Shredding Roller Effect on the Cannabis sativa L. Residues and Environment

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

After examining the manuscript, I do not find it suitable for publication in this journal. My reasons for rejection are as follows:

1) Introduction does not provide a clear background, justification, and objective for carrying out this study.

2) Methodology section is very weak. The authors have not explained the design and working of the shredder roller. The measurement methods of parameters are not detailed to help future researchers. 

3) The reasons behind variations in the parameters in the Results section are not given or clearly expressed neither supporting studies were cited.

4) What is the significance of measuring cutting, breaking force, efficiency, lignin content, and CO2 emission?

5) The use of word 'traction' can be misunderstood here. Traction is the force developed due to the interaction of the tire with soil.

6) The title of the manuscript is misleading and should be rephrased.

6) Language is very poor and difficult to understand in many places.

Overall, the manuscript is not ready for publication at this stage.

Author Response

Answers to Editor and Reviewers

 

We sincerely thank the respected Editor and Reviewers for especially useful expertise, their time, helpful comments, and assistance in improving the scientific article.

Following the Editor’s and Reviewer‘s advices, we are resubmitting the article manuscript with the corrections made, which we explain in detail in the letter below.

According to Editor and Reviewer comments all manuscript was analyzed and we have worked carefully to improve the manuscript by all the Editor and Reviewers comments.

Reviewer 1

After examining the manuscript, I do not find it suitable for publication in this journal. My reasons for rejection are as follows:

1) Introduction does not provide a clear background, justification, and objective for carrying out this study.

Response. According to Reviewer's comment we improved the introduction section. All changes are noted in the manuscript text.

2) Methodology section is very weak. The authors have not explained the design and working of the shredder roller. The measurement methods of parameters are not detailed to help future researchers. 

Response. Considering the reviewer comment methodology section was rewritten and fulfilled with all useful information with explanations of design and working of the shredder roller and all measurement methods of parameters.

A stationary field experiment was performed in Panevėžys district, Lithuania. Soil area was sandy loam in the northern highlands. Soil properties in this area are greatly influenced by the maritime climate, which promotes leaching and silting processes, making them more acidic and less alkaline. Due to the relatively flat terrain, the soils are soaked and muddy throughout the profile, drained and systematically limed. The soil cover is of low contrast (relatively uniform). The productivity of soil in this area is estimated at 38–43 points [22].

The rotation of the plants in the experiment was fibrous cannabis grown for 5 years in a row. Fiber cannabis: variety - 'FUTURA 75', seed rate - 25 kg ha^-1. Sowing depth - 2 cm. Sowing time - April. Cannabis is harvested with a special combine (reconstructed CLAAS Jaguar), which performs several functions at the same time. The remains of the plants are chopped into 60 cm long sticks, which are left in the swathes and at the same time the hemp flowers are combed into a special container. After combing, plant raw materials are poured directly into the selected container. After harvesting, the remains of cannabis residues (60 cm long) lying in the swathes cause problems. The microscopic fungi and microorganisms present to break down the cannabis residues left after the harvester are not sufficient to deal with such a large amount of cannabis residues. Therefore, in order to achieve a higher intensity of cannabis residues decomposition, a specially designed and newly adapted cannabis residues shredding roller. During the research, the most optimal mass of the roller was selected by testing - 1760.5 kg. The optimal working speed starts from 20 km h^-1. The shredding roller is a hollow cylinder with parallel strips of cutting knives, which allows the mass of the implement to be increased when there is more hemp residue or when the soil is hard. In order to improve the process of shredding cannabis residues, the roller blades are sharpened at an angle of 90 degrees to the front. The shredding roller performs the following functions - mixing, crushing, pulling, cutting, tearing, dividing, crushing, crushing, fiber damage, rotting, splitting hemp residues.

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the shredding roller for cannabis residues, the field of experimental research was divided into two parts. In one part of the field, cannabis residues after harvesting were processed with a shredding roller. In another control part of the field, cannabis residues were left as usually on the soil surface. During the period of experimental research, deep shredding was performed with a shredding roller to a depth of 15 cm four times. First time on 04/04/2020 before seeding fiber cannabis, second time after harvest on 09/19/2020, third time before sowing on 05/04/2021 and after harvest on 09/29/2021.

Next, after the shredding roller, the effectiveness of the roller for the decomposition of cannabis residues was tested. Researches of cannabis residues moisture and lignin, residues cutting and pulling were specifically selected. Samples of cannabis residues for testing were randomly taken from the field, hanging on a three-point rear hanger.

