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Agricultural products are highly perishable and, hence, we need to preserve these products after harvest. India is an agricultural country and, thus, the post-harvest storage of perishable agricultural products is important to reduce the gap between the demand and supply. Cold storage technologies have been developed and are used in India; however, these technologies are not popular in rural and remote areas due to the higher initial cost and the electrical energy requirement. Therefore, a number of low-cost technologies have been developed and, among these technologies, the evaporative cooling technology is gaining in popularity due to its simple design and lower initial cost. In this work, we have developed and tested a solar photovoltaic (PV) powered evaporative cooling system and used coconut coir as the cooling medium and compared the results with celdex pad. From this work, we observed that this system is an economical and efficient in reducing the temperature and increasing the relative humidity for the storage of agricultural products.

The loss of soil particles due to erosion is one of the main problems of current agriculture. However, soil tillage may also contribute to the undesirable transport of soil particles. It is to note that the effects of particular working elements used on implements for soil tillage have not been described in a sufficient way. To determine the translocation of soil particles, measurements were done in the Central Bohemian region. Two basic machines for soil tillage were used for measurements: a disc harrow and a tine cultivator. Measurements were performed on sandy-loamy Cambisol after the harvest of a spring cereal crop. White limestone grit was used for the indication of soil particle translocation. Great translocation of soil particles was observed after soil tillage with a tine cultivator ‒ the most distant particles were found out at a distance of more than 1.50 m from the original location. After soil tillage with disc harrows, the most distant particles were found out at a distance of 0.90 m. The dependence of tracer weight on a distance from the original location could be described for disc harrows and tine cultivator by an exponential function.

This study uses rheological models to describe the mechanical behaviour of oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) under compression loading. The oil palm empty fruit bunches were obtained from North Sumatra, Indonesia. The rheological models for different fraction sizes of the mechanical behaviour under compression loading were developed based on a mathematical concept involving spring and dashpot components. The dependencies between fraction size, viscosity, and modulus elasticity were determined and mathematically described for each branch of the rheological model. The general rheological model was developed based on the defined dependencies, considering the deformation and fraction sizes. The determined rheological models and their components could be used as a fundamental building block of digital twins of oil palm empty fruit bunches, and they could be used to optimise the compressing technology and increase the efficiency of the entire pressing process.

A number of stimuli lead to what is termed "seasonal fatigue", where the only firm interconnection is the fact that this form of fatigue only occurs during a certain period of the season. The interior of the cabin and its effect on the machine operator is notable. The microclimate of the environment in which the operator works has a direct impact on his/her condition and, consequentially, the extent of his/her fatigue. The development of microclimate in a modern agricultural machine must be identified, and based on such findings, recommendation should be given regarding procedures for improving the current situation in agricultural technology. For testing, the New Holland T6.165 tractor was therefore selected. The individual measurements show that a certain drop of oxygen occurs in the cabin during the first half hour of driving. This leads to  an increase in CO₂, which is in turn caused by the higher ventilation of the given individuals present in the vehicle. To eliminate said drops in O₂, the use of oxygen concentrators may be recommended.

3D printing is widely used method. In the term of developing of components for electronic devices, it is important to provide the good physical properties of the used dielectric. The main parameters are optional and stable value of the relative permittivity and the minimum dielectric losses of the material. The paper is focused on testing of loss factor and relative permittivity of following materials: polylactic acid (PLA, in two dye modifications), polyethylene terephthalateglycol (PET- G) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) in the frequency range of 1-100 MHz. It was proven, that the values of permittivity of the tested materials were 2.9-4.2 and loss factor 0.8-4%. Concerning relative permittivity, the tendency to mild linear drop of relation was observed by increasing frequency, especially expressed in PLA materials. In loss factor, PLA materials displayed increasing values with increasing frequency, whereas the declining curve was observed in PET-G. Absolute value of ABS loss factor varied between 0.9-1.5%. The reasonable influence of added dyes was found out.

