the need to respect the laws of ecology and optology preservation is also ignored.
 The article substantiates the need of introducing new national priorities for the use of agricultural lands, where the formation of small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises should become the key measures. The need for inventory of land plots of the agroindustrial complex by land plot, land owner and land user is demonstrated, which will serve as a roadmap for developing the program of land use in the context of globalization and integration processes. Efficiency enhancement of the existing agrarian entities and creating new ones by analogy with the EU countries should become a new priority of the land use policy.
 The authors propose to engage the capacities of domestic R&D to setting the priorities of land use in the newly created united territorial communities.

Leveraging Atriplex hortensis choline monooxygenase to improve chilling tolerance in cotton

Low temperature is a major factor limiting seedling growth and the production of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). However, enhancing chilling tolerance is typically negatively correlated with yield in agricultural production. Here, we demonstrate that transgenic cotton expressing Atriplex hortensis choline monooxygenase (AhCMO) greatly enhanced resistance to chilling stress. The promotion of chilling tolerance is mainly due to an increase in the content of osmoprotectants, especially glycine betaine and proline. The increased chilling tolerance was further verified at the molecular level using genome-wide expression profiling by RNA-sequencing. Further detailed analysis showed that the number of genes involved in scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was down-regulated and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were decreased in AhCMO transgenic cotton compared with wild type after low temperture treatment. More importantly, overexpression of AhCMO in cotton moderately improved cotton fiber yield in normal growth condition. These data show that AhCMO transgenic cotton enhances low temperature tolerance via directly accumulating cellular osmoprotectants. Manipulating the expression of AhCMO by biotechnological tools could be a powerful method to enhance chilling tolerance in cotton.

Soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) seedlings response to shading: leaf structure, photosynthesis and proteomic analysis

BackgroundIntercropping and close planting are important cultivation methods that increase soybean yield in agricultural production. However, plant shading is a major abiotic stress factor that influences soybean growth and development. Although shade affects leaf morphological parameters and decreases leaf photosynthesis capacity, information on the responses of soybean leaf photosynthesis to shading at proteomic level is still lacking.ResultsCompared with leaves under normal light (CK) treatment, leaves under shading treatment exhibited decreased palisade and spongy tissue thicknesses but significantly increased cell gap. Although shade increased the number of the chloroplast, the thickness of the grana lamella and the photosynthetic pigments per unit mass, but the size of the chloroplast and starch grains and the rate of net photosynthesis decreased compared with those of under CK treatment. A total of 248 differentially expressed proteins, among which 138 were upregulated, and 110 were downregulated, in soybean leaves under shading and CK treatments were detected via isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification labeling in the three biological repeats. Differentially expressed proteins were classified into 3 large and 20 small groups. Most proteins involved in porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism, photosynthesis-antenna proteins and carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms were upregulated. By contrast, proteins involved in photosynthesis were downregulated. The gene family members corresponding to differentially expressed proteins, including protochlorophyllide reductase (Glyma06g247100), geranylgeranyl hydrogenase (Ggh), LHCB1 (Lhcb1) and ferredoxin (N/A) involved in the porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism, photosynthesis-antenna proteins and photosynthesis pathway were verified with real-time qPCR. The results showed that the expression patterns of the genes were consistent with the expression patterns of the corresponding proteins.ConclusionsThis study combined the variation of the soybean leaf structure and differentially expressed proteins of soybean leaves under shading. These results demonstrated that shade condition increased the light capture efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) in soybean leaves but decreased the capacity from PSII transmitted to photosystem II (PSI). This maybe the major reason that the photosynthetic capacity was decreased in shading.

