Agricultural Engineering

Drainage network detection and assessment of network storage capacity in agrarian landscape

by Paolo Tarolli

Published in Hydrological Processes, 2012. Co-authored with Federico Cazorzi, Giancarlo Dalla Fontana, Alberto De Luca, Giulia Sofia

Drainage networks in agrarian landscape within floodplains constitute surface's discontinuities that are expected to... more Drainage networks in agrarian landscape within floodplains constitute surface's discontinuities that are expected to affect hydrological response during floods. Drainage network recognition and quantification of water storage capacity within channels are, therefore, crucial for watershed planning and management. These evaluations require accurate spatial information for the area of interest and in most cases, when studying large catchments, broad datasets of ditches locations and descriptions are not available. In order to characterize drainage networks for large areas, the availability of high resolution topography derived by airborne laser scanner (LiDAR) represents a new and effective tool. Nowadays LiDAR DTMs covering large areas are readily available for public authorities, and there is a greater and more widespread interest in the application of such information for the development of automated methods aimed at solving geomorphological and hydrological problems. While LiDAR DTMs reliability in steep landscape has been proven by several recent studies, only few researches have been conducted to take into account the effectiveness of these data in agrarian low relief landscapes. The goal of this research is to propose a semi-automatic approach based on a LiDAR DTM to (1) detect drainage networks in agrarian/floodplain contexts, and (2) to estimate some of the network summary statistics (network length, width, drainage density and storage capacity). The procedure is applied in two typical alluvial-plain areas in the North East of Italy, and tested comparing automatically derived network with surveyed ones. The results underline the capability of high resolution DTMs for drainage network detection and characterization in the context of agrarian landscapes within floodplains, opening at the same time new challenges to evaluate some hydrological processes in these areas

Ackergeräte, in: Wissensdatenbank (Geisteswissenschaftliches Zentrum Leipzig: online publication), Leipzig 2012, 10 pp.

by Joachim Henning

(Zugriff 29.04.2012)
The artice was once written for the planned "Enzyklopädie zur Frühgeschichte Europas" and has now been published in the internet by Geisteswissenschaftliches Zentrum Leipzig (GWZO)

Analysis of the reclamation treatment capability of a constructed wetland for reuse

by Antonio Albuquerque

F. Pedrero, A. Albuquerque, L. Amado, H. Marecos do Monte, J. Alarcón
Water Practice & Technology, 2011, V. 6, 3, 9 p.

A research project was conducted during 2008-2009 in Portugal to evaluate the potential of reclaimed water from... more A research project was conducted during 2008-2009 in Portugal to evaluate the potential of reclaimed water from constructed wetlands for irrigation reuse. A 21 month monitoring campaign was set up in a Filtralite-based horizontal subsurface flow bed. Results showed a significant fluctuation of the hydraulic loading rate that has influenced the hydraulic retention time and the wastewater characteristics over time and, therefore, the removal efficiencies for BOD5, COD, TSS, nitrogen and phosphorus were lower than the reported values for CW performance. If the hydraulic loading rate could be properly controlled the treatment performance, as well as the quality of the reclaimed water, can be improved considerably. The effluent concentrations of conductivity (EC), BOD5, COD, TN, K, Ca, Mg and phytotoxic elements (Na, Cl and B), showed a suitable quality for irrigation reuse according to different international standards, although it is necessary to improve the removal of phosphorous and a final disinfection must be implemented to decrease the pathogenic content.

Analysis of constructed wetland performance for irrigation reuse

by Antonio Albuquerque

H. Marecos do Monte, A. Albuquerque
Water Science and Technology, 2010, V. 61, 7, 1699-7105.

Most of the wastewater treatment systems in small rural communities of the Cova da Beira region (Portugal) consist of... more Most of the wastewater treatment systems in small rural communities of the Cova da Beira region (Portugal) consist of constructed wetlands (CW) with horizontal subsurface flow (HSSF). It is believed that those systems allow the compliance of discharge standards as well as the production of final effluents with suitability for reuse. Results obtained in a nine-month campaign in an HSSF bed pointed out that COD and TSS removal were lower than expected. A discrete sampling also showed that removal of TC, FC and HE was not enough to fulfill international irrigation goals. However, the bed had a very good response to variation of incoming nitrogen loads presenting high removal of nitrogen forms. A good correlation between mass load and mass removal rate was observed for BOD5, COD, TN, NH4-N, TP and TSS, which shows a satisfactory response of the bed to the variable incoming loads. The entrance of excessive loads of organic matter and solids contributed for the decrease of the effective volume for pollutant uptake and therefore, may have negatively influenced the treatment capability. Primary treatment should be improved in order to decrease the variation of incoming organic and solid loads and to improve the removal of COD, solids and pathogenic. The final effluent presented good physical–chemical quality to be reused for irrigation, which is the most likely application in the area.

