Physical Methods in Agriculture: Approach to Precision and Quality

ISBN-13: 9780306474309 / Angielski / Twarda / 2003 / 454 str.

Jiri Blahovec; Miroslav Kutilek

Opis

The frrst attempts to use physical methods in agriculture can be found in nineteenth century as a necessary component of farm and food machinery. There were mechanics, electricity and physical chemistry that were the first physical disciplines used in agriculture and food industry. In the same time period the studies on physical properties of soils started to be one of main topics of soil science. The twentieth century was a century of research on physical properties of agromaterials. The physical properties of agromaterials have been studied e. g. in the USA, where a big role has been played by ASAE (1907), and in the Soviet Union where the special Institute of Agrophysics was founded (1932) by Academician Ioffe. The ASAE's activity was enlarged in 1960s and 1970s, especially with the role playing by the Mohsenin's group and its followers. At that time the Institute of Agrophysics of Polish Academy of Sciences was founded in Lublin and conferences on physical methods in agriculture began to be organised. The participants of the last conference - "Physical Methods in Agriculture - Approach to Precision and Quality," held on August 27-30, 2001, have prepared the basis for this book. Part of the conference participants decided to enlarge their conference papers to be more general and more instructive in relation to further development of the science. New papers prepared under this deciSion were reviewed, discussed and revised, repeatedly, to be presented in this book.

Spis treści

On precision and quality; M. Kutílek. Part 1: Soil and Allocation Agriculture. Image analysis and microscopic techniques to characterize soil pore system; M. Pagliai, N. Vignozzi. The horizontal hydraulic conductivity of vertical interaggregate capillary cracks in clay soils; V.Y. Chertkov. Estimation error in statistical distribution: soil hydraulic parameters; M. Kutílek, et al. The influence of tillage methods on the infiltration in soil; S. Matula. Bifacial PV modules in solar trackers and concentrators: A new approach to supplying power in agriculture; M. Libra, V. Poulek. Precision farming - A multidisciplinary approach for cereal production; R.J. Godwin. Monitoring frost injury to winter crops; V. Yakushev, et al. Part 2: Properties and Quality. Stress relaxation in potato: Before and after cooking; J. Blahovec. Determination of hen's eggshell elastic properties under quasistatic compression; J. Buchar, et al. The cracking mechanisms of grain legume; B. Dobrzanski Jr. Properties of grain for silo strength calculation; J. Horabik, M. Molenda. Digital image analysis - Essence and application in cereal science; T. Jelinski, et al. Thermal conductivity of macaroni products; S. Tavman, P. Yolci. Transgenosis for changes of physical properties of plants and plant products; M. Ondrej. Novel agricultural materials for food and feed. The transgenic crops: From cereals to potato; J. Fornal, et al. Part 3: Fruits. Physical properties of fruit firmness and chemical structure of cell walls during fruit softening; N. Sakurai. Firmness and softening of fruits and vegetables; J. De Baerdemaeker, et al. Determination of a drop damage index to estimate bruising susceptibilityof apple Royal Gala by logistic model; P. Menesatti, et al. Color as a quality factor of fruits and vegetables; B. Dobrzański, R. Rybczyński. Uncertainty of measurements of the fruit impacts by artificial fruit (PMS-60) in tomato handling chains; V. van Linden, et al. Thermal imaging. A promising high-tec method in agriculture and horticulture; H.J. Hellebrand, et al. Sensing taste attributes of plums using near infrared (NIR) reflectance spectroscopy; N. Abu-Khalaf, B.S. Bennedsen. Index.