TOOLS FOR IMPROVING OPERATIONAL RISK MANAGEMENT IN AGRICULTURE

The agricultural sector is most subject to the influence of risk factors. This might be explained by the fact that the efficiency and the output of agricultural production depends not only on invested labor and funds, but also on climatic, weather, environmental conditions, natural disasters. In this regard, the development of theoretical foundations of operational risk management in agriculture is highly relevant. The objective of our study was to develop measures to improve the methods of risk assessment and operational risk management at the level of agricultural enterprises, taking into account the requirements of environmental management and environmental protection. The article discusses the conditions and features of agricultural production at the present stage of economic development, gives a comparative description of various sectors of the economy by the presence of risk factors and proposes methods for operational risk management in the agro-industrial complex. An risk management algorithm for agricultural enterprises has been developed.

Improving Food Supply throught Increasing Local Production in Azerbaijan

Research reviews and accumulated experiences show that irrespective of the branch of agriculture, its main production means are soil.The output of agricultural products and the development of different types of farms depend on the use of soil and its fertility. Azerbaijan has large areasof fertile lands that can produce high yields of agricultural plants.The purpose of the research is to investigate the sources and factors of food security that are of particular importance for ensuring food security of Azerbaijan and meeting the needs of the population in foodstuffs. The current state of food production in Azerbaijan, ways to improve food supply, and food market problems are investigated. Statistical data on the output of cereal grain products, legumes, potato, vegetables and melons, fruit and berries over 2003–2017 are given. The self-sufficiency and import dependence of Azerbaijan in plant products are estimated. The statistical analysis shows that Azerbaijan is still unable to meet the demand for basic food products through their domestic production; the share of imports of grain, grain legumes, vegetable oils, milk and dairy products in the total consumption remains to be high. This means that the positions of foreign producers in the domestic agricultural and food markets have been strengthening compared with the local producers’ positions in respective product segments. Another problem is related with the economic efficiency in the agricultural sector, including more efficient use of land, material and technical means, dissemination of agricultural innovations, intensification of production processes. Recommendations on optimization of food supply and achievement of food safety in Azerbaijan are given.

Proteomic Analysis of a Rice Mutant sd58 Possessing a Novel d1 Allele of Heterotrimeric G Protein Alpha Subunit (RGA1) in Salt Stress with a Focus on ROS Scavenging.

High salinity severely restrains plant growth and results in decrease of crop yield in agricultural production. Thus, it is of great significance to discover the crucial regulators involved in plant salt resistance. Here, we report a novel mutant, sd58, which displays enhanced salt tolerance and dwarf phenotype, by screening from ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) mutagenized rice mutant library. Genetic analysis showed that sd58 was caused by a single recessive locus. Map-based cloning and allelic test revealed that the phenotypes of sd58 were due to the mutation of RGA1, encoding the alpha subunit of heterotrimeric G protein (Gα). A point mutation (G to A) was identified at the splicing site (GT-AG) of the first intron in RGA1, which gives rise to the generation of abnormal mRNA splicing forms. Furthermore, 332 differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) were identified by using an Isobaric Tags for Relative and Absolute Quantitation(iTRAQ)-based proteomic technique from seedlings of sd58 and Kitaake in response to salt treatment. Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed these proteins were mainly involved in regulation of the processes such as metabolic pathways, photosynthesis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis. Under salt stress, sd58 displayed lower ROS accumulation than Kitaake, which is consistent with the higher enzyme activities involved in ROS scavenging. Taken together, we propose that RGA1 is one of the regulators in salt response partially through ROS scavenging, which might be helpful in elucidating salt tolerant mechanisms of heterotrimeric G protein in rice.