Seasonal Evapotranspiration Mapping Using Landsat Visible and Thermal Data with METRICtm for Central Platte Natural Resources District, NE

by Baburao Kamble

Skyfarming an ecological innovation to enhance global food security

by Folkard Asch

Germer, J., Sauerborn, J., Asch, F., de Boer, J., Schreiber, J., Weber, G., Müller, J., 2011
Skyfarming an ecological innovation to enhance global food security. Journal für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit - DOI 10.1007 /s00003-011-0691-6

Population growth increases the demand for food and thus leads to expansion of cultivated land and intensification of... more Population growth increases the demand for food and thus leads to expansion of cultivated land and intensification of agricultural production. There is a definite limit to both of these options for food security and their multiple negative effects on the environment undermine the aim for sustainability. Presently the impact of the Green Revolution on crop production is levelling off at high yields attained and even the potential of large scale irrigation programmes and transgenic crops seem to be limited in view of the expected increase in demand for food. Moreover, climate change threatens to affect agricultural production across the globe.
Skyfarming represents a promising approach for food production that is largely environment independent and therefore immune to climate change. Optimal growing conditions, shielded from weather extremes and pests are aimed at raising plant production towards the physiological potential. Selecting rice as a pioneer crop for Skyfarming will not only provide a staple for a large part of the global population, but also significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emission caused by paddy cultivation. Multiplication of the benefits could be achieved by stacking production floors vertically.
In Skyfarming the crop, with its requirements for optimal growth, development and production, determines the system's design. Accordingly, the initial development must focus on the growing environment, lighting, temperature, humidity regulation and plant protection strategies as well as on the overall energy supply. For each of these areas potentially suitable technologies are presented and discussed.

Characterising poultry dust properties, assessing the human health implications, quantifying emission levels and assessing the potential for abatement

by Gavin Phillips

Recycling pulp mill sludge to improve soil fertility using GIS tools

by Antonio Albuquerque

P. Ribeiro, A. Albuquerque, L. Quinta-Nova, V. Cavaleiro
Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 2010, V. 54, 12, 1303–1311.

Pulp mill sludge produced in the Cova da Beira region (Portugal) contains organic matter (11–47%), nitrogen (38–2560mg... more Pulp mill sludge produced in the Cova da Beira region (Portugal) contains organic matter (11–47%), nitrogen (38–2560mg N/kg) and phosphorus (167–370mg P/kg), which may be valuable for increasing soil productivity. The levels of heavy metals are below the limits recommended by legislation and the
amount of nitrogen and phosphorous to be introduced in soils does not present a risk for nutrient leaching.
After identifying the environmental and technical restrictions on its application, an area of 1650 ha was identified where the sludge can be applied in forage crops, fruit trees, olive groves and vineyards. A suitable area was also found for a biosolids storage centre. The use of GIS allowed to define a sludge
application index and to produce land-use suitability maps, which can be useful for sludge management.

Real Time Wireless eCommerce for Agricultural and Forestry Operations

by Narciso Cerpa

P. Bro, N. Cerpa, and S. Ortega-Farías, “Real Time Wíreless E-Commerce for Agricultural and Forestry Operations”, Proceedings of the Sixteen Bled Electronic Commerce Conference, Slovenia, 9-11 June, 2003, pp 675-685.

This paper describes an application of real time data capture and wireless transmission of meteorological data used by... more This paper describes an application of real time data capture and wireless transmission of meteorological data used by agricultural administrators to support operational decisions such as irrigation scheduling and pesticide application. Forestry companies need such information for managing operations during the fire season. The system architecture based on distributed wireless data communication using cell phone
components is selected as the required interface and software drivers are implemented to connect different brands of meteorological data stations with a GSM cell phone and thereby insulate the variations in technology, transmission and storage schemes from the overlying database and application software layers.

