Research Paper
Soil, Water and Plant Relationships
Anahita Hadighanavat; Abdolrahim hooshmand; Parvaneh Tishehzan; Kazem Rangzan; Naser Alemzadeh ansari,
Abstract
Introduction Nowadays, the management of water resources has become one of the major challenges in the world due to recent droughts and water shortages. Therefore, timely and non-destructive monitoring of Water use efficiency (WUE) and yield of plants to screen cultivars with high water use performance ...
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Introduction Nowadays, the management of water resources has become one of the major challenges in the world due to recent droughts and water shortages. Therefore, timely and non-destructive monitoring of Water use efficiency (WUE) and yield of plants to screen cultivars with high water use performance and efficiency and rational allocation of water has become one of the important goals in agriculture. Compared with traditional crop Yield and WUE monitoring and diagnostic tools, hyperspectral remote sensing technology has made it possible to obtain water use efficiency and Yield by taking advantage of large amounts of continuous data on a large scale. Therefore, this study aimed to create a model capable of estimating the WUE and Yield of tomato plants based on hyperspectral remote sensing data by establishing a relationship between common spectral indices and WUE and Yield in greenhouse conditions.Materials and Methods The research was carried out during the growing season of 2021 from January to June at the research greenhouse of the Department of Water and Environmental Engineering, Shahid Chamran University, Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province, The main factor was irrigation treatments in three levels including full irrigation, 20%, and 40% deficit irrigation, and the sub-main factor was silica nanoparticles with concentrations of 0 and 100 mg/lit. The pot experiment plot was laid out in a split plot in a randomized complete design (RCD) with four replications (120 pots in total). Then Tomato yield and WUE under the various treatments, were calculated. Canopy hyperspectral reflectance was measured using a portable spectrometer (ASD FieldSpec 3) operated in the spectral range of 350-2500 nm. The spectral data acquisition was conducted in four stages of plant growth during the growing season and the data were used to calculate spectral indices NWI5, WI3, WI4, NDVI, NDVI, and OSAVI. Then the ability of spectral indices to evaluate the water use efficiency and yield of tomato plants in different irrigation regimes and nanoparticles was investigated. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed on spectral indices and WUE and yield of tomato plants using a split plot design. The PROC GLM method of SAS software (version 9.4, SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC, USA) was used for this analysis. Then, in order to compare the averages and whether they have a significant difference with each other at the 0.01 and 0.05 levels, the least significant difference (LSD) test was used.Results and Discussion The results showed that the Water use efficiency (WUE) under deficit irrigation treatments is increased with increasing water stress but the yield of tomato decreases with increase of water stress. In addition, the WUE and yield of tomato increases with increasing the concentration of silica nanoparticles (from 0 to 100 mg/liter). The value of NDVI and OSAVI indices decreased with the increase of water stress, while the value of RDVI, WI3, WI4 and NWI5 indices increased. The amount of NDVI and OSAVI spectral indices in the treatment containing 100 mg/liter nanoparticles was higher than the treatment without nanoparticles. Also, the amount of spectral indices RDVI, WI3, WI4 and NWI5 in nanoparticles with a concentration of 100 mg/liter was lower than the control treatment (zero concentration). The results also showed that the coefficient of determination between the different spectral indices and the WUE and Yield index was 0.55**Furthermore, among the six spectral indices, three spectral indices (NWI5, WI3, and WI4) jointly met most of the criteria used to determine the accuracy of the models for predicting yield and WUEConclusion Maintaining existing water resources through improving irrigation management and increasing water use efficiency and Yield of plants is the main goal for the sustainable development of water agriculture. As a result, rapid and non-destructive monitoring of water use efficiency and Yield is of great importance in improving irrigation management of crops and saving water consumption. significant relationship with yield and WUE index of tomato plants in greenhouse conditions. In conclusion, Spectral indices studied in this research could be useful and non-destructive assessments of the water use efficiency and yield of tomato in greenhouse conditions.Keywords: Deficit Irrigation, Spectral indices, spectroscopy, Tomato Plant, Water use efficiency
Research Paper
Plant Nutrition, Soil Fertility and Fertilizers
Narges sousaraeS; Mojtaba Barani Motlagh; Seyed Alireza Movahedi Naeini
Abstract
Introduction: When the supply of micronutrients needed by the plant is insufficient, not only the yield of the product but also the quality of plant products are affected. Application of organic amendments is one of the ways to increase the nutrients such as zinc uptake by plants for. Biochar can be ...
