The authors propose to develop a robotic device for servicing a feed table in the cow barn. The device is intended to push the feed mixture to the walls of the feed table and make it more accessible to animals. The dispenser of concentrated feed additives improves the taste of the feed mixture, thereby increasing the level of feed consumption and livestock productivity. The components of the considered device were modeled and designed using the Compass 3-D software; simulation modeling of the control system of the electric drive was developed in the Matlab/Simulink environment; the software for controlling the device parameters was developed by Visual Studio code tools in the C-Sharp language. The electric drive developed on the basis of a simulation model made it possible to design a laboratory sample of the robotic platform. The developed device is capable of moving along a predetermined trajectory in manual and automatic modes. The software installed on the PC monitors the device operation, its positioning in the barn, the amount and type of feed additives dosed, and the battery charge level. It is noted that the introduction of the developed device into the technological process of feeding cattle will reduce labor costs for livestock feeding.

The most labor-intensive stages of the post-harvest processing of grass seeds are their extracting and cleaning from impurities. For extracting seeds from the hull of clover and other leguminous and cereal grasses, as well as scarification of solid seeds of leguminous grasses, the clover thresher and scarifier KS-0.2 has been developed. It lacks a device for cleaning the extracted seeds from impurities, which makes it difficult to further clean them at subsequent stages of the processing line. To eliminate this disadvantage, a pneumatic separating device was fitted for cleaning seeds from light impurities. The research aimed at experimental sub-stantiation of the basic constructive and technological parameters of the pneumatic separating device of the clover thresher and scarifier, ensuring cleaning from light impurities of more than 60%. The study was carried out according to conventional techniques using methods of planning a multi-factor experiment on a laboratory installation of a clover thresher when cleaning red clover seeds from light impurities. The study results have shown that the maximum effect of cleaning from light impurities reaches 96.7% with a minimum feed of source material of 200 kg/h, the angle of the grain board inclination of 42.85° and a maximum depth of the aspirating channel of 0.11 m. Based on design considerations and the maximum throughput of the clover thresher and scarifier, the following combination of factors was chosen as the optimal one: a feed of the source material of 300 kg/h, an inclination angle of the grain board of 45° and a depth of the aspirating channel of 0.09 m. With this combination of factors, the effect of cleaning from light impurities meets the technical requirements and equals 75.2%. Thus, the study has determined the basic design and technological parameters of the pneumatic separating device of the clover thresher and scarifier.

The use of trace elements in the form of a chelated fertilizer can increase the yield and shelf life of potato tubers. When processing plantings with a tractor unit after closing the tops, severe damage to the plants by the tractor wheels is likely to be caused. In this case, it is advisable to use drones. The aim of the study was to make a comparative assessment of the effect of innovative preparations: sulfur-containing and containing trace elements in chelated form: Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Mo, Co, B, and the Aquarin-12 preparation on the yield and shelf life parameters of potato tubers of the Udacha and Kolobok varieties, as well as to perform preliminary calculations of the spray (capture) width when spraying potato plantings with a drone. The studies were conducted in 2018-2019 on sod-podzolic sandy loam soil. The experiment was carried out according to the requirements of the field experiment and potato research methodology. The experiment was laid out according to the scheme, by the method of systematic placement of plots in four-fold repetition with a planting density of 44.4 thousand bushes/ha and the inter-row width of 75 cm. The use of the tested preparations allowed increasing the yield by 3.4...8.7 t/ha (12...37%) and reducing the total storage losses by 1.6...2.3%, especially in a good weather year. According to the calculations performed, it turned out that at the height of the drone flight of 9 m, the value of the spraying width or the sprayer’s operating width was 10.4 m. When conducting field tests on potato plantings in a field of 120x20 meters with a plant height of up to 1.0 m, the drone performed that task in 15 minutes (including refueling). A significant increase in yield and a reduction in total losses during storage confirm the feasibility of using preparations with trace elements in a chelated form when growing potatoes.