The fracture resistance of food grains is an essential piece of information required for the optimum design and development of agricultural post-harvest machinery. In this study, the strength properties of two varieties of Bambara kernels (TVSU-1395 and TVSU-1353) were examined in terms of the mean rupture force, absorbed energy, and deformation as affected by the moisture content and kernel size. To achieve this, a quasi-compressive force was applied on the two varieties of Bambara kernels of varying moisture contents (5.43%, 7.24%, 9.01%, 11.54%, and 13.62% wb) and kernel sizes (small, medium, and large) in between the loading compartments of a universal Testometric device at a 20 mm/min loading rate. The experiments take ten treatments with 20 replications subjected factorially to a completely randomised design (CRD) into consideration. The results revealed that the force needed to initiate the kernel fracture increased with an increase in the kernel size and moisture content from 101.44 to 235.06 N and 74.69 to 190.49 N for TVSU-1395 and TVSU-1353, respectively; whereas the energy at the kernel fracture point increased in a range of 0.074 to 0.401 J and 0.062 to 0.141 J for TVSU-1395 and TVSU-1353, respectively. The kernel deformation increased with the moisture content and size from 0.654 to 3.746 mm. These infer that the large kernel size of the TVSU-1395 variety at a 5.4% moisture content had greater compressive strength than the TVSU-1353 variety. The kernel moisture and size exhibited a strong correlation (0.958 ≤ R² ≤ 0.997) with the strength parameters. The results of this study will help the food industry in designing energy-efficient post-harvest equipment for Bambara kernel processing. Further studies may consider the strength attributes of Bambara kernels at varying rates of loading, kernel orientations, and varieties to optimise the best process conditions for the post-harvest handling of different Bambara cultivars and develop labour-saving decorticating machines.

For effective tillage, design and selection of tillage tool according to soil type and condition is very important. The present study is carried out for in-depth investigation of different types of shovels of tine cultivator and behavior of soil in response to loads subjected during tillage using finite element analysis. Different types of shovels like reversible, duck foot, seed drill and cultivator shovel are simulated with different types of soil like sand, clay and loam. The origination, level and distribution of stresses and deformations in shovels experienced in different types of soils are probed. Furthermore, high stressed and crack sensitive regions are identified. The stresses of 18, 53, 64 MPa are generated in reversible shovel of tine cultivator during ploughing in sandy, clay and loamy soil respectively. In addition, results of different shovels are compared, and it is found that the duck foot type shovel experiences highest stress and deformation. The duck foot shovel experiences about 20 and 71% higher stresses in loam compared to that in clay and sand respectively. Moreover, the study of soil mechanical behavior shows that the soil block (clay soil) experiences maximum stress of 34 MPa while tilling with reversible shovel. The statistical analysis is also conducted that shows high significance of simulation results.

Sorghum production energy input-output balance was studied during the 2020/2021 production year in Hararghe lowland areas of Ethiopia under farming methods practised by the farmers. The study aimed to assess the energy input and output and to analyse the energy use efficiency of sorghum production under farming practices of the farmers using the recently adopted early maturing varieties. Three sorghum varieties were used with Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) in 3 replications. Production inputs were uniformly applied to the entire unit plots. The average total production energy input was 12 188.07 MJ·ha^–1 in which chemical fertiliser and mechanical energy contributed 47.40% (5 771.48 MJ·ha^–1) and 43.60% (5 314.10 MJ·ha^–1), respectively. The highest energy consumer stage was top-dressing followed by land preparation and sowing stages with values of 33.7, 25.20 and 20.20% of the total input, respectively. The remaining 20.90% of the input was distributed among the rest production operations. The mean energy output of 77 284.59 MJ·ha^–1 for Makko was significantly higher than that of Qaqaba and Malkam varieties. Makko was also superior to Malkam and Qaqaba in mean energy ratio with values of 6.31, 5.48 and 5.84, respectively.

