Browsing by discipline "Agroteknologia (maatalous- ja ympäristöteknologia)"

The present work was based on the analysis of glyphosate concentrations in six soil layers after continuous multiple applications of herbicide products and various sampling times during the study period of 2010?2012, and aimed to contribute to a better recognition of the glyphosate persistence in clay soil. Two tillage methods (conventional tillage and no-till) were carried out in two replicates on the experimental field located in Jokioinen, South-Western Finland. This experiment was important for the identification of glyphosate amounts in soil profile and for planning a better field management in the future on the larger scale. Results of the study demonstrated that glyphosate and its metabolite AMPA remained on the field a year after the spraying of the herbicide. Calculated reference degradation rate constants and half-lives were proved to be in a range with literature review. While the impact of tillage methods on the glyphosate retention in soil was not possible to assess by the present study due to the quite sparse nature of the data, the residuals of glyphosate and AMPA at deep layers were almost non-detectable. Study clearly showed that accumulation of glyphosate happens mostly in topsoil, and the leaching potential into deeper layers was quite limited.

This study focuses on machinery and equipment failures in agriculture. For example, unreliable operations, or breakages and obstructions are common failures. Usually failures interrupt the work, either temporarily or for a longer period of time. Sometimes it is possible to continue working despite the failure. On the other hand failures can cause delaying or financial losses. Repairs can cause dangerous situations for farmers. Maintenance and repair works on farms are causing the most of the work-related accidents. The main targets of the study were to determine the most common failures on agricultural machinery and equip-ment, find the main reasons for the failures and find the ways to prevent failures and accidents caused by failures. The study was intended to serve as a basis of the newsletter to be made for farmers. The study was conducted 1.5 years lasting follow-up study. This study was finally included 21 farmers from all over the Finland. Farmers reported their machinery and equipment failures according to a pre-defined form. According to the results most machinery and equipment faults occurs with tractors. That is because tractors have a lot of places for failures and they are widely used on farms. Also harvesting machines seems to have a lot of failures. Machine failures were mainly on the frame and on the mechanical parts of power transmission. About one-fifth of all were electrical failures. Around two times out of three the failure interrupts working. According to farmers most of the failures were age-related and result from a "normal" wear. The remaining causes for failures were divided almost evenly between operating environment, machinery and equipment poor quality and factors resulting from the users. A significant result is that many failures can be prevented. For farmers it is almost impossible to avoid the machine and equipment failures. This study and the earlier stud-ies show that many of failures can be prevented and farmers should prepare better for failures. According to study the most important ways to prevent failures are proactive maintenance, careful reading of the operation manual, in-vesting to good quality machinery and equipment and by focusing to the work they are doing. Machinery mainte-nance and failure solving is safe when maintenance facilities are decent, using high quality tools and protective clothes, and when using the correct methods of work and not taking extra risks. It is also important to remember that the most demanding repair work should be left to professionals. The main goals of the study were achieved. TTS has published a newsletter for farmers, "Agricultural machinery and equipment failures - prevention methods and guidelines" based on the results of this study.

Assessing and avoiding environmental impact of agriculture and forestry has become more and more important during recent years. In Finland, half of the phosphorus load and nearly 40 % of the nitrogen load in the water system is caused by agriculture and forestry. Traditionally water quality monitoring has been carried out with manual water sampling and laboratory analyses. The problem with manual sampling is low amount of samples. Continuously working water quality sensors have been used for a relatively short time, which is why continuous water quality monitoring needs more research. The objective of the study is to clarify the feasibility of optical sensors in monitoring water quality and nutrient loading in an agricultural and forest management area. The study was carried out in three monitoring stations of the Savijoki catchment in Southwest Finland. Two of the stations were identically equipped and were located in forested subcatchments. A third station was located at the Savijoki catchment discharge point, making it possible to study how sensors work in different water qualities. According to the study, monitoring with continuously working sensors will result in more accurate nutrient loading estimates. With sensors used in the study it is also possible to draw conclusions about dynamics between run-off and nutrient concentrations in water. A prerequisite for successful monitoring is utilizing the appropriate sensors in the correct location. For example, low nitrate levels in water in forested areas have to be taken into consideration when choosing sensors. During the monitoring it is important to actively keep track of the quality of data and to check that sensors are working properly. Water quality sensors always need good calibration and control water samples from the entire concentration range. Sensors also have to be equipped with an automatic cleaning mechanism.