Deputy Director of the Research Institute of Agricultural Mechanization for Scientific Affairs and Innovations, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Muhammad Tashboltayev was born on February 18, 1947 in Rishton District of Fergana Region. In 1971, he graduated from the former Tashkent Polytechnic Institute with honors.
Author of a number of monographs, books, brochures, scientific articles, owner of many patents.
For his achievements in the science and practice of agricultural machinery, he was awarded the "For Selfless Services" in 2007 and the "Labor Fame" in 2017. In 2021, the badge "30th anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Uzbekistan" was awarded.
Our conversation with the 75-year-old scientist was about his 48 years of scientific work and about the problem that has been bothering Uzbeks for several decades - the replacement of hand mekhna by cotton picking machines in the fields.
- Domla, you are the author of about 80 monographs, books and brochures, more than 500 scientific articles and theses, almost 50 popular scientific articles and educational manuals, you have 73 author's certificates and patents. Perhaps this is what is meant by scientific productivity?
- Scientific productivity is the level and criterion of a scientist's work. And the result is scientifically based laws, connections, recommendations, a new type, technique, technology, in short, a scientific voluminous product of a fundamental, practical or innovative nature. After solving a certain problem through scientific research work, after obtaining the results, there is a need to convey them to the public in some way, that is, to interpret them. A scientist writes a scientific work to cover this need. But before writing, one should not forget that the student who reads it has different knowledge, preparation and level. Therefore, it is desirable to write not only purely theoretical works, but also scientific-popular and manual works. For example, a deeply researched monograph on a specific scientific topic or problem enriches fundamental knowledge, while a popular scientific book or article serves to explain complex problems in simple language. Masters, young scientists use them without difficulty.
- Your research is related to agriculture, isn't it?
- Very true. 34% or 140 of the 417 published scientific articles, 81% or 59 of the 73 patents received are related to our research on the most complex and interesting technical tool - the cotton picker. 39 books and articles have been written on the machine for trimming the ends of the main stems and side branches of cotton bushes, and they have been given a patent for 3 inventions. 13 books, 181 articles are devoted to the issues of repair and effective use of agricultural machines.
- The share of cotton picking machines in the research conducted by mechanical scientists of our country is much larger than that of other technical tools. If you tell me the reasons.
- The first reason is that he is assigned the final task of picking the cotton crop in the field. When picking, it is important not to spill the crop on the ground, not to leave it in the snow and rain, and the most important thing is to pick it without damaging the quality of the fiber. This task is easier said than done. Because the spilled cotton stays on the ground like this, the machine cannot enter the field during rain, and if the fiber is damaged, the yarn will not come out. The second is in the uniqueness of the machine: the boll lifters direct the bent cotton bolls to the working slot of the machine, the spindles pull out the ripe cotton bales from the hoppers, wrap them on the surface, the separator brushes remove them and transfer them to the receiving chamber, the cotton falls into the hopper with the help of air flow, and when the hopper is full, it turns the cotton onto the trailer . The third reason is the complexity of the construction of the cotton picker, the tractor, picking device, pneumatic transport, hopper, spindle and separating drums, units like the fan, and hundreds of separate parts, and each of them is loaded with functions that are not different from each other in terms of importance. The fourth is that the cotton picking machine, as a large-scale scientific object, is researched in Uzbekistan and the United States of America, i.e., in only two countries in the world, new samples are designed, manufactured and subjected to state tests.
In order to fulfill these tasks and solve the problems underlying the stated reasons, complex researches including fundamental, practical, innovative, pilot-construction and start-up projects have been carried out and are still being carried out. If books and articles are not written with their results, there will be an information gap - scientists, designers and machine builders will not be aware of each other's work, which means that a new machine will not be created. Our articles and inventions fill such a gap and ensure the continuity of the "science-project-new technology" system.
- Let's talk about the history of the cotton picking machine, its advantages and disadvantages.
The main working body of the cotton picking machine - spindles, is divided into two types: horizontal spindle and vertical spindle, depending on the position of the spindle relative to the ground. The first type is produced in the USA, the second in Uzbekistan. Although the first patent for the cotton picking machine was issued in 1850, the first prototypes were made and tested in 1929-1939. Since 1949, the single-line vertical-spindle machine SXM-48, since 1955, the two-line horizontal-spindle machine SXS-1,2 have been produced industrially.
Currently, the crop grown in cotton-textile clusters and farms is harvested with the help of our own MX-1,8 type machines and various models of foreign companies such as "Keys" and "JonDir".