Weed identification and controlling systems are gaining great attention and are very effective for large productivity in the agriculture sector. Currently, farmers are facing a weed control and management problem, and to tackle this challenge precision agriculture in the form of selective spraying is much-needed practice. In this article, we introduce a novel framework for a weed identification system that leverages (hybrid) the robust and relevant features of deep learning models, such as convolutional neural network (CNN) and handcrafted features. First, we apply the image pre-processing and augmentation techniques for image quality and dataset size enhancement. Then, we apply handcrafted feature extraction techniques, such as local binary pattern (LBP) and histogram of oriented gradients (HOG) to extract texture and shape features from the input. We also apply the deep learning model, such as CNN, to capture the relevant semantic features. Lastly, we concatenate the features extracted from a different domain and explore the performance using different classifiers. We achieved better performance and classification accuracy in the presence of the extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) classifier. The achieved results witnessed the effectiveness and applicability of the given method and the importance of concatenated features.

The friction properties of ackee apple (Blighia sapida) seeds at an 11.9, 17, 22, 27, and 32% (w.b.) seed moisture were determined, which are vital for designing their processing techniques and equipment to replace the present manual methods. The ackee apple grows in many West African countries, especially Nigeria. The ackee seeds were harvested at Lanlate, Oyo State, Nigeria, where ackee trees are predominant. Standard experimental methods were adopted to determine the properties. The data were analysed using an ANOVA and the least significant difference (LSD) at P ≤ 0.05. As the moisture increased, the static coefficient of friction on glass (27.6-36.40), aluminium (27.0-30.2), polyvinyl chloride (PVC; 27.9-32.8) surfaces and normal stress at 200 g (8.73-8.93 g×cm-2), 300 g (11.65-11.79 g×cm^-2) and 400 g (14.37-14.65) loads increased significantly and linearly. The shear stress linearly decreased at a 200 g load (1.62-1.25 g×cm^-2), but was non-significant at the 300 and 400 g loads. The coefficient of internal friction linearly decreased (0.744-0.588) implying that the wet seeds flow more easily than the dry ones, which should be considered in designing conveyors. The relationships between the ackee seeds' moisture and friction properties were expressed with regression models. Data for designing the handling techniques and machines for the ackee seeds were obtained.

The study determined the effects of the speed of loading and the loading orientation on some selected mechanical properties of the TME 419 cassava tuber variety at different ages of the tuber which are essential in the design and construction of the processing and handling equipment of a cassava peeler. The properties considered include the bioyield and rupture points, compressive and rupture strengths, toughness and firmness, and moduli of stiffness and toughness, which were carried out in the transverse and longitudinal loading direction using an Instron Universal Testing Machine (UTM). As the loading rate increased from 5.00 to10.00 mm.min^-1 and the age of the tuber varies from 1.00 to 2.00 years, the bioyield and rupture points, compressive and rupture strengths, toughness, firmness, moduli of stiffness and toughness in the transverse and longitudinal direction varies from 1 619.61 to 3 636.19 N and 136.08 to 384.52 N, 0.48066 to 1.07913 N.mm^-2 and 0.26604 to 0.75173 N.mm^-2, 766 to 1055 N.mm^-1 and 1 262 to 2 965 N.mm^-1, 303.98 to 553.68 mm.min^-1 and 28.08 to 53.71 mm.min^-1 2.30 to 4.19 N.mm^-2 and 5.376 to 8.94N.mm^-2 respectively. Generally, the values of the properties examined are higher in the longitudinal loading orientation than in the transverse and for a year and half old tuber which will be useful in designing an efficient cassava peeling system.

