Physical and mechanical properties of soil clods and potato tubers: impact on separation energy in sustainable harvesting

Introduction The identification of irregularities in friction processes during the separation of soil lumps, prior to storage, plays an important role in the automated sorting of marketable products and improves product quality after removal from storage, since the interaction of soil lumps with marketable products leads to damage and a decrease in the quality of their storage. This then is an urgent subject worthy of scientific discussion. Methods Research on the physical and mechanical properties of an elastic–plastic material (clods of soil and potato tubers) on separation energy when interacting with an absolutely solid body (separating working body) has established that increasing the soil clod density increases the effort needed for dynamic fracture regardless of the size fraction. Results The separation energy increased from 6,848.21 to 8,386.21 J/m 3 , with an increase in humidity from 21 to 25%. When soil humidity was above 25%, the height corresponding to the height of separation was in the range of 50–60 cm. These circumstances can be explained by the presence of moisture, which plays the role of a damper and leads to the swelling of soil particles, a decrease in the inter colloidal distance between them, and the absence of a violation of bonds between them. The height corresponding to the separation height at an absolute soil moisture of 18–24% is minimal and amounts to 37–41 cm. This could be explained by the physical maturation of the soil and an increase in the connectivity between particles. Understanding the properties that impact separation energy would significantly contribute to the development of sustainable agricultural production of fruit and vegetable products. Discussion The results obtained would contribute to the design of the next generation of separating working elements aimed at minimizing tuber damage and maximizing separation completeness. This work directly contributes to sustainable agriculture by improving the economic efficiency of harvesting, reducing food losses, and enhancing the environmental sustainability of potato production.