Cannabis lignin studies have been carried out because lignin plays a particularly important role. Nutrients contained in the cells of plant remains are protected by a thick two-layer wall consisting of extremely strong polymer compounds: lignin (about 25%), cellulose (about 50%) and hemicellulose (about 25%). It is because of them that the remains become woody. The stronger the cannabis residues, the more lignin has been accumulated. It is during the breakdown of lignin and cellulose that new organic carbon compounds - humus - are formed in the soil. Due to the different properties of plants to accumulate lignin, the level of woody plants varies. Cannabis residues are extremely strong and difficult to break down and humify. In hummus, nutrients such as biological compounds are less likely to evaporate or leach out. Mineralization—the release of nutrients—occurs in the spring, but before then the lignin and cellulose must be broken down. The fiber contains 73-77% cellulose, 7-9% hemicellulose and 2-6% lignin, the pulp contains 48%, 21-25% and 17-19%, respectively. Because of its higher carbohydrate to lignin ratio, hemp biomass is more suitable for biofuel production than other energy crops because it emits fewer greenhouse gases. Researches of cannabis residues moisture were carried out because the shredding roller mixes the cannabis residues together with the soil which affects the moisture of cannabis residues. Higher moisture content of cannabis residues correlates with faster decay and weakening of cannabis residues.

It can be predicted that in the future, applying the shredding roller in hemp cultivation technology will require less force to cultivate the soil with hemp residues and will facilitate the work of agricultural machines, reduce energy, fuel consumption and environmental pollution. Therefore, laboratory simulation researches of the cutting and breaking of cannabis residues were carried out, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the shredding roller in the mechanical properties of fibrous cannabis residues. These researches show whether using a shredding roller requires less force and time to cut and break the hemp residues.

 

Researches have been carried out on the residues of organic fibrous cannabis, comparing cannabis cultivation technology where a shredding roller was used and where it was not used.

 

3) The reasons behind variations in the parameters in the Results section are not given or clearly expressed neither supporting studies were cited.

Response. We have taken the reviewer's comment into account and supplementary the Results and Discussion section.

4) What is the significance of measuring cutting, breaking force, efficiency, lignin content, and CO2 emission?

Response. Lignin content affects the mineralization of plant residues, which can influence the cutting and breaking forces of plant residues. We related the results of lignin content with the mechanical characteristics of plant residues in lines 334–336 and 403, 404.

It can be predicted that in the future, applying the shredding roller in hemp cultivation technology will require less force to cultivate the soil with hemp residues and will facilitate the work of agricultural machines, reduce energy, fuel consumption and environmental pollution. Therefore, laboratory simulation studies of the cutting and pulling of hemp residues were carried out, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the shredding roller in the mechanical properties of fibrous cannabis residues. These studies show whether using a shredding roller requires less force and time to cut and break the hemp residue.

CO₂ is one of the main exhaust gases in the composition of diesel fuel, consisting of hydrocarbons and impurities, including carbon monoxide (CO - 0.5% by volume), hydrogen (H₂), hydrogen sulfur (H₂S), nitrogen (N₂-76% by volume) and oxygen (O₂−76% by volume)

Studies by other researchers have found that cannabis residues can also be used to make green composites made from cannabis and bark residues. Thermal and mechanical properties are useful in the use of these wastes as raw materials and in the production of low-density insulation boards. Their potential application can help reduce cooling and heating costs and at the same time reduce CO₂ emissions.

5) The use of word 'traction' can be misunderstood here. Traction is the force developed due to the interaction of the tire with soil.

Response. “Traction” was changed to “breaking”.

6) The title of the manuscript is misleading and should be rephrased.

Response. The title of the manuscript was rephrased.

6) Language is very poor and difficult to understand in many places.

Response. We edited the English language.

Overall, the manuscript is not ready for publication at this stage.

Response. We have carefully revised your comments and agree with all of them. We very responsibly tried to correct the manuscript according to all comments to improve its quality. We hope we did not disappoint and significantly improved the quality of the manuscript.

 

Reviewer 2

The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of the interaction of fibrous cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) residue and soil on the mechanical properties of the residue and the environment in cultivation technology using a shredding roller. The study determined the effect of the shredding roller on the moisture content of cannabis residues, lignin content, visual changes, and mechanical characteristics of traction and cutting.