Neural Networks for Landscape Applications

by Theodore Tsiligiridis

1st Conference of the Hellenic Association of Information and Communication Technology in Agriculture, Food and Environment (HAICTA 2002), 6-7 June 2002, Session 3B, pp 220-233, Athens, Greece, EU.
co-authored with T.Glezakos

Bluetooth design configurations to support agricultural applications

by Theodore Tsiligiridis

4th International Conference on ICT in Bio & Earth Sciences (HAICTA 2008), Session S7A: Information Systems and Services, September 2008, Athens, Greece, EU.
co-authored with M.Drougka and C.Pontikakos

Web-based estimation model of natural ventilation efficiency in greenhouses using 3D computational fluid dynamics

by Theodore Tsiligiridis

In: Proceedings of the 4th World Congress in Agriculture (WCCA' 06), July 2006, Orlando, Florida, USA.
co-authored with M. Maliappis, K. Ferentinos, H. Passam, A. Sideridis

Natural ventilation efficiency in a twin-span greenhouse using 3D computational fluid dynamics

by Theodore Tsiligiridis

In: Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Information Systems in Sustainable Agriculture, Agro-environment and Food Technology, (HAICTA 2006), Sept. 2006, Volos, Greece, EU.
co-authored with C. Pontikakos, K.P. Ferentinos, A.B. Sideridis

Modelo de Abordaje para el Diseño de Maquinarias Agrícolas. Herramientas cognitivas para una aproximación sistémica.

by Federico Del Giorgio Solfa

Director: Prof. D.I. Ruben Peluso. Co-Director: Mg. Prof. Federico Del Giorgio Solfa. Author: Mg. D.I. Sergio Justianovich, Informe Científico Final de Beca de Estudio BE07, Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2009.

Modell Ansatz für das Design von landwirtschaftlichen Maschinen. Kognitive Werkzeuge für einen systemischen Ansatz.
Direktor: Prof. D.I. Ruben Peluso. Co-Regie: Mg. Prof. Giorgio Federico Del Solfa. Autor: Mg. D.I. Sergio Justianovich, wissenschaftlichen Abschlussbericht BE07 Studienstipendium, Research Commission der Provinz Buenos Aires, Argentinien, 2009.

Model Approach to the Design of Agricultural Machinery. Cognitive tools for a systemic approach.
Director: Prof. D.I. Ruben Peluso. Co-Director: Mg. Prof. Giorgio Federico Del Solfa. Author: Mg. D.I. Sergio Justianovich, Final Scientific Report BE07 Study Scholarship, Research Commission of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2009.

Approche du modèle à la conception de machines agricoles. Outils cognitifs pour une approche systémique.
Directeur: Prof D.I. Ruben Peluso. Co-directrice: Mg. Professeur Giorgio Federico Del Solfa. Auteur: Mg. D.I. Sergio Justianovich, Rapport scientifique final BE07 bourses d'étude, de recherche de la Commission de la Province de Buenos Aires, Argentine, 2009.

Modello di approccio alla progettazione delle macchine agricole. Strumenti conoscitivi per un approccio sistemico.
Direttore: Prof. D.I. Ruben Peluso. Co-Direttore: Mg. Prof. Giorgio Federico Del Solfa. Autore: Mg. D.I. Sergio Justianovich, Relazione finale scientifica BE07 borse di studio, di ricerca della Commissione della Provincia di Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2009.

Abordagem modelo para o Projeto de Máquinas Agrícolas. Ferramentas cognitivas para uma abordagem sistêmica.
Diretor: Prof D.I. Ruben Peluso. Co-Diretor: Mg. Prof Giorgio Federico Del Solfa. Autor: Mg. D.I. Sergio Justianovich, Relatório Científico final BE07 Bolsa de Estudos, Investigação da Comissão da Província de Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2009.

نهج نموذج لتصميم الآلات الزراعية. الأدوات المعرفية لنهج النظام.
المدير : الأستاذ D.I. روبن Peluso. المدير المشارك : المغنيسيوم. البروفسور جورجيو فيديريكو دل Solfa. المؤلف : المغنيسيوم. D.I. سيرجيو Justianovich، التقرير النهائي العلمية BE07 منحة دراسة وأبحاث لجنة مقاطعة بوينس آيرس، الأرجنتين ، 2009.

模型的方法來農業機械設計。一個系統的方法認知工具。
導演：教授D.I.魯本Peluso。合作導演：毫克。喬治教授費德里科德爾 Solfa。作者：鎂。 D.I.塞爾吉奧 Justianovich，最終科學報告 BE07研究獎學金，研究了阿根廷布宜諾斯艾利斯，2009年省委員會。

농업 기계의 디자인 모델 접근.체계적 접근을위한인지 공구를 추천하십시오.
감독 : 교수 D.I. 루벤 Peluso. 공동 감독 : MG. 교수 조르지오 페데리코 델 Solfa. 저자 : MG. D.I. 세르지오 Justianovich, 최종 학술 보고서 BE07 연구 장학금, 부에노스 아이레스, 아르헨티나, 2009 년 지방 연구위원회.

