Determination of the Machine and Tractor Fleet Optimal Composition for a Model Cotton­Textile Cluster

The authors showed that the cotton-textile cluster efficiency (the capacity of the machine-tractor fleet, cotton yield, the production profitability) largely depended on the use of the optimal number of tractors and agricultural machines. The existing methods (theoretical, graphic, economic and mathematical) were difficult for practical use and did not take into account the specifics of mechanized cotton growing processes. Therefore, it was important to develop a simple normative method for determining the optimal composition of the machine and tractor fleet for clusters, corresponding to the technological map for the production of raw cotton. (Research purpose) To calculate the required amount of agricultural machinery based on the established standards. (Materials and methods) The authors developed an algorithm for determining the standard coefficients of the equipment necessity per 1000 hectares of arable land. These coefficients for each type of equipment were established in the context of technological operations of growing cotton: plowing, soil preparing for sowing, sowing seeds, cultivating the soil between cotton rows, mechanized removal of growth points of the main stems and side branches of plants, defoliation with chemicals, machine harvesting and transportation of harvested cotton – raw. (Results and discussion) The authors proposed the term “model cotton-textile cluster”. They calculated the required amount of equipment for such a cluster with an area of 13,732 hectares. They determined the percentage of the machine and tractor fleet: the share of tractors – 28 percent, cultivators – 22, trailers – 19.8, cotton pickers – 13.8, the rest – 16.4 percent. They emphasized that the machines fleet could expand with the arrival of new modern machines produced by machine-building plants of the republic and imported from foreign countries. (Conclusions) The authors accepted the machine and tractor fleet of the cotton-textile cluster with the number of equipment 1660 units as rational. They proved that it ensured the implementation of all technological operations within agrotechnical terms.   


ЗАРУБЕЖНЫЙ ОПЫТ
FOREIGH EXPERIENCE I n Uzbekistan, there is a rapid increase in the number of cotton-textile clusters intended for growing cotton, processing raw cotton and producing finished products [1]. Each cluster is expected to have a fleet of agricultural machines that ensure the implementation of such agrotechnical operations as ploughing, soil preparing for sowing, seed sowing, intertillaging, mechanized removal of plant growing points, defoliation of fields, machine harvesting and transportation of raw cotton at minimal operating costs [2][3][4][5][6][7]. Provided the cluster is insufficiently equipped with regulated technological maps for growing cotton, necessary types and models of tractors and other agricultural vehicles, it results in the undermined timing and quality of technological operations, and decreased mechanization level and production efficiency of the entire industry.
It is noted that it is important to meet the following requirements: an appropriate fleet of vehicles must contribute to high yields; each type of machine must fulfil the corresponding technological operation in full scale within the set agrotechnical terms; product production must be carried out at minimal costs; the expansion of the fleet with new models should not reduce the use of existing equipment and require additional resources; the selection of new machines should take into account the machine operators' qualifications; it is necessary to prevent purchasing different models of the same machine type.
The existing methods are difficult for practical use and do not take into account the specifics of mechanized cottongrowing processes [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Therefore, the substantiation of the rational composition of the machine and tractor fleet for the cotton and textile cluster has become an important scientific and methodological task.
THE RESEARCH PURPOSE is to determine the standards for the cotton-textile cluster needs for technology and to calculate the optimal composition of their machine and tractor fleet.
MATERIALS AND METHODS. The following algorithm was used to determine the standard coefficients of the need for equipment per 1000 hectares of arable land: 1) the state tests protocols of the Center for Certification and Testing of Agricultural Machinery and Technologies were used to choose a changeable capacity value of a specific machine model (machine-tractor unit) -w c ; 2) based on the operational data of the regional departments of agriculture, sets of one shift duration values (T c ) were obtained for a vehicle or machine-tractor unit performing the corresponding technological operation and considering the number of shifts per day (n c ). By the summarizing and statistical processing of the numerical data, their arithmetic mean values for the Republic of Uzbekistan were determined; 3) the machine productivity per day was calculated by the formula: where w 1 is the machine productivity per day, hectares; w c -machine productivity per shift, hectares; T c -one shift duration, h; n с -a number of shifts per day. 4) as the agrotechnical season duration (Т м ), the peak of the given season was taken not the calendar period from its beginning to the end. At this time, as a rule, all the necessary machines are involved in the work, sudden failures are reduced and sustainable machinery operation is ensured. Test engineers clock the w c , T c and n c parameters to calculate the machine's performance in one day; 5) the seasonal machine output (w м , ha) is determined by the formula: w м = w 1 T м ; 6) the standardised coefficient or the required number of specific type machines per 1000 hectares of the cotton field was set as follows: The calculated values (М Т ) were summarized for the tractor and machine types and models (table).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. Let us introduce the term «a model cotton-textile cluster» which means a cluster of account in which the soil, climatic, production and other features of the cluster group are relatively fully reflected.
The table shows that for the complete mechanization of technological operations on 13,732 hectares of arable land for the model cluster, 1,660 agricultural machinery units will be required. The share of tractors is 28%; trailers -19.8%; cotton cultivators equipped with a device for removing cotton stalks growing points -22%; horizontalspindle cotton pickers -8.25%, vertical-spindle cotton pickers -13.8%.
All new and more efficient tractor and agricultural machine models, both manufactured by the machinebuilding plants of the Republic of Uzbekistan and imported, must pass state tests. The test reports help to determine the values of w c , T c , n c , w 1 , Т м и w м . Thus, the number of machines for 1000 hectares of arable land can be obtained by the equation: CONCLUSIONS. The term "a model cotton-textile cluster" was introduced and defined. A normative method was developed to determine the number of tractors and agricultural machines per 1000 hectares of cotton arable land. Based on this method, the required number of vehicles in the fleet was calculated for a model cotton-textile cluster with a cotton area of 13,732 hectares. This vehicle fleet containing 1660 units ensures the implementation of all technological operations within the set agrotechnical terms. 5. Arzhenovskiy A.G. Sovershenstvovanie metodov i sredstv opredeleniya tyagovo-dinamicheskikh i toplivno-ekonomicheskikh pokazateley traktora v ekspluatatsionnykh usloviyakh [Improvement of methods and means for determining the traction-dynamic and fuel-economic indicators of a tractor in operating con-