The author presented the research very well. However, there are some suggestions to improve the manuscript.

1. In the introduction section improvement is required in the problem statement.

Response. According to Reviewer's comment we improved the introduction section.

2. In the methodology section; there is no explanation that what parameters change for soil to determine its impact.

Response. Considering the Reviewer's comment, information about the idea and purpose of the research was better explained and supplemented.

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the shredding roller for cannabis residues, the field of experimental research was divided into two parts. In one part of the field, cannabis residues after harvesting were processed with a shredding roller. In another control part of the field, cannabis residues were left as usually on the soil surface. During the period of experimental research, deep shredding was performed with a shredding roller to a depth of 15 cm four times. First time on 04/04/2020 before seeding fiber cannabis, second time after harvest on 09/19/2020, third time before sowing on 05/04/2021 and after harvest on 09/29/2021.

Next, after the shredding roller, the effectiveness of the roller for the decomposition of cannabis residues was tested. Researches of cannabis residues moisture and lignin, residues cutting and pulling were specifically selected. Samples of cannabis residues for testing were randomly taken from the field, hanging on a three-point rear hanger.

Cannabis lignin studies have been carried out because lignin plays a particularly important role. Nutrients contained in the cells of plant remains are protected by a thick two-layer wall consisting of extremely strong polymer compounds: lignin (about 25%), cellulose (about 50%) and hemicellulose (about 25%). It is because of them that the remains become woody. The stronger the cannabis residues, the more lignin has been accumulated. It is during the breakdown of lignin and cellulose that new organic carbon compounds - humus - are formed in the soil. Due to the different properties of plants to accumulate lignin, the level of woody plants varies. Cannabis residues are extremely strong and difficult to break down and humify. In hummus, nutrients such as biological compounds are less likely to evaporate or leach out. Mineralization—the release of nutrients—occurs in the spring, but before then the lignin and cellulose must be broken down. The fiber contains 73-77% cellulose, 7-9% hemicellulose and 2-6% lignin, the pulp contains 48%, 21-25% and 17-19%, respectively. Because of its higher carbohydrate to lignin ratio, hemp biomass is more suitable for biofuel production than other energy crops because it emits fewer greenhouse gases. Researches of cannabis residues moisture were carried out because the shredding roller mixes the cannabis residues together with the soil which affects the moisture of cannabis residues. Higher moisture content of cannabis residues correlates with faster decay and weakening of cannabis residues.

It can be predicted that in the future, applying the shredding roller in hemp cultivation technology will require less force to cultivate the soil with hemp residues and will facilitate the work of agricultural machines, reduce energy, fuel consumption and environmental pollution. Therefore, laboratory simulation researches of the cutting and breaking of cannabis residues were carried out, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the shredding roller in the mechanical properties of fibrous cannabis residues. These researches show whether using a shredding roller requires less force and time to cut and break the hemp residues.

 

Researches have been carried out on the residues of organic fibrous cannabis, comparing cannabis cultivation technology where a shredding roller was used and where it was not used.

 

3. in the result and discussion section there is no information related to the change of soil parameters and its impact on the mechanical properties.

Response. It was added to lines 316-320. Considering the Reviewer's comment, information about the idea and purpose of the research was better explained and supplemented.

4. only force data is presented, there are other parameters that also can calculate such as tensile strength, bending strength and young's modulus, ets

Response. You are right that can be more research on the mechanical properties of hemp residues. However, in order not to expand the article too much, and considering that in real tillage conditions, the disc working parts of the machine can cut or break the plant residue when the plant residue falls between the two discs, we decided to present the force data. We agree that tensile strength tests would also be relevant, but in our opinion, breaking force data is more relevant, as it allows us to draw conclusions about tensile strength without additional testing.

 

Reviewer 3

This manuscript is an original and original work. I think it is an important study in terms of revealing the relationship between soil and the environment of cannabis residues in the soil after the cannabis harvest in Lithuania. However, some corrections and additions need to be made to the manuscript. I have marked these corrections on the Manuscript. After these corrections are made, your article can be published in this journal.

1. Title. Cannabis should be written in Latin (Cannabis sativa L.).

Response. We changed "Cannabis" to "Cannabis Sativa L.".

2. Introduction. What is the hemp production potential in Lithuania in the introduction section of the Manuscript and what is the share of Lithuania in the world cannabis production? Briefly, it should be given.