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Introduction: When the supply of micronutrients needed by the plant is insufficient, not only the yield of the product but also the quality of plant products are affected. Application of organic amendments is one of the ways to increase the nutrients such as zinc uptake by plants for. Biochar can be used as a raw material for the preparation and synthesis of mineral or metal composites due to its high specific surface area, porous structure and oxygen bonding groups on its surface. In these composites, biochar is used as a good porous structure to support and host metals. Biochar can have a significant impact on soil properties, the availability of nutrients, and the dynamics of the nutrients in arid and semi-arid soils, Depending on the feedstock and pyrolysis conditions However, very limited studies have examined biochar use as a nutrient carrier in the synthesis of organic-mineral compounds. Therefore, the present study was done to investigate the efficiency of zinc-enriched biochar pellets using two pre-pyrolysis and post- pyrolysis methods, and their effect on some physiological traits (chlorophyll a, b and total) and bioavailability of zinc in soil and plant.Methods and Materials A zinc deficiency Soil was collected from 0-30 cm depth under arable lands of Seyed Abad located in Azadshahr township, Golestan Province, Iran. To achieve the objectives of this study, a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with three replications and 18 treatments (54 pots in total) was performed in the greenhouse of Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Factors included three types of zinc fertilizers (zinc sulphate, zinc-rich biochar prepared using pre-pyrolysis and post-pyrolysis methods) in three levels (0, 10 and 20 mg kg-1 zinc) and foliar spraying (distilled water and 3:1000 zinc). Zinc foliar spraying was done during the 6-10 leaf stage in the early hours of the morning before sunrise. Irrigation and weeding operations were performed manually. At the end of the growing period (vegetative and reproductive), some physiological traits (chlorophyll a, b, total and carotenoid), concentration and zinc uptake in shoots in the two stages of flag leaf emergence and seed maturity, and available concentration of zinc in the soil after wheat plant harvest were measured. The statistical results of the data were analyzed using SAS software and LSD test (at 5% level) was used for comparing the mean values.Results and Discussion: Based on the results, the interaction of type and levels of treatments was significant on all the studied traits at P<0.01, except for carotenoid. The means comparison showed that both zinc-enriched biochar pellets and zinc sulfate increased physiological traits in wheat plants. The highest amount of chlorophyll a, b, and total was obtained with an average of 4.99, 3.36, and 8.35 mg g-1 of fresh weight of the plant from the treatment of a pre-pyrolysis pellet with a concentration of 20 mg kg-1 with zinc sulfate foliar spraying, respectively. The highest zinc uptake in both the flag leaf emergence and seed maturity stages was obtained with an average of 120.33 and 86.62 mg kg-1 of dry weight of the plant from the pre and post-pyrolysis pellet treatment with a concentration of 20 mg/kkg with zinc sulfate foliar spraying, which had an increase of 20 mg kg-1 of zinc sulfate foliar spraying, respectively, equivalent to 27.69 and 30%. The pre-pyrolysis pellet treatment with 20 mg kg-1 zinc and zinc sulfate foliar spraying gave the most zinc extracted with DTPA, at an average of 3.41 mg kg-1. This was compared to the 10 mg kg-1 and 0 mg kg-1 pre-pyrolysis biochar pellet treatments, which gave an average of 2.39 mg kg-1 and 0.92 mg kg-1, respectively, which is an increase of 29.91 and 73.02 percent. The amount of DTPA extractable Zn with the amount of chlorophyll a (r = 0.87**), chlorophyll b (r = 0.81**), total chlorophyll (r = 0.87**), and carotenoids (r = 0.89**) had a positive and significant correlation. The results showed that between DTPA extractable Zn with zinc concentration (r = 0.91**) and zinc uptake (r = 0.90**) in the stage of flag emergence and zinc concentration (r = 0.87**) and zinc uptake (r = 0.86**) in the stage of seed maturity in the wheat plant, there was a positive and significant correlation.Conclusions: In general, the results showed that the positive role of biochar-zinc pellets in increasing the concentration and zinc uptake in wheat plants. Nevertheless, supplemental zinc foliar application with biochar pellets rich in zinc in the amount of 20 mg kg-1 in the form of post-pyrolysis had the greatest effect on the physiological characteristics and Zn bioavailability for wheat plants.
