This study aimed to determine the effects of osmotic dehydration on the kinetics of hot air drying of apricot halves under conditions that were similar to the industrial ones. The osmotic process was performed in a sucrose solution at 40 and 60 °C and concentrations of 50% and 65%. As expected increased temperatures and concentrations of the solution resulted in increased water loss, solid gain and shrinkage. The kinetics of osmotic dehydration were well described by the Peleg model. The effective diffusivity of water 5.50–7.387 × 10⁻⁹ m²/s and solute 8.315 × 10⁻¹⁰–1.113 × 10⁻⁹ m²/s was calculated for osmotic dehydration. Hot air drying was carried out at 40, 50, and 60 °C with air flow velocities of 1.0 m/s and 1.5 m/s. The drying time shortened with higher temperature and air velocity. The calculated effective diffusion of water was from 3.002 × 10⁻¹⁰ m²/s to 1.970 × 10⁻⁹ m²/s. The activation energy was sensitive to selected air temperatures, so greater air velocity resulted in greater activation energy: 46.379–51.514 kJ/mol, and with the osmotic pretreatment, it decreased to 35.216–46.469 kJ/mol. Osmotic dehydration reduced the effective diffusivity of water during the hot air drying process. It also resulted in smaller shrinkage of apricot halves in the hot air drying process.

The results of this study provide overall information on the verification of the effect of applying two different mulching materials of an organic origin to the soil surface in the area between rows of grape vines in vineyards on selected physical and chemical properties of the soil and, at the same time, on the yield and quality parameters of the grape vines (Vitis vinifera L.). During the period under study, 2018–2020, the effect of shredded cereal straw (CS) and compost from garden waste (CO) was investigated. The control variant (CWC) was left without any cover and was regularly cultivated with a coulter cultivator to a depth of 60 mm. During the experiments, meteorological data were monitored and recorded along with soil temperature and soil moisture for each variant. The results show that the lowest temperature was measured for the straw cover variant (11.10–11.87 °C), while the highest soil temperature was measured for compost (11.93–13.16 °C). Under the straw, the moisture level in the soil was higher compared to the other variants, and there was a gradual increase (of 3%) in soil bulk density values compared to the baseline. By contrast, the compost variant showed a decrease (of 1%) in bulk density values. The differences in nutrient content were slight among the variants. The only statistically significant difference was identified for the compost variant with respect to the content of total nitrogen and phosphorus. Further results demonstrated a positive effect of both mulch material variants on grape yield, which was 6–19% higher in the variants with a cover layer. In addition, the use of mulch also had a positive effect on grape quality. For example, the sugar content—one of the main quality parameters—increased by 1–7% due to the mulch layer. Based on these results, the use of mulching materials can be recommended for areas with low total rainfall during the growing season, as well as when growing varieties with irregular yields and uneven grape quality.

Digital agriculture technologies provide potential for increased yield and quality of wheat grain with an optimized input use related to site-specific conditions. This review aims to present the global distribution of digitalization in wheat production, to identify the core digital technologies applied in wheat management, and to address challenges and future directions for ensuring the security of producing this staple food. For this purpose, a systematic literature review based on the PRISMA 2020 guidelines was conducted, and 113 peer-reviewed papers within the period of 2015–2025 were selected and examined. The highest number of research papers refers to Asia (37.4%), followed by Europe (17.4%) and North America (15.7%). The majority of the papers related to the field of remote sensing, more specifically, in 40.2% of the papers, satellites are listed as a platform, followed by UAVs (in 33.0% of studies). The review reveals uneven global distribution of digitalization, with a significant need for improvement in less developed countries to address food safety in a more balanced way. This comprehensive analysis proposes integration of the current state of digitalizing wheat production with future opportunities for large, but moreover, for small and medium farmers, along with strong support for the policies.