Design of a Hybrid System for Rural Area Electricity Supply in Comoros

Comoros Islands suffering from energy stress due to rolling power cuts in the country mainly due to problems with failures heat engines fuelled with diesel. These blackouts induce shortages of energy while demand for energy does not cease to grow with the population. An alternative way for the Comoros Islands to get out of this energy crisis is to exploit the existing energy renewable sources, in particular to invest in the hybrid energy, a promising technology in terms of economic efficiency. The north of Ngazidja Island, in the region of Mitsamiouli, is considered among the economic lungs of this Island. It is spread in the field of tourism but also an area developed in agriculture and fishing. The Village of Koua Mitsamiouli located in rural area of this region is well known for its efficient yield in agricultural production, although the latter suffers from an energy stress in its last years. This lack of energy and water permanently to farmers has caused its production capacity to fall. In order to increase its agricultural profitability, and to satisfy the needs of the population for their activities such as trade, health, education, banking transactions, product preserving in retail stores, the energy autonomy of this village is more than necessary. It is important to notice that, the use of renewable energies in Comoros is very limited by photovoltaic (PV) solar panels. Hybrid technology and other renewable energy sources are not yet developed in Comoros Island. The main objective of this work is to propose the best possible sizing of a hybrid system for the production of electricity from renewable and non-renewable energy resources in order to satisfy the electrical needs in a reliable manner of the remote of village, Koua Mitsamiouli, for energetic autonomy. Indeed, two energy resources, composed by solar photovoltaic (PV) system and diesel generator are considered in the hybrid system. This study estimates the community demand with HOMER analysis. In order to check the performance of the overall system combination photovoltaic (PV)/generator, several numerical simulations were performed with the HOMER software using data from the national meteorological agency in Comoros and the results obtained by authors are satisfactory in terms of cost and reliability of the system.

Сельскохозяйственные предприятия Новосибирской области в конце 1980-х – 1990-е гг.

<span>Анализируется деятельность сельскохозяйственных предприятий Новосибирской области; развитие и функционирование организационно-хозяйственной структуры сельского хозяйства региона в конце 1980-х гг., причины и ход ее трансформации в 1990-е гг.; изменение организационно-правовых форм сельхозпредприятий, финансово-экономических условий и показателей функционирования хозяйств, их материально-технической и кадровой базы, удельного веса в производстве сельскохозяйственной продукции, объемов и темпов его развития. Констатируется, что в Новосибирской области в 1990-е гг. доминирующую роль в аграрной экономике играли крупные коммерческие организации, созданные на базе бывших колхозов и совхозов. При этом объемы выпуска сельхозпродукции существенно сократились. В особо тяжелой ситуации оказалось животноводство. Самыми сложными в финансово-экономическом плане для сельхозпредприятий Новосибирской области оказались 1996–1998 гг.</span>

Construction of an in-situ smart device that measures some basic environmental factors for agricultural monitoring

Most of the rural agricultural and extension officers have no access to the daily variations in meteorological data that affect the growth and yield of crops. This is as a result of little or no access to the data that could be used to predict the best agricultural practices for optimum output in the rural environments. In this work, a portable and user friendly smart Automated Weather Station (AWS) was constructed. The device that is programmed with Arduino UNO is capable of measuring the temperature, relative humidity and moisture content of the soil. The performance evaluation of the device was observed in the laboratory and on-site (Covenant University farm) both on the sunny and rainy days respectively. It was revealed that there is positive linear relationship between the volume of water added to the soil sample and the soil moisture content in the laboratory measurements. The on-site measurements showed that the temperature is inversely proportional to the relative humidity and soil moisture content. This device is efficient in taking the short-term essential parameters that could improve the yield of agricultural products in the rural environments if properly utilized.

Theoretical-methodological and practical aspects of the efficiency of using of land resources in Ukraine