Analytical and Applicable Papers
Plant Nutrition, Soil Fertility and Fertilizers
Fatemeh Foroozesh fard; Shohreh Zivdar; Esmaeil Khaleghi; Edris Shabani
Abstract
Background and Objective:
One of the important aspects of nutrition physiology in fruit trees is the study of seasonal changes in leaf elements, because the seasonal pattern of absorption and distribution of nutrient elements is very important in estimating the fertilizer requirement of fruit orchards. ...
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Background and Objective:
One of the important aspects of nutrition physiology in fruit trees is the study of seasonal changes in leaf elements, because the seasonal pattern of absorption and distribution of nutrient elements is very important in estimating the fertilizer requirement of fruit orchards. The movement of nutrients in fruit crops has been reported a lot, and the plants' need for a specific element is influenced by a specific growth stage in the plant. Research has shown that nutrient accumulation occurs as a continuous process throughout the growing season. In plants, the change process of elements is different in the seasons. By examining the dynamics of elements during different seasons and having the necessary information about these changes, it is possible to examine the relationship between the demand for nutrients during the periods of vegetative and reproductive growth.In Iran, many research has been done on the nutritional requirements of different commercial fruit cultivars, and many studies have reported the dynamics of nutrients in fruit trees during the growing season, but in the case of dates, despite the relative diversity Regarding the cultivars of this plant and Iran's presence in the international competitive markets, there was no report on measuring the dynamics of nutrient elements during the seasons. In the upcoming research, the seasonal evaluation of the concentration of some macronutrients and micronutrients in the leaves of three date varieties has been done.This study was carried out in order to evaluate the seasonal changes in nutrients in the leaves of three date varieties.
Materials and Methods:
This experiment was conducted in the date palm research garden in the northern part of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, in a randomized complete block design with four replications, during 2022 on the leaves of ten years old date palm cultivars (Berhi, Estamaran, and Zahedi). In this experiment, the trend of seasonal changes in macro nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and calcium) and micro nutrients (iron, copper, boron, zinc and manganese) concentration, were investigated throughout the four seasons.After collecting the data, the data was statistically analyzed using SAS 9.1 statistical software, and Duncan's test was used to compare the average data at the level of one and five percent.
Results:
The results showed that the seasons have a significant effect on the concentration of the elements except nitrogen and manganese. Also, the interaction of season and cultivar had a significant effect on the concentration of all nutrients. In terms of macronutrients, Berhi had a better condition, especially during the growing season (spring and summer). The highest difference in terms of element concentration was observed between the winter and growth seasons for date cultivars. The minimum concentration of nitrogen (0.94%) was for Zahedi in spring and winter and the maximum concentration was 2.01% for Barhi (winter). Phosphorus concentration was recorded from the lowest (0.13%) in winter and spring to the highest (0.36%) in summer for Barhi. The range of potassium changes ranged from 1.01% (Estamaran, autumn) to 1.18% (Zahedi, winter). The seasonal changes in calcium concentration was recorded between 0.76 and 0.92%. Also, the range of changes in iron concentration during the year was from 65 to 130 mg/kg and during the growing season to mid-summer from 87 to 117 mg/kg. Bades on the results, leaf iron concentration was estimated to be less than optimal in all seasons. Also the concentration of nitrogen, potassium and copper in leaves decreased during the growth season, especially in summer, and can be due to the consumption of these elements for reproductive growth.
Conclusion:
The concentration of minerals in plants depends on the interaction of several factors including soil, plant species, climate, growth stages, plant production and management and the interaction of elements during absorption. The successful growth of plants and trees requires suitable soil and the presence of sufficient amounts of usable elements and the relationship between them, among which nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium elements are among the main essential elements required by the plant.
The results showed that there is a significant seasonal variation in macronutrients and micronutrients in three date varieties. Also, different seasonal changes patterns were observed among cultivars regarding elements. In such a way, potassium and calcium are more stable than nitrogen and phosphorus during different seasons of the year. Macronutrients (phosphorus and calcium) and micronutrients (zinc, boron and manganese) were at the optimal level. But, the amount of nitrogen, potassium, iron and copper was evaluated as less than the optimal level, which suggests the use of fertilizers containing the mentioned elements at the end of winter..