Selecting appropriate spraying parameters is a prerequisite for profitable agricultural crop production. These parameters include spraying speed, application rate, working pressure and characteristics of the equipment used, such as nozzles, pumps, filters and tanks. The listed parameters are essential for optimizing the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of pesticide application and minimizing environmental impact. In addition, weather conditions, terrain, crop type and specific microclimatic and micro-relief conditions impose restrictions on these parameters. Pesticide deposition on the target area is influenced by multiple parameters, including adjusted working pressure, speed, nozzle altitude and boom air assistance. Drone sprayers generate strong air assistance at the nozzle jets, causing droplet drift. If altitude of the sprayer is lower, droplets spend less time in the air and reach the target area more quickly. In contrast, if the drone is flying at a higher altitude, droplets spend more time in the air and are more affected by drone fans. Drone engine blades create an effect similar to wind, potentially causing wind drift and leading to faster droplets evaporation. The deposition efficiency of a drone sprayer using three different nozzle types was assessed during wheat treatment. The tested nozzles included a flat fan nozzle, an air-injector single flat fan nozzle and an air-injector double flat fan nozzle. These nozzles were tested at three different altitudes with consistent speed and nozzle pressure. At the highest altitude, deposition was reduced by half due to various types of drift. Small droplets evaporated while flying through the air, further pushed by the wind generated by the drone engines blades. It resulted in reduced total deposition (approximately 12%), as only larger droplets reached the target. Also, an unsatisfactory vortex was recorded. Since air-injector nozzles produce larger droplets, all parameters improved, achieving optimal efficacy, with the total deposition reaching up to 80%. Maximum deposition was achieved at a flight altitude of 1.5 m. The average deposition was approximately 34% for a spray width of 6 m. The collected data were sorted as nested data and processed to develop a model describing changes in deposition at different drone spray altitudes. This model can be a valuable tool for farmers and agricultural engineers in selecting appropriate nozzles for drone spraying. The choice of spraying altitude influences pesticide deposition, affecting both application efficacy and potential impact on the environment. Furthermore, during drone-based pesticide application, it is necessary to use only pesticides registered for aerial application. It is also obligatory to obtain permission from the Ministry of Agriculture, and notify the local community about the date and time of spraying. In this study, pesticide application was simulated using Brilliant Blue tracers. Drones equipped with multispectral cameras were used in this study for monitoring crop health and detecting disease outbreaks. Multispectral imaging was conducted to analyze vegetation indices such as NDVI and NDRE, in combination with drift analysis, to determine the optimal timing for pesticide application. High-resolution multispectral images of 1×1 m wheat plots were captured at a 15 m flight altitude, ensuring a spatial resolution of less than 1 cm per pixel. This approach allowed for precise detection of crop stress while simultaneously evaluating pesticide drift and deposition efficiency. By integrating remote sensing for stress detection and drift analysis for application efficiency, this study provides a data-driven approach for optimizing pesticide use, improving precision and minimizing environmental impact.

The purpose of pesticide application equipment is to enable uniform application of plant protection products (pesticides) to a specific target area, while minimizing the exposure of persons applying plant protection products. This can be achieved if the equipment are used only for the tasks for which they are intended and if they are properly set up, calibrated and maintained. A typical sprayer consists of a tank, pump, mixing system, supply pipes, control and monitoring unit and nozzles. In order to reduce drift, a nozzle must be selected that will provide the largest droplet size while at the same time adequately covering the treated object at a certain application rate. All elements and assemblies on the sprayer must be in good condition in order to ensure a good horizontal distribution of plant protection products. In the case of pesticide application machines, the technical correctness of all components is checked and their calibration is performed. Calibration is the process of measuring and adjusting the amount of plant protection product applied to the target area with specific plant protection product application equipment. Proper calibration is a basic but often overlooked task. What is crucial is that the right amount of plant protection products should be used. Insufficient plant protection products can result in inadequate control and thus waste of money, time and resources. Applying larger amounts of plant protection products than recommended may result in damage to crops or plantations, higher amounts of plant protection product residues, swelling or other movement outside the target area, poisoning of people, pets or wild animals entering the treated area, and lawsuits and penalties.