ABSTRACT The process of determining the granulometric sludge of soil is represented by the dominant method of dry sieving on sieves. The procedural complexity of this method and the inability to quickly assess soil structure directly in the field led to the search for alternative methods of determination. The article summarizes the features and effectiveness of using three image analysis software packages FijiImageJ2, WipFrag v.3.3.14.0 and BASEGRAIN v.2.2.0.4 in the procedure for determining the morphological parameters of soil aggregates. In the studies used the processing of digital images of both the soil surface and the layer of identified fractions after sieving using the publicly available manual of these programs. Individual plugin functions of the programs for its application for soil analysis were determined. The possibility of using the FijiImageJ2 program to assess the microrelief of the soil layer of the corresponding fractions was determined. The effectiveness of WipFrag v.3.3.14.0 and BASEGRAIN v.2.2.0.4 programs for processing images of a layer of soil aggregates in the interval 2–>10 mm fractions was introduced. For the same programs, the possibility of forming additional indicators of the size of soil aggregates by such parameters as Feret diameters and the separation length criterion (D) was established.

ABSTRACT The growing interest in alternative fuels based on plant oils has led to the search for new plant species. Given this, during 2015–2020, oil from 12 varieties of oilseed radish was studied using standard research protocols. The average content of the dominant fatty acids in the oils studied was: [cis-9] oleic (C 18:1) 33.95% (Cv = 14.2%), [cis-9,12] linoleic (C 18:2) 16.20% (Cv = 20.8%), [cis-13] erucic (C 22:1) 15.18% (Cv = 17.9%), [cis-9, 12, 15] α-linolenic (C 18:3) 13.33% (Cv = 18.5%) and palmitic (C 16:0) 5.42% (Cv = 18.5%), with a monounsaturated fatty acid content of 59.69% and a ratio of polyunsaturated/monounsaturated fatty acids of 0.508. The studied varieties were ranked in the order of increasing suitability as a component of biofuels: ‘Zhuravka’ < ‘Raiduha’ < ‘Lybid’ < ‘Olga’ < ‘Iveya’ < ‘Ramonta’ < ‘Alpha’ < ‘Tambovchanka’ < ‘Fakel’ < ‘Snizhana’ < ‘Sabina’ < ‘Nika’. The technological suitability of oil from the ‘Zhuravka’ variety was confirmed based on analysis of its physicochemical parameters when subjected to polymerization (at 280 °C) and oxypolymerization (at 120 and 150 °C). Under these conditions the basic parameters of the oil varied within the technological limits that determine its suitability for thermodynamic combustion processes in systems with controlled pressure and temperature.

ABSTRACT This article generalises the peculiarities and efficiency of the use of three software packages, Digimizer image analysis software (v. 4.2), ImageJ2 version 2.0.0-rc-64 and WipFrag 3.3.14.0. These packages were used in studying the fractional composition of oilseed radish seeds for scanning in the mode of single-layer inseparable placement. The generalisation of the main caveats and features of the effective use of each of the software packages is made on the basis of detailed analysis of the features of each of package in the use to the features of the scan and the obtained scanned image The above-mentioned aspects are illustrated in detail and reservations about the options for the effective use of each package are represented. The efficiency and expediency of using the program, ImageJ2 version 2.0.0-rc-64, with a level of identity to the standard method of determination of 75.9% and the program, WipFrag 3.3.14.0, with a similar efficiency index at 89.3% for laboratory determination of seed fractional composition were also established.

ABSTRACT There is limited information about the critical period for weed control (CPWC) in oilseed radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. oleiformis Pers.) This significantly limits the effectiveness of the applied technologies in its cultivation. The article focuses on the results of a long-term study (2013 to 2018) of the peculiarities of weed formation in oilseed radish agrophytocoenosis using different sowing technological models according to seeding rate and row spacing parameters. The study included the peculiarities of the species and generic composition of weeds and the basic attributes of the formation of species-specific amounts. The summed dominance ratio (SDR) was heterogeneous and co-oscillatory in the weed structure for both the formation of the number of individual species and their height dominance, which depended on the phenological stage of growth and crop development. In the general spectrum, the prevailing weed forms were identified with the highest potential for oilseed radish plants with an SDR greater than 1.0, which belong to groups I and VI according to environmental plasticity and stability, given the different conditions of the study period for both hydrothermal conditions and year index. In conclusion, a critical period for weed control (CPWC) in oilseed radish agrocoenosis was defined as a 5% reduction in crops ranging from 5 to 45 d after sprouting (DAS) for row sowing and a seeding rate of 4.0 million similar seeds ha-1 and 6 to 60 DAS for a variant of wide row sowing at a seeding rate of 0.5 million similar seeds ha-1.