Electrophysical Treatment Device for Enhancing the Storage Performance of Potatoes and Vegetable Crops

The paper highlights the declining market share of Russian vegetable crop seed varieties. This trend is primarily attributed to a lag in technological development and insufficient technical equipment in most Russian seed-originating institutions compared to foreign breeding and seed production centers and companies. (Research purpose) To develop an engineering solution for an innovative technology for obtaining vegetable crop and potato seeds while ensuring the automatic fixation and maintenance of technological parameters and quality indicators during storage. (Materials and methods) To develop an automated control and management system for storing biological objects; it is crucial to determine the key requirements for the electrophysical treatment process; specifically ultraviolet radiation applied to seed material; along with the parameters of its technological modes. (Results and discussion) An experimental setup for electrophysical treatment; designed to improve storage quality indicators; has been developed; manufactured; and is currently undergoing laboratory testing. The automated process control system integrated with an orienting module must ensure the following: adjustment and maintenance of the translational speed of treated products; dynamic modification of the electrophysical treatment mode based on the actual feed rate; the physical and mechanical properties of the bulk material; the technological parameters of tubers; and the operation of the orienting module. The regulated photocurrent intensity of ultraviolet radiation exposure is set and controlled automatically via an onboard computer. (Conclusions) The developed automated control and management system for storing biological objects enables effective regulation of ultraviolet radiation exposure parameters; such as radiation intensity and exposure time. These adjustments depend on the physical and mechanical properties of the product and the technological parameters of the equipment. Various disinfection methods for storage chambers; such as ozonation; gaseous chlorine dioxide treatment; and ultraviolet radiation exposure; effectively reduce microbial spoilage. Research confirms that ultraviolet radiation treatment; when integrated with an automated system for monitoring and controlling technological parameters; significantly improves the storage quality of vegetable crops and potatoes; particularly under elevated temperature conditions.

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