The rhodinol content is an essential component in determining the citronella oil qualities. This study aimed to develop a model calibrated to predict the rhodinol content in citronella oil using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. This research is the initial stage in developing a spectral smart sensor system that predicts the rhodinol content of citronella oil in the distillation and fractionating process. Citronella oil samples were scanned by NIRFlex liquid N-500 with a wavelength of 1 000-2 500 nm having an absorbance value (log 1/T). The accuracy of the prediction was achieved using the partial least square (PLS) model. Based on the NIR spectrum at a peak of around 1 620 nm, the rhodinol content in the citronella oil was estimated. The finest model to predict the rhodinol content was y = 0.9874x + 15.6439 with a standard error of the calibration set (SEC) = 2.78%, a standard error of the prediction set (SEP) = 2.88%, a ratio of the performance to the deviation (RPD) = 9.23, a coefficient of variation (CV) = 16.81%, and the correlation coefficient (r) = 0.99. The NIR and PLS models are possible to use for the initial stage in developing a spectral smart sensor system to determine the rhodinol content of citronella oils.

The analysis of soil compaction with chassis of a wide-span irrigation machine Valmont was determined. The sprinkler had 12 two-wheeled chassis (size of tyre 14.9'' × 24''). During the evaluation of soil compaction, we monitored the values of penetration resistance and soil moisture during the operation of the sprinkler. Considering the performance parameters of the pump, the sprinkler was only half of its length (300 m) in the technological operation. In this area, also field measurements were performed in 19 monitoring points spaced both in tracks and outside the chassis tracks. The analysis showed the impact of compression with sprinkler wheels. The correction of obtained results of penetration resistance was applied in connection with soil moisture (mass) values according to Act No. 220/2004 (Lhotský et al. 1985). The results of average resistance ranged from 1.2 to 3.26 MPa. The values of the max. resistance ranged from 2.3 to 5.35 MPa. The results indicated a shallow soil compaction; however, it is not devastating.

The article deals with verification of a diesel fuel and two fuel mixtures blends with different amounts of the bio-component using the model single-cylinder engine without the additional equipment for treatment of exhaust gases. This combustion diesel engine served for measuring the performance characteristics of the model single-cylinder engine and the individual emission components in order to assess the use of these blends of liquid paraffinic diesel fuel in practice and to meet current and forthcoming European legislation and to fulfil the commitments by 2020. A detailed chemical analysis was performed in case of all the tested paraffinic diesel fuels.

Recently, modern non-heating-based food processing alternatives have emerged. The pulsed electric field (PEF) technology is an example, which does not require high temperatures and, in principle, preserves both the nutritional and functional characteristics of the food while possibly improving the taste. Nevertheless, using this technology in kitchen conditions is still a challenge. Thus, the main aim of this work was the development of a kitchen cooking device that uses pure pulse electroporation (without thermal effects). A device powered by a common electrical network was designed. The voltage applied to the electrodes is approximately 150 V. At a food thickness of 3 mm, an intensity of 500 V.cm^-1 was achieved, which was sufficient for the electroporation of typical vegetables. Depending on the specific food being treated, the device repeats the pulses until the required degree of the PEF treatment is reached. Preparing a larger amount of food at one time would require great instant power from the device. In order to load the device with less current, the large working area of the electrodes was divided into nine segments. The food is gradually prepared segment by segment. The function of the device is controlled via an electronic programmable control unit. The electroporation of the processed material was achieved with a functional prototype of the designed device, but with some limitations that have to be respected in further development.

A traceability system is an effective tool to guarantee safety in horticultural products and to improve supply chain transparency. A direct data matrix (DM) code created with carbon dioxide laser (wavelength 10.6 µm) can be used as a trust mark on bananas. In this study, green bananas were marked with the above-mentioned CO₂ laser. Subsequently, the samples were held under storage conditions. Images of the codes on bananas were captured by using two different cameras; i.e. hyperspectral imaging camera and charge-couple device (CCD) camera. Image processing was used for evaluating print quality of 2D codes based on the ISO/IEC 15415 standard. The quality of the codes on bananas mainly depends on some parameters: laser power, laser energy, marking time per module and storage time. The best readability results were achieved by using laser power of 1.8 W and marking time of 0.09 s per data matrix module, whereby an 80-100% readability of DM codes after the storage was obtained.

