Justification of the Parameters of the Press Roller of Haulm Harvester when Cultivation Potato

Harvesting potato tops contributes to the physiological maturation of tubers and favorably affects their quality during storage. With ridge technology, after removing the tops of potatoes, the soil inside the ridges quickly dries out. Deep longitudinal cracks are formed. Potato tubers are exposed to solar radiation, which leads to a decrease in commercial qualities. One of the ways to prevent the formation of cracks in soil ridges is their surface rolling with the help of profile rollers. The efficiency of packing increases when combined with haulm harvesting. We have developed and patented a combined unit that combines haulm harvesting with soil compaction in the ridge technology of potato cultivation. The aim of the study was to select the rational parameters of an active press roller as part of a haulm harvester. On the basis of theoretical studies, a nomogram was constructed for selecting the adjustment parameters of the vertical load of active press rollers, depending on the uniformity coefficient of the surface soil layer and the amount of slippage. A new scheme of a combined haulm harvester with an active roller was developed, a prototype was built, and field tests were carried out. It has been experimentally confirmed that the use of rollers in the period after removal of the tops before harvesting and reduces potato losses by 5–10%. The scientific novelty lies in the mathematical models of the formation of soil parameters in the tuberous layer of the ridge in the pre-harvest period after the removal of potato tops. The novelty of the design is protected by a patent of the Russian Federation.