Potato is an important food product, and there is a growing demand for it, according to the UN FAO statistics. Modern potato varieties are evaluated for at least 40 economically valuable characteristics in the process of selection and seed production. It is early products that are of great commercial value. In order to reduce the damage caused to tubers during harvesting, and especially that of the large ones, when directly exporting potatoes from the field to the consumers or to the retail network, the authors propose to improve the design of a potato digger. The experimental potato digger, while passing along the ridge, forms two parallel stacked rows: one of them having tubers of a large fraction Field experience tab, records and observations were made in accordance with the field experiment methodology requirements and the "Potato Research Methodology". The authors made a comparative assessment of an experimental potato digger with KTN-2B by damage caused to potato tubers of the Zhukovsky Early variety, heap purity and tuber selection productivity. Comparative tests of the experimental digger have shown that a potato digger performing calibration and harvesting operations complies with agrotechnical requirements for the heap purity and tuber damage on different soil types. The use of the improved potato digger leads to an increase in the selection performance by 20...30% and reduced damage to tubers by 25...30% and simplifies the technology of direct delivering potatoes from the field to the consumer.

Potato is an important food product, and there is a growing demand for it, according to the UN FAO statistics. Modern potato varieties are evaluated for at least 40 economically valuable characteristics in the process of selection and seed production. It is early products that are of great commercial value. In order to reduce the damage caused to tubers during harvesting, and especially that of the large ones, when directly exporting potatoes from the field to the consumers or to the retail network, the authors propose to improve the design of a potato digger. The experimental potato digger, while passing along the ridge, forms two parallel stacked rows: one of them having tubers of a large fraction Field experience tab, records and observations were made in accordance with the field experiment methodology requirements and the “Potato Research Methodology”. The authors made a comparative assessment of an experimental potato digger with KTN-2B by damage caused to potato tubers of the Zhukovsky Early variety, heap purity and tuber selection productivity. Comparative tests of the experimental digger have shown that a potato digger performing calibration and harvesting operations complies with agrotechnical requirements for the heap purity and tuber damage on different soil types. The use of the improved potato digger leads to an increase in the selection performance by 20…30% and reduced damage to tubers by 25…30% and simplifies the technology of direct delivering potatoes from the field to the consumer.

The paper presents the analysis results of the potato production level in the Russian Federation. It is noted that according to the Federal State Statistics Service, the potato planting area of peasant farm enterprises and farms run by sole proprietors has increased in 3.6 times in recent years, and the average yield in Russia has grown by 61.9% and amounted to 170.4 centner/ha. One of the limiting factors for a more intensive increase in potato planting areas is the post-harvest processing, which accounts for up to 70% of the labor involved in manual sorting. The commonly used domestic potato sorting stations KSP-15B, KSP-15V, KSP-25 are not able to provide damage to potato tubers within the agrotechnical requirements of 1'%. Researchers of the Agroengineering Center VIM developed and patented a design scheme for an automated line for the post-harvest processing of potato tubers. The paper outlines its operating principle and technical characteristics. Using the Diagram Designer program, the authors made a basic block diagram of connecting a high-resolution camera to provide for more detailed scanning and shooting of objects. It is noted that the use by farms of an automated device for post-harvest processing of root crops and potatoes will decrease the labor intensity by up to 85% by reducing the number of staff; improve the quality and accuracy of sorting potato tubers by size by 95.. .98°/o; identify the material on the sorting surface taking into account its external damage and impurities before laying potatoes for long-term storage or its pre-sale preparation, while keeping the amount of damage within the agrotechnical requirements.

The authors emphasize the urgency of improving the safety and working capacity of transport and technological machines used in reclamation works. They suggest controlling the technical condition and operation safety of transport and technological machines by preventing the risk of failures, as exemplified by the brake system of a transport machine. A multi-modal approach is proposed to assess the risk of failure of technical systems of machines and mechanisms using the basic theories of mathematical modeling, decomposition of functions into Taylor series, and postulation of inforgamms based on the basic provisions of the Boolean algebra. A model is proposed to consider negative factors that affect the change in the technical condition of the machine elements during the operation. The intensity of the parameter change is represented by a mathematical model in the form of a Taylor series expansion of the function, using the example of a three-parameter system. The task of determining the risk of system failure is performed by constructing Boolean functions. It is proposed to present logical connections of the technical system elements taking into account their conjunction, inversion, and disjunction. The analysis of service life and predictive determination of the probable risk of failure are presented by a parametric model of the braking system design of a transport vehicle. The paper presents practical application of the multi-modal approach to reduce the risk of failure of the brake system of a transport vehicle. To improve the operation efficiency of transport and technological machines, it is recommended to include an electronic brake control system in the machine design using modern digital technologies.