The paper covers the results of the theoretical and experimental investigation of the developed sectional operating element of a flexible screw conveyer designed for transporting bulk agricultural materials. In order to determine the correlation between the design parameters of the hinged screw sections and the minimum permissible radius of curvature of a processing line, the analytical dependences have been deduced. The results of the experimental studies aimed at determining the efficiency of a screw conveyer and the level of the grain material damage depending on the change in design, kinematic and technological parameters of an operating element are presented.

A straw chopper is a mechanical device used to uniformly chop fodder into small pieces to mix it together with other grass and then feed it to livestock. The objective of this research was to design and develop an animal fodder chopping machine to be utilised by dairy farmers within their purchase range. The drawing of these machine parts was undertaken in AutoCAD software and the construction was performed in a local workshop. After development of this machine, performance tests were carried out on a farm. The chopping machine tests were carried out with commonly grown fodder (namely: straw, grass, and maize) in Bangladesh. The performance evaluation of the developed machine was carried out in terms of the chopping efficiency, machine productivity, and energy consumption. The economic analysis of the straw chopping machine was assessed by indicating the cost effectiveness to the poor farmers. Analysis of the data in regard to chopping efficiency and machine productivity varied from 93 to 96% and from 192 to 600 kg×h^-1, respectively. The energy consumption during the chopping process ranged between 0.0025 and 0.01 kWh for the different types of fodder. The break-even point of the fodder chopping machine was 3 793 kg of cut straw and the payback period was within one year depending on the use.

After harvesting, soybean seed must be thermally treated because of the increased moisture content. The most common thermal treatment of soybean is roasting, with three indicators that are critical for the process itself: seed moisture content, roasting period and process temperature. Following the above-mentioned, the aim of this paper was to determine nutritional and energy changes in three soybean varieties ('Gordana', 'Sivka' and 'Slavonka'). After collecting the samples, the nutrient structure of the core and energy components of seed hull for each variety were determined before and after the heat treatment by roasting. The roasted soybean seeds of the specified varieties were dried by exposure to temperatures of 125°C and 135°C in the duration of 10, 20 and 30 minutes. The results show that significant changes occurred in nutritional properties of soybean seed core in relation to temperature and time of roasting, as well as to assortment. There are also significant differences in elements, which affects the energy properties of soy seed hulls depending on temperature and duration of the procedure.

The viscosity of two varieties of Canarium schweinfurthiiEngl. fruits oil (large and long) were studied at four different temperatures (30, 40, 50 and 60^oC) and three shear rates (7.91, 15.82 and 39.54 s^-1). SurgiFriend Medical (model NDJ-5S) viscometer was used to carry out the study. Biodiesel characteristics of the oil were also investigated. The results showed that variety had no effect (P < 0.05) on the viscosity of Canarium schweinfurthii Engl. fruit while temperature had especially at 50^oC and above. The shear rate of 15.82 s^-1 (12 rps) gave the lowest oil viscosity for both varieties. The oil from large fruit had the best temperature stability, low percentage viscosity (6.33%) variation and least activation energy (796.51 J.mol^-1.K^-1) while long variety had best biodiesel characteristic for safe handling. Temperature had no significant (P < 0.05) effect on the consistency coefficient (C) and flow behaviour index (n) of both varieties of Canarium schweinfurthii Engl. fruits oil. Besides, oil from both fruit varieties is Newtonian fluids.

This research was conducted to study temperature variation in grain metal silo using Finite Element Method (FEM). A mathematical model was developed, based on conductive heat transfer expressed in Poisson and Laplace Differential models, by discretising the actual temperature variation at 8 hours storage interval for 153 days (May to September). The temperature variations were measured from specified radii (0, 3.25 m and 8.25 m) and at depth of 1.2 m from the base of the grain silo. The results of the simulation were compared with the ambient and measured values, and this agreed with each other. The pattern of temperature at the depth of 1.2 m from the radii of the metal silo did not differ from each other. This may imply that the silo will need aeration at an interval of 8 hours to curtail excessive heat build-up that may lead to deterioration of stored grains and possible structural failure.

