Studying the temperature conditions of drained peat soil

   When cultivating row crops on depleted peatlands introduced into agricultural circulation using the peat soil farming practice, post-sowing tillage (harrowing, inter-row loosening, hilling and thinning of plants in rows) changes the thermophysical properties of peat, increasing the probability of a peat fire. To study the temperature and humidity mode of the upper fire-hazardous layer of the peat soil on a drained fi eld used for vegetable and fodder crop rotation, studies were carried out on the drained Kalskoye swamp in the Ryazan region. Measurements of the soil parameters were carried out on its surface and in the upper layer of 0 to 5 cm. When modeling spontaneous combustion and forced ignition of the peat soil, the results of experimental fi eld studies were used. Based on the practical data obtained, the authors proposed mathematical dependencies for calculating the possibility of spontaneous combustion of peat soils. Comparison of experimental and calculated data showed that their discrepancy is 2.2 % to 15.6 %. The obtained mathematical dependencies can be used to predict the probability of fires on peat soils. The authors propose a scheme of a new method for monitoring the fi re hazard situation on drained peatlands during their introduction into agricultural production. This method of monitoring, based on the criterion of uneven heating, is useful for taking preventive measures against the peat soil ignition on agricultural land.

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