The paper deals with the development of a system of criteria and indicators for the formation and development of the market for reused agricultural machinery (MRUAM) in order to optimize the structure and use of the machine and tractor fleet. It is noted that the machine and tractor fleet used in Russian agricultural sector is 35...40% undersupplied with the most demanded agricultural machinery. About 60% of regional farms are focused on purchasing equipment on the reused machinery market based on its technical readiness and cost not exceeding 60.. .65°/o of the cost of the new products. The modern concept describing the development of the domestic market for agricultural machinery and the methodology for the MRUAM formation are presented. The authors list the main tasks for the MRUAM formation and present the information and functional structure of MRUAM. Over 3-4 years to come, systemic development of MRUAM in the agricultural sector of Russia will raise the level of technical readiness of agricultural machines by 5...7% and increase the agricultural machinery and tractor fleet by 50...55 thousand tractors, 10...12 thousand grain harvesters and 3...3.5 thousand forage harvesters. The MRUAM formation in the agricultural sector of Russia, in addition to increasing the size of the machine and tractor fleet, will significantly strengthen the engineering and technical system of the agricultural sector. Agricultural producers will get the opportunity to simplify the procedure for finding prospective suppliers and consumers of agricultural machinery, as well as to formulate real prices for used resources and provide guarantees for completing transactions to the MRUAM participants.

The paper shows some ways to improve the environmental characteristics of a diesel engine using gaseous hydrocarbon fuel and operating the engine in a gas-diesel cycle mode. Some possibilities to reduce toxic components of exhaust gases in a gas-diesel engine operating on liquefied propane-butane mixtures have been studied. Experiments carried out in a wide range of load from 10 to 100% and speed from 1400 to 2000 rpm showed that the gas-diesel engine provides a sufficiently high level of diesel fuel replacement with gas hydrocarbon fuel. The authors indicate some effective ways to reduce the toxicity of exhaust gases. The engine power should be adjusted by the simultaneous supply of fuel, gas and throttling the air charge in the intake manifold. This method enriches the first combusting portions to reduce nitrogen oxides and maintains the depletion of the main charge within the flammability limits of the gas-air charge to reduce carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. The authors found that when the engine operates in a gas-diesel cycle mode, the power change provides a decrease in nitrogen oxide emissions of gas-diesel fuel only due to gas supply in almost the entire load range as compared to the pure diesel. At high loads (more than 80%) stable engine operation is ensured up to 90% of diesel fuel replaced by gas. Even at 10% of diesel fuel used the concentration of nitrogen oxides decreases by at least 15...20% as compared with a diesel engine in the entire load range. However, there is an increased emission of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide in the exhaust gases. Further experimental studies have shown that optimization of the gas diesel regulation can reduce the mass emission of nitrogen oxides contained in exhaust gases in 2...3 times and greatly reduce the emission of incomplete combustion products - carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons.

The authors consider theoretical foundations of the coating formation when using the no-bath method of microarc oxidation (MAO) as applied to a point counter electrode. The relationships between the growth rate of the coating thickness and the electrical, geometric and chemical parameters of the MAO process have been mathematically determined. An algorithm for calculating the productivity of the MAO process, due to the growth rate of the coating thickness has been developed. The off ered methodology for the experimental selection of modes of the no-bath MAO of aluminum alloys with an electrically neutral nozzle was verifi ed to obtain a coating on a small area of a part with a fl at surface. In the experiment, with a constant “Nozzle-Workpiece” distance equal to 10 mm, the distance “Electrode-Workpiece” took the values of 5, 10, 20, 30 mm. As a “fl at” surface, the authors took the end face of a 50 mm rod made of the D16T alloy based on aluminum, and a rod made of the 08Kh18H10T steel with a diameter of 6 mm served as an electrode. Use was made of the composition applied in the bath method which included an electrolyte: 8 g of KOH, 30…35 g of Na2SiO3, 1 g of artifi cial diamond nanopowder per 6 liters of distilled water. The duration of the MAO process was 120 min. It has been experimentally established that an increase in the “Electrode-Workpiece” distance decreases the potential for coating formation, which decreases the current in the electrochemical circuit. The analysis of the MAO coating thickness has revealed that 5…15 mm is the optimal distance from the electrode and nozzle to the workpiece, which ensures a stable coating thickness of more than 100 microns on an area equal to or greater than the cross-sectional area of the nozzle supplying electrolyte. The expediency of using the developed mathematical model and the methodology for selecting the process modes with the no-bath method of microarc oxidation has been experimentally confi rmed. The experimental studies have established that the proposed scheme of the MAO process provides an increase in the productivity (the thickness growth rate) of coating deposition by 20% and a decrease in energy consumption by 25%.

