Utilization of strong electric field for special cleaning buckwheat seeds

Abstract

Buckwheat growers on ecological farms are confronted with a problem in seed cleaning - sorting - because they are not permitted to use chemical means to destroy weeds. The paper presents data about a special method of cleaning of wild radish seeds Raphanns raphanistrum L.) from buckwheat seeds {Fagopyrum esculentum). The seed-preparing machines used the electric field can to separate seeds according to the unit of mechanical (mass, friction property and other) and electrical (conductivity, dielectric penetration and other) features, sorting and simulating germination. During the research, conveyer-type electric separators with a corona discharge field and three kinds of conveyer belt were used: rubber, armoured and flannel (shaggy-texture fabric). The following factors were determined during the cleaning tests: angle of friction with different belt surfaces; seed output in fractions of separator; number of weeds; germination and mass of 1000 seeds in fractions. It was determined that buckwheat seeds' average angle of friction with armoured surface is 36° (wild radish - 23°); rubberized surface - 41° (wild radish - 23°); flannel surface - 51° (wild radish - 36°); the greatest difference between the criterion of removing (detachment .ingle) wild radish from buckwheat is on the flannel belt; by the cleaning of non-conditional buckwheat seeds it is possible to get 62-80% of seeds to correspond to the requirements of the B or Cl category; germination of seeds from the first fraction of electro - separator exceeds germination ofcontrof seeds 18-26% and the increase in germination is substantial.