The article deals with theoretical-methodological and practical aspects of the of land in Ukraine. In the course of the study, the differences between the and efficient of land are indicated. The effectiveness of using of land from the point of view of different scholars is described. The generalization of the types of the of using of land is given. The factors influencing the of using agricultural lands are determined. The authors generalize the indexes of the of land use. The indexes of production and economic indexes of agriculture in Ukraine for 2011-2016 are presented. While dwelling on the topic of the article the dialectical method of scientific knowledge and the general scientific methods of cognition were used: systematic approach, historical approach, analysis and synthesis, methods of structural and comparative analysis, statistical analysis. As a result of the research, it was noted that in the modern scientific literature, the definition the concepts of effective of land resources and efficiency of land use are not the same. However, both definitions are related to the rational of land resources. In our opinion, the effectiveness of usingof land is a set of qualitative and quantitative parameters for the of land to achieve the set goals at minimum costs, taking into account the socio-economic consequences of land use. The generalization of the types of the of land makes it possible to group the types of according in the following way: natural, structural, technical, technological, economic, cost, social, ecological, energy, investment, socio-economic, ecological-economic, industrial-technical, industrial-economic, socio-ecological and economic. In examining the issue of the of land use, it is necessary to characterize the indexes that allow determining the level and extent of the of land in the process of monitoring the of land use. However, the effectiveness of using of land can not be determined applying one common index and even one common set of indexes (economic or technical, etc.). Therefore, the overall index of the of land is a very complex integral indexes, which includes economic, technical, social, environmental and other indexes that characterize the livelihoods of both enterprises and the national economy as a whole. The indexes of agricultural production for 2011-2016 (without taking into account the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Sevastopol and parts of the zone of anti-terrorist operation) have positive dynamics. This suggests that, despite the difficult economic and political conditions in the country, agriculture remains the leading production in the country. In Ukraine, in 2011-2016, the output of agricultural products increased by 151%. We have a tendency for growth of the indexes in all the groups: gross added value, net added value, laborwages, factor income, net current profit / mixed income. Taking into account the positive dynamics of net current profit, we can speak about the positive dynamics of the profitability of the agricultural sector in Ukraine. The conducted researches in the article serve as the basis for further scientific research concerning the complex estimation of the of using land in Ukraine applying the indexes presented in the article. Keywords : land resources, efficiency, performance indicators, agriculture.

Research on the Application of Directional Advertising on Farm Products Based on Variance Analysis

As an important foundation of national economic development, agriculture is the major part of the people's material and economy in our country, and also the employment department to maintain the people's livelihood in our country. Heilongjiang, as an important agricultural province in China, enjoys its own areal granary. In recent years, the output of agricultural products in China has been increasing year by year, but the phenomenon of hard selling of agricultural products has become more serious because the technological backwardness of supporting measures such as product warehousing, logistics and sales channels has not reached the corresponding level of development. Not only cannot bring benefits to farmers, it will also discourage farmers' enthusiasm for production. This paper analyzes the variance of several factors that influence the sale of agricultural products in Heilongjiang province, such as the ways of agricultural distribution advertising at home and abroad, the present situation of marketing advertisements in Heilongjiang province, and the factors affecting sales in targeted advertisements. Three parts to Heilongjiang Province Beidahuang rice industry e-commerce line advertising put forward suggestions.

Application of Cluster Analysis for Identifying Homogenous Zones of Operation of Agricultural Enterprises

The cluster analysis ofagricultural enterprises is made by region Ukraine. The analysis is made by the agricultural sector and its subsectors: plant-growing and animal husbandry. Homogenous regional zones characterizing the performance agricultural enterprises are identified. The clustering is made using SPPS software. In the problems involved in the cluster analysis Euclidean distance is used. The cluster analysis is used for constructing green maps illustrating the impact agricultural activities at enterprises on the production output of the agricultural sector and its subsectors: plant-growing and animal husbandry. The constructed dendrogram was used fo r creating two clusters showing low and high performance of the plant-growing sector. The first cluster includes 17 regions Ukraine have high performance along with low application mineral fertilizers: Vinnytsya region, Dnipropetrovsk region, Donetsk region, Zhytomyr region, Zaporizhzhya region, Kyiv region, Kirovohrad region, Luhansk region, Mykolaiv region, Odesa region, Poltava region, Sumy region, Kharkiv region, Kherson region, Khmelnytsk region, Cherkasy region, andChernihiv region. The second cluster includes 7 regions with low plant-growing performance along with intensive application mineral fertilizers: Volyn region, Transkarpaty region, Ivano- Frankivsk region, Lviv region, Rivne region, Ternopil region, Chernivtsi region. The characteristics of regional zones by agricultural production output, numbers cattle and poultry, and agriculture performance give evidence that in view ofthe similarity in the conditions their territories, they require similar measures aiming to improve business environment in the sector and mechanisms fo r the development agroindustrial complex in Ukraine.