Applicable
Plant Nutrition, Soil Fertility and Fertilizers
Hadi Ahmadian; Shiva Khalesro; Gholamreza Heidari
Abstract
Introduction: A decline in soil organic matter is a key facet of soil degradation, leading to the loss of soil fertility and the capacity to produce crops. The intensive use of synthetic inorganic inputs, such as chemical fertilizers, has resulted in soil organic matter depletion, groundwater contamination, ...
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Introduction: A decline in soil organic matter is a key facet of soil degradation, leading to the loss of soil fertility and the capacity to produce crops. The intensive use of synthetic inorganic inputs, such as chemical fertilizers, has resulted in soil organic matter depletion, groundwater contamination, air pollution, and reduced production quality in arid and semi-arid regions. Therefore, sustainable techniques, such as organic fertilizers and natural inputs, are becoming increasingly important to enhance soil organic matter and plant yield in sustainable agricultural systems. The use of organic fertilizers and soil amendment like biochar and wood vinegar can significantly improve soil organic matter. Much of the world's interest in biochar stems from the worsening condition of agricultural soils and the depletion of water resources. Additionally, biochar has attracted researchers’ interest mainly due to its long-term soil carbon sequestration potential, role in greenhouse gas mitigation, phytoremediation, and ability to improve soil fertility. Biochar and wood vinegar can be made from various biomass materials/residues such as wood waste, crop and refinery residues, animal manures, and municipal wastes. Biofertilizers also play a vital role in sustainable agriculture systems. Mycorrhiza is one of the most important biofertilizers. Mycorrhizal associations help plants obtain water and nutrients in dry and nutrient-poor conditions by increasing the root surface area for water and nutrient uptake. Castor bean (Ricinus commonis L.) is a valuable annual herb belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family. It is an important oilseed crop widely used in industry and medicine today. Numerous studies have underlined the beneficial effects of organic fertilizers on soil fertility and crop yield. However, no study has evaluated the impact of organic fertilizer, biochar, wood vinegar, and mycorrhiza on Ricinus commonis L. This research aims to discover the main effects and interactions of these treatments on the quantitative and qualitative traits of Ricinus commonis L.
Materials and Methods: The field experiment was conducted at the Research Field at the University of Kurdistan (35° 19' N, 47° 18' E) during 2022 growing season. The research was designed as a factorial experiment using a randomized complete block design with three replications. Treatment included five fertilizer types: control, organic fertilizer (800 kg ha-1), biochar (3000 kg ha-1), wood vinegar (90 kg ha-1) and chemical fertilizer (urea 200 kg ha-1, and TSP 100 kg ha-1). Additionally, two mycorrhiza levels (Rhizophagus irregularis) were tested: no-inoculation and inoculation. Each experimental plot consisted of six rows, each 6 meters long and spaced 75 cm apart. The seeds were sown on 10 May 2020. Agronomic traits such as plant height, number of capsules per plant, and 1000-seed weight were randomly measured from five plants at full maturity in each plot. In the center rows of each plot, 2.25 m2 of area was harvested at the end of each growing season to evaluate biological and seed yield. Other studied traits included harvest index, seed oil content, seed oil yield, and the nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium concentration of the seeds.
Results and Discussion: The results showed that the effect of mycorrhiza inoculation on the plant height, capsules number per plant, seed number per plant, and 1000-seed weight was significant. Furthermore, the fertilizer impact on the mentioned traits except of 1000-seed weight was significant. Organic fertilizer, biochar, wood vinegar, and chemical fertilizer significantly increased the capsules number per plant. The highest number of capsules per plant and seed number per plant belonged to the organic fertilizer. Mycorrhiza inoculation enhanced the seed number per plant and 1000-seed weight by 16% and 23% compared to control, respectively. the interaction effects of different fertilizers and mycorrhiza inoculation improved the quantitative and qualitative traits of castor bean. The highest biological yield (3650.2 g/m2), seed oil content (50.5 %), and oil yield (588.3 g/m2) were observed in the integrated treatment of organic fertilizer and mycorrhiza inoculation. This treatment increased seed and biological yield by 36.5% and 24% compared to control, respectively. Mycorrhiza can enhance plant growth and yield by increasing the supply of phosphorus to the host plant. Mycorrhizal plants can absorb and accumulate several times more phosphate from the soil or solution than non-mycorrhizal plants. Organic fertilizer and biochar positively affected the morphological characteristics. Biochar reduces water consumption and improves soil properties under drought conditions. Compared to other amendment materials, biochar has the benefit of a large surface area and pore spaces, allowing it to absorb and retain water. The highest seed nitrogen and potassium content was observed in the organic fertilizer treatment. Organic fertilizers may promote root development by retaining more water and nutrients in the soil, secreting more plant hormones, and increasing the amount of inorganic material such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium that plants can absorb.