Response. According to Reviewer's comment, we added information to the introduction section in lines 66–72.

3. 3.3 section. In this part, the findings are not discussed by giving the relevant literature, only the findings are given. Findings obtained in this section should definitely be discussed by giving literature.

Response. We added discussion by submitting literature in lines 376-380.

 

 

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

The aim of the study was to 12 evaluate the impact of the interaction of fibrous cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) residue and soil on 13 the mechanical properties of the residue and the environment in cultivation technology using a 14 shredding roller. The study determined the effect of the shredding roller on the moisture content of 15 cannabis residues, lignin content, visual changes, and mechanical characteristics of traction and cut- 16 ting. 

The author presented the research very well. However, there are some suggestions to improve the manuscript.

1. In the introduction section improvement is required in the problem statement. 

2. In the methodology section; there is no explanation that what parameters change for soil to determine its impact.

3. in the result and discussion section there is no information related to the change of soil parameters and its impact on the mechanical properties.

4. only force data is presented, there are other parameters that also can calculate such as tensile strength, bending strength and young's modulus, ets

Author Response

Answers to Editor and Reviewers

 

We sincerely thank the respected Editor and Reviewers for especially useful expertise, their time, helpful comments, and assistance in improving the scientific article.

Following the Editor’s and Reviewer‘s advices, we are resubmitting the article manuscript with the corrections made, which we explain in detail in the letter below.

According to Editor and Reviewer comments all manuscript was analyzed and we have worked carefully to improve the manuscript by all the Editor and Reviewers comments.

Reviewer 1

After examining the manuscript, I do not find it suitable for publication in this journal. My reasons for rejection are as follows:

1) Introduction does not provide a clear background, justification, and objective for carrying out this study.

Response. According to Reviewer's comment we improved the introduction section. All changes are noted in the manuscript text.

2) Methodology section is very weak. The authors have not explained the design and working of the shredder roller. The measurement methods of parameters are not detailed to help future researchers. 

Response. Considering the reviewer comment methodology section was rewritten and fulfilled with all useful information with explanations of design and working of the shredder roller and all measurement methods of parameters.

A stationary field experiment was performed in Panevėžys district, Lithuania. Soil area was sandy loam in the northern highlands. Soil properties in this area are greatly influenced by the maritime climate, which promotes leaching and silting processes, making them more acidic and less alkaline. Due to the relatively flat terrain, the soils are soaked and muddy throughout the profile, drained and systematically limed. The soil cover is of low contrast (relatively uniform). The productivity of soil in this area is estimated at 38–43 points [22].

The rotation of the plants in the experiment was fibrous cannabis grown for 5 years in a row. Fiber cannabis: variety - 'FUTURA 75', seed rate - 25 kg ha^-1. Sowing depth - 2 cm. Sowing time - April. Cannabis is harvested with a special combine (reconstructed CLAAS Jaguar), which performs several functions at the same time. The remains of the plants are chopped into 60 cm long sticks, which are left in the swathes and at the same time the hemp flowers are combed into a special container. After combing, plant raw materials are poured directly into the selected container. After harvesting, the remains of cannabis residues (60 cm long) lying in the swathes cause problems. The microscopic fungi and microorganisms present to break down the cannabis residues left after the harvester are not sufficient to deal with such a large amount of cannabis residues. Therefore, in order to achieve a higher intensity of cannabis residues decomposition, a specially designed and newly adapted cannabis residues shredding roller. During the research, the most optimal mass of the roller was selected by testing - 1760.5 kg. The optimal working speed starts from 20 km h^-1. The shredding roller is a hollow cylinder with parallel strips of cutting knives, which allows the mass of the implement to be increased when there is more hemp residue or when the soil is hard. In order to improve the process of shredding cannabis residues, the roller blades are sharpened at an angle of 90 degrees to the front. The shredding roller performs the following functions - mixing, crushing, pulling, cutting, tearing, dividing, crushing, crushing, fiber damage, rotting, splitting hemp residues.

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the shredding roller for cannabis residues, the field of experimental research was divided into two parts. In one part of the field, cannabis residues after harvesting were processed with a shredding roller. In another control part of the field, cannabis residues were left as usually on the soil surface. During the period of experimental research, deep shredding was performed with a shredding roller to a depth of 15 cm four times. First time on 04/04/2020 before seeding fiber cannabis, second time after harvest on 09/19/2020, third time before sowing on 05/04/2021 and after harvest on 09/29/2021.