農業機械の設計へのモデルのアプローチ。体系的なアプローチのための認知ツール。
ディレクター：教授D.I.ルーベンペルソ。共同監督：マグネシウム。教授ジョルジオフェデリコデルSolfa。著者：マグネシウム。 D.I.セルジオJustianovich、決勝科学レポートBE07研究奨学金、ブエノスアイレス、アルゼンチン、2009年の県の研究会。

MODELO DE ABORDAJE PARA EL DISEÑO DE MAQUINARIAS AGRÍCOLAS

Herramientas cognitivas para una aproximación... more MODELO DE ABORDAJE PARA EL DISEÑO DE MAQUINARIAS AGRÍCOLAS

Herramientas cognitivas para una aproximación sistémica.

En el estudio se expone que la producción, comercialización y demanda de alimentos son variables que determinaron la forma en que se organizó la cadena agroindustrial, y a su vez ésta fijó los requerimientos de las maquinarias agrícolas.

En efecto, para identificar cuáles fueron las variables que definieron las características del actual parque de máquinas se describe la evolución de los diferentes modelos agrícolas.

Paralelamente se propone un conjunto de herramientas
cognitivas que permiten sistematizar el proceso de abordaje de diseño de este tipo de productos. De este modo, la investigación proporciona información para el desarrollo de futuras maquinarias.

Por tratarse de una investigación cualitativa y exploratoria, se ha tomado como población de estudio a Diseñadores Industriales especializados en su desarrollo, a empresarios de la Cadena de Valor de Maquinaria Agrícola de 9 de Julio y a Investigadores del INTA, INTI, y técnicos de Centros de Servicios que mantienen vínculos con el sector.

Acquiring land abroad for agricultural purposes: ‘land grab’ or agri-FDI? Report of the Surrey International Law Centre and Environmental Regulatory Research Group

by Antoine Martin

Co-authored with Mulugeta M Ayalew (university of Surrey), Published in the Surrey Law Working Papers – 08/2011

Following the 2008 world food crisis, many international investors have engaged in a race for land acquisition and... more Following the 2008 world food crisis, many international investors have engaged in a race for land acquisition and food production. This new form of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is
increasingly criticised in the public sphere, which commonly refers to it as a ‘land grab’.
In the absence of consequent primary sources relating to the subject matter, however, this working document provides an overview of what the authors describe as an ‘agri-FDI’ trend,
based on the cross analysis of secondary sources. It first draws a geographical map of the trend as a means to emphasise who invests and where. Second, it considers the origins of the trend are, including the 2008 food crises and the impact of increased demand for biofuel. This document, overall, constitutes the basis of a forthcoming paper which, in turn, will formulate hypotheses and questions as to whether agriculture-oriented investments differ from traditional FDI.

Emerging Technologies for the Functional Characterization of Isolates from Populus

by SURESH NEETHIRAJAN

Co-authored with Scott Retterer, Jennifer Morrell-Falvey, Dale Pelletier, Mitchel Doktycz

The composition of microbial communities within and around plant species is dependent on dynamic physical and chemical... more The composition of microbial communities within and around plant species is dependent on dynamic physical and chemical signaling events that occur within the local environment and at the root surface.  Visualization and quantification of these events in natural systems is challenging. However, emerging technologies that combine advances in nanostructure fabrication, microfluidics and imaging provide a means of recreating these events within model systems.  These systems mimic aspects of their natural counterparts while providing tractable experimental platforms in which both individual cellular responses and population dynamics can be recorded and analyzed.

Model systems, amenable to imaging, that allow dynamic modulation of local physicochemical cues in a controllable manner have been developed to recreate the interactions between microbes and their hosts.  A nanostructured microfluidic platform has been created in order to examine the chemotactic responses of isolates to specific plant-associated signals.  This platform is created using a combination of electron beam lithography and anisotropic silicon etching techniques.  It can be easily replicated via silicone molding and facilitates the physical tracking of hundreds of microbes within a quasi-two-dimensional space that confines microbes within the focal volume of a conventional phase contrast microscope without significantly impeding natural motility.