A lip-type seal is a device installed between the shaft and the casing to avoid contact between two environments shared by the seal. Sealing is ensured by pressuring to the shaft due to its deformation and additionally by means of a band spring stretched around the lip-type seal. An important parameter to ensure the seal operation is the seal contact pressure on the shaft. This paper examines the contact pressure provided by the spring without taking into account the lip-type seal deformation outside the contact area with the shaft. The study aimed at assessing the relationship between the radial lip-type seal pressure on the shaft and the spring stretching force and material properties in the seal contact area with the shaft. Using the methods of elasticity theory, the authors obtained expressions for radial and circular normal stresses on the boundary cylindrical surfaces of the seal. The study established a functional relationship between the seal contact pressure on the shaft and the spring stretching (per unit diameter of the shaft) and the elasticity coefficient (modulus) of the sealing material. The obtained relationship can be used to determine the pressure increase arising from the growing spring stretching intensity and the elasticity coefficient.

Operability of mechanical power transmissions of energy converting, transport, and technological machines is determined by the technical condition of the main power units, which, most often, tend to limit the indicators of their reliability. Reliable diagnosis of such facilities is relevant for existing maintenance strategies on operating time and technical condition. Application of vibration diagnostics and analysis of geometric shapes and part surface location is diffi cult to implement using built-in onboard diagnostics systems. The paper determines and tests the method of non-destructive thermometric testing of bearing units as exemplifi ed by joints of drive shafts. The authors have developed an analytical mathematical model of heat generation of drive shaft bearing units taking into account structural, technological, and operational parameters. A calculated evaluation of the analytical model has shown that under a torque loading of 600 Nm, a rotary speed of 104.7 rad/s and fracture angle in joints of 9°, the predicted temperature of the elementary the heat-producing unit of the drive shaft joint equals 84.9°C. Using the methods of fi nite-element analysis, the authors similated temperature fi elds taking into account heat emission of units conjugated with the analysed one. The analysis of temperature fi elds has shown that the diagnostic temperature for a single drive shaft bearing assembly amounts to 17.7°C, for a universal joint with four heat sources – 17.5°C and for a universal joint with mating structural elements – 16.8°C. Based on the results of preliminary bench endurance tests of universal joints, the authors confi rmed the adequacy of analytical mathematical model and operability of proposed technology of thermal diagnostics. The study has established a relationship between an initial radial bearing clearance value in drive shaft bearing assemblies and diagnostic temperature – a temperature increment by 0.3309°C is caused by a radial clearance increase of 1 micrometer. Generalizing the obtained research results, the authors have developed an algorithm of diagnosing mechanical power transmission units by thermometric method of nondestructive testing as exemplifi ed by universal joints.

Electrical equipment (EE) maintenance is a major and decisive preventive measure necessary to ensure the reliable operation of equipment between planned repairs and a significant factor in reducing the total amount of repair work. The research purpose is to analyze the frequency of electrical equipment maintenance in agricultural production based on modern ideas about the functioning of technical systems. The authors present relationships between the EE failure rate and the operating time as well as the probability of EO failure-free operation and time. Based on a probability dependence of trouble-free work of objects on time and the characteristic features of the maintenance of technical objects through simple geometric constructions and mathematical transformations with Taylor's power series, the author has established the relationship between the maintenance frequency and the original cost of an object, the maintenance costs, the average failure rate and the failure rate of an object. It is established that the time interval between the object maintenance operations is proportional to the average value of time between failures of the object and inversely proportional to the original cost of the object and the intensity of its failures. These reference indicators used in the established relationship are not difficult to obtain during the object operation.

The authors consider and analyze means and methods of improving the reliability of rural distribution networks. The paper discusses various means of improving reliability, systematized according to various criteria: by the method of increasing the technical and economic efficiency of power supply, the place of installation in the power grid, the mode of operation of the power supply system and the functional purpose. Additionally, a diagram of technical means to increase the reliability of power supply to consumers is presented. The analysis results in a conclusion that the considered methods for calculating the reliability indicators of power supply to consumers are not accurate enough and, therefore, this makes it difficult to make the right decision in practice to ensure the required reliability level of power supply to consumers. The authors present improved methodology for determining the specific frequency of power supply failure of agricultural consumers and provide the rationale for factors affecting this condition. In the improved methodology, the failure rate is a non-stationary value, depending on the type of electrical equipment,the means of improving reliability, climatic conditions, the year of commissioning, the year of major repair, reconstruction and, the estimated year, which significantly increases the analysis accuracy.