Next, after the shredding roller, the effectiveness of the roller for the decomposition of cannabis residues was tested. Researches of cannabis residues moisture and lignin, residues cutting and pulling were specifically selected. Samples of cannabis residues for testing were randomly taken from the field, hanging on a three-point rear hanger.

Cannabis lignin studies have been carried out because lignin plays a particularly important role. Nutrients contained in the cells of plant remains are protected by a thick two-layer wall consisting of extremely strong polymer compounds: lignin (about 25%), cellulose (about 50%) and hemicellulose (about 25%). It is because of them that the remains become woody. The stronger the cannabis residues, the more lignin has been accumulated. It is during the breakdown of lignin and cellulose that new organic carbon compounds - humus - are formed in the soil. Due to the different properties of plants to accumulate lignin, the level of woody plants varies. Cannabis residues are extremely strong and difficult to break down and humify. In hummus, nutrients such as biological compounds are less likely to evaporate or leach out. Mineralization—the release of nutrients—occurs in the spring, but before then the lignin and cellulose must be broken down. The fiber contains 73-77% cellulose, 7-9% hemicellulose and 2-6% lignin, the pulp contains 48%, 21-25% and 17-19%, respectively. Because of its higher carbohydrate to lignin ratio, hemp biomass is more suitable for biofuel production than other energy crops because it emits fewer greenhouse gases. Researches of cannabis residues moisture were carried out because the shredding roller mixes the cannabis residues together with the soil which affects the moisture of cannabis residues. Higher moisture content of cannabis residues correlates with faster decay and weakening of cannabis residues.

It can be predicted that in the future, applying the shredding roller in hemp cultivation technology will require less force to cultivate the soil with hemp residues and will facilitate the work of agricultural machines, reduce energy, fuel consumption and environmental pollution. Therefore, laboratory simulation researches of the cutting and breaking of cannabis residues were carried out, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the shredding roller in the mechanical properties of fibrous cannabis residues. These researches show whether using a shredding roller requires less force and time to cut and break the hemp residues.

 

Researches have been carried out on the residues of organic fibrous cannabis, comparing cannabis cultivation technology where a shredding roller was used and where it was not used.

 

3) The reasons behind variations in the parameters in the Results section are not given or clearly expressed neither supporting studies were cited.

Response. We have taken the reviewer's comment into account and supplementary the Results and Discussion section.

4) What is the significance of measuring cutting, breaking force, efficiency, lignin content, and CO2 emission?

Response. Lignin content affects the mineralization of plant residues, which can influence the cutting and breaking forces of plant residues. We related the results of lignin content with the mechanical characteristics of plant residues in lines 334–336 and 403, 404.

It can be predicted that in the future, applying the shredding roller in hemp cultivation technology will require less force to cultivate the soil with hemp residues and will facilitate the work of agricultural machines, reduce energy, fuel consumption and environmental pollution. Therefore, laboratory simulation studies of the cutting and pulling of hemp residues were carried out, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the shredding roller in the mechanical properties of fibrous cannabis residues. These studies show whether using a shredding roller requires less force and time to cut and break the hemp residue.

CO₂ is one of the main exhaust gases in the composition of diesel fuel, consisting of hydrocarbons and impurities, including carbon monoxide (CO - 0.5% by volume), hydrogen (H₂), hydrogen sulfur (H₂S), nitrogen (N₂-76% by volume) and oxygen (O₂−76% by volume)

Studies by other researchers have found that cannabis residues can also be used to make green composites made from cannabis and bark residues. Thermal and mechanical properties are useful in the use of these wastes as raw materials and in the production of low-density insulation boards. Their potential application can help reduce cooling and heating costs and at the same time reduce CO₂ emissions.

5) The use of word 'traction' can be misunderstood here. Traction is the force developed due to the interaction of the tire with soil.

Response. “Traction” was changed to “breaking”.

6) The title of the manuscript is misleading and should be rephrased.

Response. The title of the manuscript was rephrased.

6) Language is very poor and difficult to understand in many places.

Response. We edited the English language.

Overall, the manuscript is not ready for publication at this stage.

Response. We have carefully revised your comments and agree with all of them. We very responsibly tried to correct the manuscript according to all comments to improve its quality. We hope we did not disappoint and significantly improved the quality of the manuscript.

