Technology for Animal and Plant Production
Last changed: 04 July 2019
The subject area technology includes research, collaboration and teaching regarding technical systems within both agriculture and horticulture. Above all, the interaction between animals, plants, environment and humans is studied. Focus is on the knowledge of the interaction between technology in buildings or machines and the surroundings where the technology exists, including animals, land, plants, humans. The sustainability aspect is also taken into account, and systems studies where environmental aspects and climate effects are analysed are included in the subject field.
The orientation of the subject area is in many ways twofold. On the one hand, different types of buildings within agriculture and horticulture are studied with regards to choice of material, building technology, choice of installations and planning. On the other hand, the research is focused on climate, energy and environmental technology, closed-cycle systems and biomass from agriculture with the machine systems connected to this.
Focus areas:
Buildings
Within this topic research and education concerning buildings for the rural production of food are conducted, i.e. concerning animal houses, greenhouses and other production buildings. Activities aim on an environmental friendly and economically competitive agricultural and horticultural production.
- The topic includes building technology, materials and installations within the buildings and their harmonization to animals, humans, plants and environment.
- A good air quality within the buildings with minimum presence of gases, particles and infecting substances is included in the topic as well as limitation of emissions of ammonia, greenhouse gases, dust and odour to the surroundings.
- Safe building design, suitable floor design, environmental friendly building materials based on renewable source materials, design of rural buildings and their conformity to the landscape are parts of the activities
Energy
Within this topic research and education concerning energy within the agricultural and horticultural sectors are conducted. Activities aim on increased economic competitiveness for agricultural and horticultural production and a decreased environmental impact.
- The topic includes energy conservation and increased efficiency of energy use within buildings as well as utilization of renewable energy.
- Design of building installations is central in this context. The energy conservation includes among other things energy efficiency for installations and systems for climatization and dehumidification of greenhouses, for illumination, and for milk cooling at farms with dairy cows.
- Within the topic studies are made concerning use of waste heat and systems with renewable energy like solar energy, biogas and solid biofuels, and then mainly regarding special issues and designs within the agricultural and horticultural sectors. Also system studies regarding for example harvest and handling of raw materials for renewable energy are included in the topic.
Field Technology
The department carries out research with focus on new and innovative field technology. Altered utilization of crops and crop residues require adjusted machinery technology in order to make crops and residual products available, reduce losses, pretreat biomass for different applications as well as make harvest logistics more efficient and economic.
Sustainability Assessment
The department carries out research and teaching with a focus on the interplay between energy, environment, technology, economy and the holistic view on the mentioned factors. Interactions between environment, energy, and economical issues are analysed in a regional, national and global perspective. Furthermore, agricultural production systems, post-harvest-, and energy processes are evaluated.
One research focus area is to analyse and evaluate environmental effects associated with the utilization of renewable resources and various types of energy carriers, with emphasis on crop nutrition, soil fertility and greenhouse gas emissions. A second focus is to evaluate energy systems, where the entire energy chain from natural resources to energy services is studied. A third area of focus is to investigate strategies for improving production systems with regards to their economic and environmental outcome.
Research Projects:
Ongoing
Technology for Animal and Plant Production
- "Digital"-ised pig production
- BioBIGG
- Improving pig system performance through a whole system approach (PigSys)
- Milk production with extensively processed silage for increased forage intake and increased resource efficiency
- Shoot and root biomass yield of intermediate crops at different nitrogen fertilization levels
- Turning catch crops into intermediate crops for higher productivity and reduced N and P losses
Closed
Technology for Animal and Plant Production
- Biofuels from biomass from agricultural land - land use change in a Swedish perspective
- Design criteria for structural design of silage silo walls
- Energy survey and measure evaluation for commercial greenhouse companies based on new registration and simulation method
- Eurocodes impact on dimensioning of roof grids
- Fresh and stored crops - a new way to organize all-year substrate supply for a biogas plant
- How grass-clover ley and cereals can be used more efficiently as biogas substrates by optimizing harvesting dates and chopping length
- Grass-clover ley crops for biogas production
- Green Biogas
- Indirect land use change
- New energy supply system for greenhouses
- Performance of geotextile-gravel bed all-weather surfaces for horses
- Sustainability for ley as biogas crop – climate, land use and costs
- Summary – Todays greenhouse technology and research
- Wetlands as biomass producer
Contact
Page editor: andrus.kangro@slu.se