Advantage of MX-1.8: picks only ripe cotton from cotton bushes; the construction is easy to adjust and repair; after the end of the harvesting season, the tractor can be detached and used for 11 months; disadvantage: due to the fact that the cotton bales are hung in the working chamber with six spindles, the harvesting efficiency does not exceed 80-85 percent in field conditions, i.e., for example, only 80-85 kilos of the 100 kilos of the crop from the cotton bushes go to the hopper; 15-20 percent of the cotton falls on the ground and remains on the bushes.
The advantage of "Keys", "JonDir": it collects 90-92% of the crop from the bushes; Disadvantage: due to its conical spindles and the rotation of the cotton branches, it also pulls out the raw cotton from the bags; it is difficult and expensive to adjust, repair and service the car; it works only 30 days a year.
We see that the work of the cotton picking machine is determined by the picking device, and the rest of the parts serve it.
- Is there a ginning machine that harvests a lot of cotton without the disadvantages you mentioned?
- Yes, it is called a cotton bag intensive processing (KIIB) machine. It was created in the scientific school of Akademik Glushchenko in the status of an invention. If cotton bags are processed twice in the current machine, the number of processing in the KIIB machine is five times; working spindles - the number of finger arms is 13 instead of 6. That's why our hardware is called intensive.
This feature of the KIIB device was proven in long-term state tests conducted by machine testing stations of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan: skin completeness averaged 93 percent.
- Now the cross-question: when will an end be put to the laborious work of picking cotton by hand?
- My short answer: when serial production of KIIB equipment is launched at machine-building enterprises, that is, when it is delivered to cotton-textile clusters and farms. I didn't come up with this answer to get rid of your question. It has a solid, reliable foundation: the cotton crop grown in the 3rd section of the former "Uzbekistan five-year" state farm was harvested for five seasons with the help of 16 two-row machines equipped with KIIB equipment. Hasharchi, the picker-free plans were among the first to be completed within a month. The average seasonal productivity of one machine reached 122 tons. This means that one machine replaces 82 women who pick an average of 50 kilos of cotton every day of a month.
In 2020-2021, the Ministry of Innovation awarded two innovative grant projects for the purpose of making industrial samples of KIIB apparatus, conducting state tests and preparing them for commercialization. Within the framework of these projects, four industrial copies of the KIIB apparatus were made at the "Technolog" joint-stock company and were tested in the fields of "TST Agrocluster" in Kuyichirchik district. MX-1.8 type cotton picking machines equipped with such devices put 95-97% of cotton picked from cotton bushes into the bunker.
The managers and specialists of JSC "Technolog" have seen the results of the KIIB apparatus with their own eyes in the field and expressed that they are ready to commercialize it.
- Is it possible to harvest the remaining 3-5 percent of the cotton bush?
- Of course it will. For this, in late June and early July, it is necessary to use the CHXU-4 machine that gives shape to cotton bushes. This machine prepares the cotton bolls for machine picking and ensures that all bolls are fully opened. Because if the ends of the main stems and side branches are pinched, the nutrients from the soil and leaves are used for harvesting, not for growing the plant: the number and mass of full bolls increases, after defoliation of the bolls, the shedding of blue leaves accelerates, the bolls open fully, the level of bush dormancy decreases, per hectare productivity increases. Cotton bushes are shaped like a pin in height and width, they enter the picking apparatus without bending, and the cotton in the bolls is picked completely by means of spindles. This is just a part of the 3-5 percent crop that you mentioned.
- Creation of new machines is not enough. There is also a lot to be said for using them effectively. Isn't that so?
- Any agricultural machine is adjusted according to the condition of the soil or crops before the start of work, it is used in the field based on agrotechnical requirements, and if it breaks, it is repaired. There are procedures and rules for performing these tasks. For example, if the cotton picking machine is not adjusted according to the condition of the cotton, the degree of opening of the bolls, a lot of cotton will be spilled on the ground. If the speed of the machine and the technological parameters of the equipment are selected incorrectly, both the pods and the fiber will be damaged. If the machine breaks down and stays in the field for a long time, productivity decreases. It's even worse if you don't have a repair shop - you can't restore the car's functionality. Taking this into account, we continuously conduct comprehensive research aimed at solving these issues.
- How should young scientists behave in order to achieve high productivity in science?
- A lot has been written about it. In my opinion, the most instructive of these is the will of Abu Hanifa, the founder of the Hanafi school, which he left to his students: "Slackness, laziness and indifference are a disaster for those who want knowledge." We, the people of science, could not be affected by these disasters. We will achieve knowledge, learning and productivity.
Ministry of Innovative Development
press secretary Nazokat Abdukunduzova
talked.