 

Reviewer 2

The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of the interaction of fibrous cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) residue and soil on the mechanical properties of the residue and the environment in cultivation technology using a shredding roller. The study determined the effect of the shredding roller on the moisture content of cannabis residues, lignin content, visual changes, and mechanical characteristics of traction and cutting.

The author presented the research very well. However, there are some suggestions to improve the manuscript.

1. In the introduction section improvement is required in the problem statement.

Response. According to Reviewer's comment we improved the introduction section.

2. In the methodology section; there is no explanation that what parameters change for soil to determine its impact.

Response. Considering the Reviewer's comment, information about the idea and purpose of the research was better explained and supplemented.

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the shredding roller for cannabis residues, the field of experimental research was divided into two parts. In one part of the field, cannabis residues after harvesting were processed with a shredding roller. In another control part of the field, cannabis residues were left as usually on the soil surface. During the period of experimental research, deep shredding was performed with a shredding roller to a depth of 15 cm four times. First time on 04/04/2020 before seeding fiber cannabis, second time after harvest on 09/19/2020, third time before sowing on 05/04/2021 and after harvest on 09/29/2021.

Next, after the shredding roller, the effectiveness of the roller for the decomposition of cannabis residues was tested. Researches of cannabis residues moisture and lignin, residues cutting and pulling were specifically selected. Samples of cannabis residues for testing were randomly taken from the field, hanging on a three-point rear hanger.

Cannabis lignin studies have been carried out because lignin plays a particularly important role. Nutrients contained in the cells of plant remains are protected by a thick two-layer wall consisting of extremely strong polymer compounds: lignin (about 25%), cellulose (about 50%) and hemicellulose (about 25%). It is because of them that the remains become woody. The stronger the cannabis residues, the more lignin has been accumulated. It is during the breakdown of lignin and cellulose that new organic carbon compounds - humus - are formed in the soil. Due to the different properties of plants to accumulate lignin, the level of woody plants varies. Cannabis residues are extremely strong and difficult to break down and humify. In hummus, nutrients such as biological compounds are less likely to evaporate or leach out. Mineralization—the release of nutrients—occurs in the spring, but before then the lignin and cellulose must be broken down. The fiber contains 73-77% cellulose, 7-9% hemicellulose and 2-6% lignin, the pulp contains 48%, 21-25% and 17-19%, respectively. Because of its higher carbohydrate to lignin ratio, hemp biomass is more suitable for biofuel production than other energy crops because it emits fewer greenhouse gases. Researches of cannabis residues moisture were carried out because the shredding roller mixes the cannabis residues together with the soil which affects the moisture of cannabis residues. Higher moisture content of cannabis residues correlates with faster decay and weakening of cannabis residues.

It can be predicted that in the future, applying the shredding roller in hemp cultivation technology will require less force to cultivate the soil with hemp residues and will facilitate the work of agricultural machines, reduce energy, fuel consumption and environmental pollution. Therefore, laboratory simulation researches of the cutting and breaking of cannabis residues were carried out, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the shredding roller in the mechanical properties of fibrous cannabis residues. These researches show whether using a shredding roller requires less force and time to cut and break the hemp residues.

 

Researches have been carried out on the residues of organic fibrous cannabis, comparing cannabis cultivation technology where a shredding roller was used and where it was not used.

 

3. in the result and discussion section there is no information related to the change of soil parameters and its impact on the mechanical properties.

Response. It was added to lines 316-320. Considering the Reviewer's comment, information about the idea and purpose of the research was better explained and supplemented.

4. only force data is presented, there are other parameters that also can calculate such as tensile strength, bending strength and young's modulus, ets

Response. You are right that can be more research on the mechanical properties of hemp residues. However, in order not to expand the article too much, and considering that in real tillage conditions, the disc working parts of the machine can cut or break the plant residue when the plant residue falls between the two discs, we decided to present the force data. We agree that tensile strength tests would also be relevant, but in our opinion, breaking force data is more relevant, as it allows us to draw conclusions about tensile strength without additional testing.

 

Reviewer 3

This manuscript is an original and original work. I think it is an important study in terms of revealing the relationship between soil and the environment of cannabis residues in the soil after the cannabis harvest in Lithuania. However, some corrections and additions need to be made to the manuscript. I have marked these corrections on the Manuscript. After these corrections are made, your article can be published in this journal.

1. Title. Cannabis should be written in Latin (Cannabis sativa L.).

Response. We changed "Cannabis" to "Cannabis Sativa L.".