The design of animal housing and manure management systems are key factors in livestock farming. Frequent removal methods, in fact, allow for the reduction of gasses produced from fermentations of the organic matter contained in manure, that affect animal welfare and farmer health and are emitted from animal housings into the atmosphere as a consequence of ventilation. The present study aims to evaluate the performance of a Robotic Scraper (RS) operating on the floors in a full-scale, operative free-stall dairy barn. The research is focused on the evaluation of gaseous emissions from the two types of floors (concrete and rubber mat coated), and with and without RS operation. The floors with rubber coating demonstrated higher emission rates of ammonia (NH₃), carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and methane (CH₄) compared to the uncovered concrete floors, both before and after RS operations. The operation of RS, furthermore, determined significant reduction of greenhouse gasses (GHG) but did not have relevant effect in terms of NH₃ emission, which reduced only of 1.4% from concrete floors, but increase of 12.7% from rubber coated floors.

Pesticide application is accompanied by its losses due to the drift of the droplets of the working liquid caused by the wind outside the treatment area, which reduces the efficiency of chemical protection and increases impact on the ecological state of the environment. Influence of the precipitating (i.e. top-down) air flow has been determined upon the reduction of the drift of sprayed liquid droplets under the impact of a lateral wind, as well as distribution of the sprayed liquid studied by weight and length depending on the pressure of the working fluid in systems of various sprayers. At speed side wind 5.0 m.s^-1 and deposition of flow at a speed of 15 m.s^-1 the amount of fluid that settled, increased to 30% for spray ST 110-02 and 12% for spray ID 120-02.

Thermal decomposition of spruce wood (Picea abies) was studied using the thermogravimetric (TG) analysis in air atmosphere from 30°C to 600°C with the heating rates of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30°C.min^-1. The TG results show that the main decomposition region is in the temperature range of 250-360°C, where a total disintegration of hemicellulose and cellulose with partial lignin decomposition can be observed. The values of apparent activation energy for this process are between 168.6-196.5 kJ.mol^-1, 179.8-188.1 kJ.mol^-1 and 170.1-178.7 kJ.mol^-1 determined by the Friedman, Flynn-Wall-Ozawa and Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose methods, respectively.

The effects of thermal (autoclave and microwave irradiation (MW)) and thermo-chemical (autoclave and microwave irradiation - assisted NaOH 5N) pretreatments on the chemical oxygen demand (COD) solubilisation, biogas and methane production of anaerobic digestion kitchen waste (KW) were investigated in this study. The modified Gompertz equation was fitted to accurately assess and compare the biogas and methane production from KW under the different pretreatment conditions and to attain representative simulations and predictions. In present study, COD solubilisation was demonstrated as an effective effect of pretreatment. Thermo-chemical pretreatments could improve biogas and methane production yields from KW. A comprehensive evaluation indicated that the thermo-chemical pretreatments (microwave irradiation and autoclave- assisted NaOH 5N, respectively) provided the best conditions to increase biogas and methane production from KW. The most effective enhancement of biogas and methane production (68.37 and 36.92 l, respectively) was observed from MW pretreated KW along with NaOH 5N, with the shortest lag phase of 1.79 day, the max. rate of 2.38 l.day^-1 and ultimate biogas production of 69.8 l as the modified Gompertz equation predicted.

Under laboratory conditions, seepage of liquid cattle manure with dry matter content of 3-8% through subsoil was studied in relation to its dry matter content and period of storage. Statistical dependence of the total amount of eluate on the dry matter has been found (P = 0.0013). A hypothesis was also confirmed that liquid cattle manure shows a sealing effect during storage. It was found that the average value of coefficient of permeability decreases as soon as 48 hours after the start of storage under the value 5.56171 × 10^-6 cm.s^-1, which, according to peer reviewed literature, is not hazardous to the environment. The results will help in designing projects of liquid cattle manure reservoirs and assessment of their effect on the environment.

