By: Vlad Zubko
This project resulted from the training YPARD did with Ukrainian attendees in collaboration and partnership with AgriSciences Platform "AgriSci-UA".
If you look around, you'll see that the world is changing very quickly. The environment in which you live in is changing and you can change the world for the better. The development of science and personal communication can work wonders as an example the AgriSci-UA platform brought us together. Our team works in a typical zone for Ukraine and the research results are typical for most of it. Climate change has led to a decrease in soil moisture, this decreases in moisture in the soil has led to an increase in its hardness in the upper balls of the soil. Moisture must be preserved. The quantitative indicator of soil moisture makes it possible to assess the effectiveness of the technology used for crop following and allows for specific crop recommendations for subsequent cultivation and recommend specific changes in their cultivation technology. This will increase the yield of the crop and reduce the cost of growing it.
Our team consists of engineers, agronomists, and economists, having an interdisciplinary team enables proper recommendations and best development strategies for agribusiness. The quantitative indicator of the presence of moisture in the soil allows you to estimate how much moisture will be provided to the culture and what kind of harvest it will give. The economic analysis allows us to evaluate the effectiveness of our research objectives, which are the following:
– how to keep moisture in the soil after harvesting winter crops.
– what to do with plant residues: collect them for biofuel or evenly distribute over the soil surface.
– what are the terms for tillage after harvesting: 3-5 days or 6-10 hours.
– dependence of soil moisture saturation on depth and time of day.
The uniqueness of these studies is that they are carried out under the same conditions for classic technology, mini till and no-till. We investigated changes throughout the day: air temperature and humidity, wind strength, soil temperature and moisture, and the very structure of the soil. A large amount of data makes it possible to conduct a comprehensive analysis and make effective conclusions with recommendations for agribusiness. Moreover, our research is useful for local communities. The development of agricultural business on their territory will increase budget revenues, provide employment opportunities, and treat land resources more carefully. A crop that grows in "comfortable" conditions results in high-quality yield.
Read the original blog here.
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