The intensity of wear observed in the working parts of machines operating in an abrasive environment largely determines their service life. However, in a number of cases, the downtime of equipment is associated with fractures of the operating elements casued by their abrasion. In this case, the operational state of the product is determined by the tolerable stresses. Theoretical studies on finding the mathematical relationships connecting wear and tolerable stresses are thus relevant. In addition, they are general and can be applied to various materials: metal, polymer, and composite ones. The goal of the present research is to make a theoretical study of the influence of external force factors on the strength of cantilever-fixed parts of various geometric shapes in the process of their abrasive wear during the period of operation under uniform loading. In other words, the authors seek to determine the theoretical value of the limiting wear of a part according to the tolerable stresses. As a result of the study, a mathematical expression was obtained to establish the relationship between the maximum tolarable stresses and the value of the limiting wear of a cantilever-fixed part under uniform loading. This relationship is necessary to analyse the values of the maximum tensile stresses in its sections. It has been established that the maximum tensile stresses are characteristic of the pinch point of the beam, regardless of its shape.

The sowing qualities of seeds - such as germination, germination energy, weight of 1000 seeds, etc., are the factors ensuring high yields of agricultural crops. Technological methods of seed and grain treatment with the UHF MEMF (microwave electromagnetic field of ultrahigh frequency) energy involve the use of various types of microwave devices, differing both in operating principle and in design. In fact, the process of microwave treatment of seeds is similar to the process of heat treatment of dielectric materials. Therefore, depending on the goal of treatment, microwave devices should provide some kind of selectivity of microwave heating, a high conversion factor of microwave energy into thermal energy, uniformity of microwave treatment of the bulk of material, protection of the microwave generator and electromagnetic safety. During the microwave treatment of seeds, it is important to ensure uniform treatment of the bulk of seeds and automatically maintain optimal treatment modes (microwave heating modes). An installation design is proposed for microwave treatment of seeds. A specific feature of the proposed design is that seeds are processed on a moving belt under an emitter with the process control and regulation according to the speed and final heating temperature. Moreover, the microwave source intensity depends on the load (a layer of seeds on the conveyor belt). The authors also propose an algorithm for the microprocessor control of the device. Thus, the proposed design of the installation for treating seeds in a layer under the emitter on a moving conveyor belt, as well as the technological algorithm for matching the microwave source with the load ensure the compliance with the processing modes in strictly specified ranges of the final temperature and microwave heating rate of the material, as well as protect the microwave source from reflected electromagnetic waves.

The authors have determined the conditions for the eff ective use of modern electrifi ed circular sprinklers in the central part of Russia. Their designs are chosen depending on the agrotechnical requirements for irrigation, including the change in the diameter of the water distribution pipeline. However, when the diameter of the pipeline changes, the load on the electric drive of the support trolleys of the sprinkler changes too, which leads to a corresponding change in energy consumption. In turn, this also changes the load of the water supply pump. The paper sets the task of determining the optimal change in the diameter of pipelines according to the criterion of minimum energy consumption, taking into account a number of assumptions. The authors have analyzed the relationship between the change in the load on the electric drive of the sprinkler support trolley and the change in the diameter of one sprinkler section pipeline. It has been found that a decrease in the diameter by 27% (for example, the transition of the diameter of 219 mm to the diameter of 159 mm) leads to a decrease in the load on the electric drive by 38%. However, this also leads to an increase in the head loss in the water supply pump motor and, respectively, to an increase in the load and energy consumption by 0.8…3.8%. The eff ect is initially obvious, but the power of the electric motor of the water supply pump is 10…25 times higher than that of the electric motor of the sprinkler support trolley. Based on the similarity coeffi cients of the irrigation components (water supply and water distribution), the relationship beteween the total energy consumption and the change in the diameter of the water distribution pipeline has been obtained. By diff erentiating the obtained function, the dependence of the value of the optimal diameter for specifi c operating conditions is also obtained. Graphs of the relationship between energy consumption and the change in diameter have been determined, taking into account some restrictions: pump supply, static pressure, and the number of the sprinkler sections.

