Feasibility study of the optimal type of a potato harvester for the conditions of the Moscow region

The level of technical equipment of agricultural producers, primarily agricultural machinery, creates the potential aimed at increasing the competitive advantages and efficiency of agricultural production. The consequence of the economic changes that have taken place in the agrarian sector of the Russian economy over the past 30 years has been the physical and moral obsolescence of machinery and equipment, and therefore a significant reduction in the volume of mechanized field work. The observed rates of reproduction of the machine-tractor park neither in terms of quantity nor in terms of energy capacities are sufficient for the full development of the agri-food sector and addressing the issues of food supply of the population. Domestic agricultural producers manage to maintain the technical readiness of the worn-out machine-tractor fleet at the level of 60-62%, which ensures participation in the production of 30-35% of the park of machinery in comparison with the real need. Many years of in-depth study by the authors in the course of scientific research on theoretical approaches to improving the reproduction of the machine-tractor fleet and raising the level of technical equipment for agricultural producers allowed to formulate certain authors' approaches to solving the existing problems. In particular, as a result of the study, the authors carried out a feasibility study on the use of the optimal type of potato harvester as applied to the conditions of potato cultivation in the Moscow region. That will improve the efficiency of potato cultivation, reduce the losses of producers from injury of tubers in the process of harvesting.