Remote Control of Water Pumping Stations

by Dimitrios VENTZAS

published in Proccedings, IASTED International Symposium on Modelling, Identification and Control, Grindelawlad, Switzerland, February 17-20, 1987

This paper describes the architecture of a distributed and hierarchical system for remote control of a water supply... more This paper describes the architecture of a distributed and hierarchical system for remote control of a water supply network in the Athens - Peraus district, Greece. The aim of the project was to achieve effctive operational control in the short and long term, continuous monitoring of the water supply network, centralised control, expandability and optimized operation.

Adhesion Kinetics of Poplar-associated Proteobacteria Using Atomic Force Microscopy

by SURESH NEETHIRAJAN

The attachment of bacteria to host roots is an initial step in colonization and is influenced by several factors... more The attachment of bacteria to host roots is an initial step in colonization and is influenced by several factors including bacterial transport, surface recognition, and local shear forces. A quantitative understanding of the affinity of proteobacteria for root surfaces and a clear picture of the initial adhesion kinetics associated with attachment is essential to characterize biofilm formation and root colonization. The dual function of imaging and measuring interaction forces makes Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) a unique tool for studying bacterial adhesion. The adhesion between the cell surface and the AFM tip can be measured from the extension and the retraction of the force curve cycle using functionalized cantilever tips. The mechanisms involved in the bacterial attachment and motility behavior were elucidated by force spectroscopy measurements and microfluidic systems. The developed analytical techniques quantified the adhesion forces and helped to explain the spatial and temporal dynamics of the colonization of Populus by proteobacteria. The role of the extracellular polymeric substance and the pili in facilitating the bacterial adhesion during biofilm formation are being analyzed.

Potential of silica bodies (phytoliths) for nanotechnology

by SURESH NEETHIRAJAN

Trends in Biotechnology

Many plant systems accumulate silica in solid form, creating intracellular or extracellular silica bodies (phytoliths)... more Many plant systems accumulate silica in solid form, creating intracellular or extracellular silica bodies (phytoliths) that are essential for growth, mechanical strength, rigidity, predator and fungal defence, stiffness and cooling. Silica is an inorganic amorphous oxide formed by polymerization processes within plants. There has been much research to gain new insights into its biochemistry and to mimic biosilicification. We review the background on plant silica bodies, silica uptake mechanisms and applications, and suggest possible ways of producing plant silica bodies with new functions. Silica bodies offer complementary properties to diatoms for nanotechnology, including large-scale availability from crop wastes, lack of organic impurities (in some), microencapsulation and microcrystalline quartz with possibly unique optical properties.

Convergence – Big Potential: Microfluidics for Food, Agriculture and Biosystems

by SURESH NEETHIRAJAN

Microfluidics, a rapidly emerging enabling technology has the potential to revolutionize agriculture, food, and... more Microfluidics, a rapidly emerging enabling technology has the potential to revolutionize agriculture, food, and biosystems industries. The principles of eletrokinetics, electro-hydrodynamics, and thermo-capillarity with the dimensional parameters such as nanoliters, micrometers and milliseconds of the microfluidic technology help to solve scientific problems that conventional technologies cannot. Microfluidic devices allow real-time temporal and spatial sensing in food safety. Nano particle encapsulation of fish oil by spray drying through efficient emulsification; detection of the presence of residues, trace chemicals, antibiotics, pathogens and toxins in the food and water supply monitoring; in micro and nano-filtration to improve food quality; analysis of antibiotics in dairy food products by chip based diagnostic system are few examples of potential applications of microfluidics in food industry. Microfluidics also has the potential to generate novel food structures by changing the way the food processing will be done through emulsions and foams, fluid mixings and dispersions. Monitoring nutrients and sorting plant cells to increase crop quality and production; effective delivery of biopesticides by agricultural spray equipments are emerging applications of microfluidics in agriculture. Applications of microfluidics in the animal science sector includes simplifying traditional in vitro fertilisation procedures in animal breeding, animal health monitoring, therapeutic intervention, and nucleic acid delivery systems using DNA molecules for animal vaccines and animal control agents. Analysis and chemical manipulation of small samples, capture of foreign particles, and delivery of drugs to specific locations are interesting applications of microfluidics in bioprocessing industries. The objective of this review is to synthesize information on microfluidic systems and devices that features integrated operations with simple reliable components with applications in agriculture, food and bioprocessing industries. Progress on the recent development, current trends and future perspectives of microfluidics, different microfluidic types, designs and techniques are being addressed.