Power change of electrode water heaters depending on the water quality is their main disadvantage. To eliminate this drawback and improve the reliability of water heaters, an electrode water heating system was developed and its operating mode was analyzed. The paper considers an aggregated system of electric water heating, consisting of a single-phase electrode water heater connected to a single-phase network via a valve-capacitor converter with a metered energy transfer. To regulate and stabilize the heating power, the storage capacity of the converter is divided into separate sections. The performed formula analysis of the load mode of the aggregated system allows optimizing its operation mode. In order to increase the safety and ease of operation of the installation, additional interlocks of the corresponding electrical circuits are provided in the electrical circuit. The authors conclude that it is advisable to use single-phase electrode water heaters by switching on through a valve-condenser converter with dosed energy transfer, which allows regulating and stabilizing the heating power and thereby increasing electrical safety, functionality, reliability of electrode water heaters, as well as ensuring a significant improvement in the quality of operation

The paper considers some specific features of using the VR-laboratory as a structural division and a component of the classroom environment for training agricultural university students in the Russian Federation. The authors define the concept of a VR-laboratory as one of the key components of the classroom environment required for the implementation of agricultural university curricula, and also comment on the duality of the guided development of competences (general and professional ones) through the use of VR-laboratory equipment both as an object of study and as a means of training. Recommendations are given on the use of a VR-laboratory in the organizational and management structure of higher educational institutions, as well as on its teaching staff and content aspects, taking into account the teaching staff age characteristics. Using the BPMN2.0 notation, the authors developed and proposed for use an informational model of independent training of students in VR laboratories of domestic agricultural universities. It is noted that the use of virtual reality tools in agricultural university curricula demonstrates a number of advantages, including safe controlled conditions for practical training, the ability to visually broadcast the advanced industrial experience of the regions of Russia and abroad, overcoming the problem of limited natural anatomical, geological-mineralogical, technical and other samples, as well as independence from weather conditions and geographic distance. The use of a VR laboratory in an agricultural university in accordance with the developed information model and timely replenishment of the training content infrastructure will ensure steady digitalization of the training process and increase the competitiveness of graduates in the labor market.

The paper shows that a comprehensive intersectoral approach is needed to address the issues of systematic management of energy saving in agriculture and to justify rational measures of economic support for the state-initiated introduction of energy-saving technologies, machines, and projects. Such requirements are met by the energy-economic (bioenergy) assessment method. The energy-economic assessment consists in comparing the costs of cultivating plants or servicing animals in single units of measurement with the production results and is mainly of national strategic importance. On the basis of such assessment, economic guidelines and incentives for the introduction of new energy-efficient technologies, machines and projects, including the use of renewable energy sources, can be developed. The author presents an approach to improving the methodology of energy-economic assessment of agricultural technologies and projects when using renewable energy sources in technological processes. It is proved that in order to ensure the reliability of the energy-economic assessment associated with permanent technological and organizational changes and the digitalization of technology and economy, it is necessary to continue research to improve the assessment methodology, as well as clarify and regularly update energy equivalents.

Over the years of results-based management, the agricultural sector of Russia has enhanced a signifi cant increase in production volumes. Special results have been achieved in crop production, primarily in the production of grain crops. This was urgent in terms of meeting the needs of the domestic market and increasing the volume of supplies to foreign markets. Despite a number of positive results achieved in agriculture through the implementation of targeted programs, especially during the period of counter-Russian sanctions and the ongoing policy of import substitution, the problem of providing the industry with means of production has not been fully solved. This hinders the implementation of Russia’s export capacity. To further increase the volume of agricultural production, the technical re-equipment of the industry is required, which will increase the effi ciency of production. To this end, it is necessary to critically evaluate the implementation of targeted programs used to solve the problem of technical re-equipment. This indicates the relevance of the research topic. The study was conducted on the basis of a systematic approach (monographic, economic and statistical methods, the method of deduction) with the use of relevant materials of offi cial statistics. During the implementation of targeted programs, the pace of technical re-equipment of agriculture was extremely low, accompanied by a considerable share of obsolete imported agricultural machinery, tractors and combine harvesters, and decresing energy supply of the industry. Insuffi cient provision of agriculture with means of production constrains the growth rate of labor productivity. The targets set in the State Program for the renewal of agricultural machinery are low and have been exceeded for several previous years, and they do not indicate a high rate of technical re-equipment of agriculture. The study results serve as a basis for adjusting the current mechanism of results-based management of agricultural development.