The paper discusses the relevance of project works within of the master program "Chemical-Toxicological Analysis of Agrosphere Objects" implemented at the Chemistry Department of Russian Timiryazev State Agrarian University. The authors show the possibility of forming the knowledge base of master students on environmental monitoring, quality control of agricultural products, the use of modern plant protection products, fertilizers and growth stimulants while performing the course project. As an example of project work performed within the framework of the above master program, the study of the properties of a new growth stimulant of natural origin "Rafitur" is considered. For this purpose, laboratory and field experiments were conducted for two years to determine the efficiency of the stimulant for flax growth at different stages of its development. As a result of the conducted studies, optimum concentrations of the "Rafitur" preparation for germination of flax seeds and flax growing in the conditions of field experiments were determined. The use of project technology of training helped to increased the competence of students while solving problems of the ecological safety of using chemical additives in crop production and the effect of growth stimulants on plants; planning and carrying out experiments; doing instrumental researches with modern devices taking into account the appropriate methodology; designing and presenting the results of independent work. Moreover, the project activity stimulated cognitive activity of students, promoted their independence, responsibility, and ability to solve real problems.

The author has analyzed the curricula in the "Agricultural Mechanization" minor over several years and compared the volume and structure of the teaching content are with similar positions in the "Agricultural Engineering" training field with a profile of "Technical systems in agribusiness". It has been revealed that during the transition from specialist to bachelor training programs, the number of hours reserved for academic subjects changed by less than 10%, the main reduction in the training program was due to a decrease in the length of production practices in almost three times. The workload distribution between classroom and independent activities has changed by 10% towards increased independent work, from 40% of the total volume of hours reserved for training sessions to 50%. The share of general subjects in the teaching content structure decreased, at the same time, the set of subjects remained the same, but the number of hours to study them decreased. Based on the analysis of socio-economic conditions, state policy, world trends, the chart of new professions, the author has forecast changes in agricultural training programs. The main attention is paid to digitalization of all sectors of the economy and global informatization, environmental conservation, proactive approaches to learning, which will affect the content of higher agricultural education. But at the same time, the core of subjects that form the basis of agricultural education will remain unchanged. The implementation of such initially fundamental principles of agricultural education as consistency, comprehensiveness, interdisciplinarity and others allows, under modern conditions, to prepare highly qualified, productive and sought-after professionals for the agricultural sector of our country.

The paper considers theoretical aspects of the development of the livestock production market in the Russian Federation for the period between 2013 and 2018. The author analyzes the development of pig and poultry farming in the country; presents and systematizes statistical materials on the formation of the domestic market for meat and meat products, as well as for milk and dairy products. State regulation measures to increase the volume and efficiency of livestock production and stabilize the Russian livestock market are proposed. Positive trends in the development of the market for meat and meat products are revealed: the output of meat and meat products increased by 31.9%, the import of meat and meat products decreased by 58.5%. In 2018, the share of imports of meat and meat products in the total resources amounted to 9.5%, which is lower than the target indicator of the Food Security Doctrine of the Russian Federation set at 15%. The following features have been noted in the development of the market for milk and dairy products: production of milk and dairy products decreased by 2.9%, imports of milk and dairy products decreased by 12.4%, the share of imports of milk and dairy products in the total resources amounted to 17.5%, which significantly exceeds the target indicator of the Doctrine of Food Security of the Russian Federation. Increasing the economic efficiency of milk production is possible due to an increase in gross milk yield, productivity, and reduction of material costs, labor and financial resources, as well as a new approach to the formation of the organizational and economic mechanism in the dairy-food sector, which allows increasing the competitiveness of products. Increasing the economic efficiency of meat production is possible due to the introduction of energy-saving technologies, strengthening the feed base, ensuring the balance of feed rations, improving breeding and selection work, and improving the organization of production.

The author has monitored the state of rural electrification and stated the electricity importance for the modernization of the agricultural sector in Russia. The cost structure in the process of power supply to agriculture has been determined and the term "power quality" has been defined. It is shown that interruptions in power supply are caused by wear and tear of power distribution grids, and these interruptions cause material damage to agricultural production. The research has identified the reasons for the unsatisfactory state of rural power distribution grids of 10-0.4 kV associated with the poor organization of their operation, and revealed a sharp reduction in the replacement of worn-out grids with new ones. The author comes to a conclusion that it is necessary to update and modernize agricultural power distribution grids of 10-0.4 kV, as well as increase the effectiveness of investments. It is noted that non-compliance with the requirements for the power supply quality, inefficient use of electrical equipment and production automation means, and a decrease in the reliability of their operation in agricultural production lead to a decrease in capital productivity ratio. The combination of these factors inhibits the intensification of agricultural production, thus accelerating the pace of scientific and technological progress in rural areas. It is proposed to introduce energy-saving technologies, equipment and autonomous power supply systems in agricultural facilities, including renewable energy sources.