Conclusion: Therefore, it can be said that the integrated application of organic and biofertilizers not only improve the quantitative and qualitative traits of Ricinus commonis L. but also could be a key strategy in sustainable agricultural systems by reducing the consumption of chemical fertilizers.
Applicable
Agricultural Machinery
Arash Khoshabari; Seyed reza Mousavi Seyedi; Sajad Kiani
Abstract
Introduction Two-wheeled tractors are used to disturb the topsoil in greenhouses and small gardens. These machines consist of a rotating shaft connected to a gearbox, on which a set of flanges is mounted. Blades are attached to each flange in a specific arrangement. When the flanges rotate, they come ...
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Introduction Two-wheeled tractors are used to disturb the topsoil in greenhouses and small gardens. These machines consist of a rotating shaft connected to a gearbox, on which a set of flanges is mounted. Blades are attached to each flange in a specific arrangement. When the flanges rotate, they come into contact with the soil, lifting and throwing it backward, thus breaking up the soil and creating a suitable seedbed for planting agricultural products. A transmission system transfers the necessary and generated force from an engine to the blades for soil cutting. Notable features of these machines include reasonable prices, high operational speed, easy mobility due to lightness, and simple maintenance and repair. Rotary cultivators or rotary soil mixers are also used to prepare the soil bed and control weeds in fruit orchards. In this research, the most suitable blade for producing a double-purpose rotary-trencher machine equipped with a V-shaped gearbox was designed and produced.Materials and Methods Catia software (V5-6R2018) was used for the design and Abaqus software (6.14-4) was used for mechanical analysis of the designed blades. First, the blades were designed with three different surfaces 42.75, 38.53, and 35.39 cm2. The goal was to achieve a blade design that not only creates a suitable tilled soil surface but also maximizes soil displacement to ensure the device performs acceptably during furrow creation. The blade stress analysis was performed based on the Von Mises criterion and finite element analysis (FEA). After the design of the blades, to ensure their strength against the forces exerted from the soil surface, FEA and examination of the mechanical strength of the selected alloy (ST52) were performed in Abaqus software. Then, the blade spread design was cut using a CNC machine, forged using a blacksmithing mold, and bent with a 38-millimeter radius. After this stage, the surface of the blades was hardened. The evaluation of the device in the disturbing of the topsoil with three blade models at three blade shaft speeds (200, 300, and 400 rpm) was performed in three repetitions in the form of a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design using SPSS software. The disturbing of the topsoil and the depth of the created trench were considered as criteria for evaluating the rotation speed and dimensions of the blades.Results and Discussion The maximum force applied to blades showed that the maximum stress obtained with surfaces of 42.75 cm2, 38.53 cm2, and 35.39 cm2, based on the Von Mises criterion, was 0.74, 0.7, and 0.188 MPa, respectively. Also, the maximum principal stress in these three blade models was 0.27, 0.24, and 0.122 MPa, respectively. The results illustrated that the maximum stresses obtained are much lower than the yield stress or ultimate strength of the alloy used in the blade. To do the topsoil tillage operation 6 flanges of blades (18 blades) and to do trenching two flanges of blades (6 blades) were installed on the axis of the gearbox. The results from comparing Mean Weight Diameter (MWD) values of the disturbed topsoil showed that by increasing rotation of the blade shaft, the soil disturbing significantly increases. On the other hand, results showed that the increase in the surface of the blade was not significant in disturbing the topsoil particles. Also, the blades were evaluated by creating a trench. Two flanges of the blades (6 blades, Fig 1. b) are performed when the machine moves backward (Fig 9-a and Fig 11). The machine's reverse speed was kept constant at 2 km/h. The results clearly showed that the surface of the blades has had a significant effect on the performance of creating a trench, and with the increase of the blade's surface, the amount of soil transferred out of the trench has increased. However, increasing the blade surface increased the trench depth, but increasing the blade's axis rotation was not as significant as the blade surface because the backward speed of the machine is constant and slow.Conclusion In this research, a new type of blade for a dual-purpose rotary-trencher machine was designed, analyzed, produced, and evaluated. The results of the statistical analysis showed that the blade's surface has no effect on the tillage quality, but the rotation speed of the blades was significantly effective. On the other hand, in the operation of creating a trench, the surface of the blade was significantly effective, and with the increase of the surface, the depth of the created trench increased due to the movement of more soil particles. Finally, a blade with a surface of 42.75 cm2, made of ST52 alloy steel, with a forged and hardened edge, and a bending radius of 38 mm was proposed for this type of dual-purpose soil rotary-trencher machine. Therefore, this machine equipped with the designed blade model is suitable for both topsoil disturbing and trencher.