Pod shattering in lentil which is vital plant of dry lands is a crucial feature for high yield. Selection of lentil variety is very important in order to reduce pod shatter. Some of lentil varieties are very productive; however, shattering loss decreases profitable yields. In this study, reduction of pod shatter in lentil varieties was investigated with application of polymer cyclohexane compounds. An experiment was conducted with split-split-plot experiment design with two lentil varieties ('Firat-87' and 'Cagil'), two application time (podset and 15 days before harvest (DBH)) and three application doses (0, 0.5, 2 l.ha^-1) as triplicate during two years. Effects of application time on podset were found statistically insignificant and application of 0.5 l.ha^-1 dose was found effective for 15 DBH application time. As a result, 0.5 pod shatter polymer cyclohexane and 15 DBH was found as optimum doses and application time, respectively in order to reduce pod shatter loss by nearly 1% for semiarid region of Turkey.

Elastomer seals in fuel systems have to evince required mechanical properties also at exposure to fuels. The aim of the research was to determine an influence of various concentrations of rapeseed methyl ester (RME) on a change of mechanical properties of sealing O-rings made from polyacrylate elastomer (an indication ACM). A permanent deformation - compression set (CS), a tensile strength and an elongation after the exposure to the tested environment for the time 20 months were evaluated within the experiment. A fall of the tensile strength, the elongation and the permanent deformation - compression set CS was proved depending on the type of the fuel. The increased negative influence of various concentrations of RME (20% to 100%) on the tested properties of the sealing O-rings compared with the diesel oil complying with the standard EN 590:2004 was not proved. So a significant negative influence of degradation aspects on the tested properties of the O-rings of the ACM type (polyacrylate elastomer) was not proved.

Worldwide increasing energy demand is today permanently covered by a majority of non-renewable energy sources, namely by coal, crude oil and natural gas. This causes the rapid decline of their reserves and the time gets near when they will be run out. Therefore in the last years the exploitation of renewable energy sources has been permanently preferred. One of alternative fuel forms is fuel on the basis of paper waste. In this paper the results of tests are published, which were carried out using six sorts of recovered paper and board (group and grade 1.05, 1.06, 2.02, 2.05, 2.07 and 2.08 according to CSN EN 643:2002), pressed into the form of briquettes. During the tests following briquettes parameters were watched: moisture content, ash amount, gross calorific value, length and diameter, weight, density, rupture force and mechanical durability. It was proved that briquettes made from recovered paper and board compared with briquettes from wood waste are of high density, high mechanical durability and for their rupture, relatively high force is necessary. But at the same time they have high ash amount and low gross calorific value.

Mechanical transplanted seedling must meet the requirements of standard seedling block with uniform distribution of seedlings and inter-twisting roots for rolling. This study was conducted to identify the effect of growing media on mat type seedling raised for mechanical transplanting at Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), Gazipur during the period of 2012-2014 covering two dry and cold seasons (Boro) and one wet season (Aman). Seedling were raised on plastic tray using sandy loam and clay loam soil mixed with decomposed cow-dung, mustard cake, rice straw organic fertilizer, rice bran, poultry litter and vermicompost at the rate of 0.0, 10, 20, 30 and 40%. Rolling quality of the seedling mat decreased and seedling height increased with the increased of mixing rate of organic fertilizer except rice bran and mustard cake. Averaged across three seasons, 10 to 30% cow-dung, rice straw organic fertilizer, vermicompost, 10% poultry litter and 20 to 30% rice bran with both types of soil was found suitable for seedling mat and seedling height. However, seedling varied among the organic fertilizers with both types of soil in the order of cow-dung > rice bran > vermicompost > poultry liter > rice straw organic fertilizer > mustard cake. Clay loam soil showed better performance on rolling quality over sandy loam soil.