Determining the indicators of man-made impact of the technological set of machines used for harvesting vegetable crops

Abstract

Reducing anthropogenic impact on the soil is becoming increasingly important. A comprehensive assessment of the level of impact of machine technology in vegetable crops harvesting will help to reduce the negative impact on the environment. The article presents analytical studies to determine the indicators of the level of man-made impact of the technological set of machines used for harvesting vegetable crop. The authors have developed an environmental friendliness criterion, which takes into account the amount of the component in liquid, gaseous, and solid waste; the value of soil density when harvesting root crops; the amount of erosion-threatening particles; environmental pollution with pesticides and mineral fertilizers; the average value of the removal of the fertile soil layer during harvesting; and air pollution by toxic components of the exhaust gases of internal combustion engines. They have determined and justifi ed the criteria for mechanical and technological prerequisites for harvesting vegetable crops, which determine the level of man-made impact of the technological set of machines used for harvesting vegetable crops: environmental friendliness criterion, energy intensity criterion, material consumption criterion, information support cost criterion, overall dimensions criterion, and ergonomics criterion. It has been stated that to assess the level of impact of technological sets of machines used for harvesting vegetable crops, it is necessary to be guided by the distribution ranges of the environmental friendliness criterion, which indicates the adjustments of technological sets of machines used for harvesting vegetable crops in the required range of acceptable values to maintain or improve the quality of harvesting.