Applicable
Post Harvesting Technology
Reza Tabatabaeekoloor; shaban ghavami jolandan
Abstract
Introduction Fuel pellets are one of the uses of biomass, which are made from agricultural waste, plant residue, and animal excrement. They produce more energy per unit volume. Various factors are effective in the pelleting process. Having information about them helps to optimize the pelleting process ...
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Introduction Fuel pellets are one of the uses of biomass, which are made from agricultural waste, plant residue, and animal excrement. They produce more energy per unit volume. Various factors are effective in the pelleting process. Having information about them helps to optimize the pelleting process and to understand the compression mechanism and the design of compacting equipment. Materials and Methods Olive pomace raw material for making pellets was obtained from an olive processing factory in Rudbar city in Gilan province. The prepared materials were transferred to the laboratory in the necessary amount in nylon bags and dried in the oven at 105 degrees Celsius for 24 hours. The dried samples were powdered by a laboratory grinder and then passed through sieves in the range of 0.6-1.5 mm and used to make pellets. Before making pellets, the initial moisture content of the samples was obtained using the drying method. First, pre-tests were conducted to make pellets and the moldability and strength of the samples were checked. A palletization mechanism was used to compress the pellet. This system was designed and built in biosystem mechanics of Sari University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. The material was placed inside a steel mold with a cylinder inner diameter of 8.05 mm and a height of 150 mm with a blocked end. A piston with a diameter of 8 mm connected to the driving arm of the tension-compression test machine was used to compress the material. Loading by a piston with a quasi-static speed of 6 mm per minute is compressed. In this research, the effect of particle size treatments (600-900, 900-1200 and 1200-1500 μm), compaction pressure (75, 150 and 225 MPa) and temperature (50, 70 and 90 ͦC) on the density, strength and durability of the pellet were investigated.Results and Discussion The results indicated that the main effects of all three mentioned treatments on the strength, density and durability of the pellet are significant. Also, the mutual effects of some treatments are also significant on these characteristics. The interaction effect of particle size and compaction pressure on pellet compressive strength is significant at 5% level. With the increase in particle size, the pellet strength increased first, and then with the further increase in particle size, the pellet strength decreased slightly. On the other hand, with the increase in compression pressure, the pellet resistance increased. Pellet density is an important factor for storage and transportation as well as combustion efficiency. The mutual effect of compression pressure and particle size on pellet density is significant. Changes in pellet density were obtained in the range of 1.015 to 1.350 grams per cubic centimeter. The usual and recommended density for pellets made from agricultural and forest residues should be more than 0.8 grams per cubic centimeter. The interaction effect of compaction pressure and temperature on pellet durability is significant. The range of durability changes for pellets is between 81 and 95 percent. Increasing compaction pressure significantly improved the stability of the pellets, which indicates the role of compaction in bonding between particles and creating bridges for greater particle strength. The highest pellet strength was obtained in the combination of particle size of 900-1200 micrometers, temperature of 90 degrees Celsius and compaction pressure of 225 MPa. The highest density was obtained at a particle size of 600-900 and a compression pressure of 225 MPa and the best stability at a compression pressure of 150 MPa and a temperature of 90 degrees Celsius. In general, the physical and mechanical properties of the pellet were affected by all three factors: particle size, temperature and compaction pressure.Conclusion The results of this research showed that all three factors of particle size, compaction pressure and temperature have a significant effect on the physical and mechanical properties of pellets such as density, strength and durability. Choosing the right particle size plays an important role in making the pellet stronger. The temperature of the die during pelleting is also very important in the bonding of the pellet particles because at the right temperature, the bonding between the bridges strengthens the connection of the particles and as a result increases the strength and durability of the pellet. In general, the results of the research showed that to make pellets from olive processing factory waste, a suitable combination of particle size parameters, compaction pressure and die temperature is needed to make pellets with high strength and durability.
Applicable
Agricultural mechanization
Mehdi Anafche; nasim monjezi
Abstract
Introduction Considering the high use of agricultural machines in sugarcane Agro-industry company; management of maintenance and repairs is necessary. The application of agricultural mechanization and the management of machines in agriculture is responsible for improving the way of working and correct ...
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Introduction Considering the high use of agricultural machines in sugarcane Agro-industry company; management of maintenance and repairs is necessary. The application of agricultural mechanization and the management of machines in agriculture is responsible for improving the way of working and correct use of machines. Today, with the mechanization of agricultural systems, the timely performance of activities requires correct machine planning. For proper planning, one must know the reliability of the machines. Increasing efficiency and reliability of machines is an economic necessity. Any scheduled program to increase the reliability of machines can be effective in reducing time loss due to repairs and cause repairs to be completed on time. Therefore, in this research, according to the nature of the project of annual repairs of MF 399 tractors, in which the activities and the time of their completion are possible, the graphic evaluation and review technique (GRET) method was used. GERT's method is one of the possible network programming methods. In GERT's method, the occurrence of activities is considered possible and a percentage of probability is assigned for the occurrence of each activity.
Materials and Methods This research was conducted in the Dehkhoda Sugarcane Agro-industry Company in the crop year of 2023-2024. Dehkhoda Sugarcane Agro-industry Company has 42 Messi Ferguson 399 double differential tractors. In this research, in order to schedule annual repairs, statistics and data related to the repairs of 22 MF 399 tractors were collected and the data of other machines were used to compare the actual repair time with the calculated schedule. The 13 repair items of MF 399 tractors used in the company include: engine, clutch, gearbox, differential and rear axle, brake, rear hub, body, front axle, hydraulics, electricity and battery, wheels, service and greasing. The work breakdown structure diagram and network model of annual MF 399 tractor repairs were drawn. To extract the time distribution density function of each activity, first the available information was collected for each activity, then the time distribution density function was determined for each activity. The time to perform the activities is fuzzy and they are expressed by triangular fuzzy numbers. In this research, after scheduling, the results obtained from GERT's method were compared with the actual time spent to perform annual MF 399 tractor repairs and the appropriateness of the estimates was determined. For this purpose, in order to determine the actual time of annual MF 399 tractor repairs, among the tractors available in the mechanical equipment department of Dehkhoda Sugarcane Agro-industry Company, in the crop year 2023-2024, a sample was randomly selected and the actual duration of repairs was determined. Then the actual time to complete the operation was compared with the expected time.
Results and Discussion The time to complete the annual repairs of MF 399 tractors was estimated to be 225.93 hours using the classic GERT method. But in GERT's Fuzzy method, the time calculated for annual MF 399 tractor repairs was (295.30, 232.07, 168.73) hours. The actual duration of annual repairs for 20 tractors (out of a total of 42 tractors) in Dehkhoda Sugarcane Agro-industry Company, which were repaired during the 2023-2024 crop year, according to the information available in the technical office of the company's mechanical equipment, was determined. 29.12% of the real times for completing MF 399 tractor repairs were estimated outside the fuzzy time. Therefore, the manager of the repair unit can reduce the cost of time loss and manage the time to complete the operation in the optimal time frame by using correct planning and reducing the reasons for the delay in the operation.
Conclusion Therefore, GERT F Fuzzy's method provides the possibility to the manager of the repair unit to set the completion time in the estimated range appropriately, taking into account other effective factors involved in the operation, so that there is no disruption in the implementation of activities and on the other hand, the costs to minimize when the work is not done. It also provides the possibility to create cuts at different times and control the operation process and modify it if needed. In the real world, due to existing uncertainties, there is not enough confidence in the duration of the annual maintenance of tractors, but nevertheless, the results obtained from GERT's method in this research are close to the actual time of completion of operations and make the estimates more appropriate.