2. Introduction. What is the hemp production potential in Lithuania in the introduction section of the Manuscript and what is the share of Lithuania in the world cannabis production? Briefly, it should be given.

Response. According to Reviewer's comment, we added information to the introduction section in lines 66–72.

3. 3.3 section. In this part, the findings are not discussed by giving the relevant literature, only the findings are given. Findings obtained in this section should definitely be discussed by giving literature.

Response. We added discussion by submitting literature in lines 376-380.

 

 

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Dear author

This manuscript is an original and original work. I think it is an important study in terms of revealing the relationship between soil and the environment of cannabis residues in the soil after the cannabis harvest in Lithuania. However, some corrections and additions need to be made to the manuscript. I have marked these corrections on the Manuscript. After these corrections are made, your article can be published in this journal.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Answers to Editor and Reviewers

 

We sincerely thank the respected Editor and Reviewers for especially useful expertise, their time, helpful comments, and assistance in improving the scientific article.

Following the Editor’s and Reviewer‘s advices, we are resubmitting the article manuscript with the corrections made, which we explain in detail in the letter below.

According to Editor and Reviewer comments all manuscript was analyzed and we have worked carefully to improve the manuscript by all the Editor and Reviewers comments.

Reviewer 1

After examining the manuscript, I do not find it suitable for publication in this journal. My reasons for rejection are as follows:

1) Introduction does not provide a clear background, justification, and objective for carrying out this study.

Response. According to Reviewer's comment we improved the introduction section. All changes are noted in the manuscript text.

2) Methodology section is very weak. The authors have not explained the design and working of the shredder roller. The measurement methods of parameters are not detailed to help future researchers. 

Response. Considering the reviewer comment methodology section was rewritten and fulfilled with all useful information with explanations of design and working of the shredder roller and all measurement methods of parameters.

A stationary field experiment was performed in Panevėžys district, Lithuania. Soil area was sandy loam in the northern highlands. Soil properties in this area are greatly influenced by the maritime climate, which promotes leaching and silting processes, making them more acidic and less alkaline. Due to the relatively flat terrain, the soils are soaked and muddy throughout the profile, drained and systematically limed. The soil cover is of low contrast (relatively uniform). The productivity of soil in this area is estimated at 38–43 points [22].

The rotation of the plants in the experiment was fibrous cannabis grown for 5 years in a row. Fiber cannabis: variety - 'FUTURA 75', seed rate - 25 kg ha^-1. Sowing depth - 2 cm. Sowing time - April. Cannabis is harvested with a special combine (reconstructed CLAAS Jaguar), which performs several functions at the same time. The remains of the plants are chopped into 60 cm long sticks, which are left in the swathes and at the same time the hemp flowers are combed into a special container. After combing, plant raw materials are poured directly into the selected container. After harvesting, the remains of cannabis residues (60 cm long) lying in the swathes cause problems. The microscopic fungi and microorganisms present to break down the cannabis residues left after the harvester are not sufficient to deal with such a large amount of cannabis residues. Therefore, in order to achieve a higher intensity of cannabis residues decomposition, a specially designed and newly adapted cannabis residues shredding roller. During the research, the most optimal mass of the roller was selected by testing - 1760.5 kg. The optimal working speed starts from 20 km h^-1. The shredding roller is a hollow cylinder with parallel strips of cutting knives, which allows the mass of the implement to be increased when there is more hemp residue or when the soil is hard. In order to improve the process of shredding cannabis residues, the roller blades are sharpened at an angle of 90 degrees to the front. The shredding roller performs the following functions - mixing, crushing, pulling, cutting, tearing, dividing, crushing, crushing, fiber damage, rotting, splitting hemp residues.

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the shredding roller for cannabis residues, the field of experimental research was divided into two parts. In one part of the field, cannabis residues after harvesting were processed with a shredding roller. In another control part of the field, cannabis residues were left as usually on the soil surface. During the period of experimental research, deep shredding was performed with a shredding roller to a depth of 15 cm four times. First time on 04/04/2020 before seeding fiber cannabis, second time after harvest on 09/19/2020, third time before sowing on 05/04/2021 and after harvest on 09/29/2021.

Next, after the shredding roller, the effectiveness of the roller for the decomposition of cannabis residues was tested. Researches of cannabis residues moisture and lignin, residues cutting and pulling were specifically selected. Samples of cannabis residues for testing were randomly taken from the field, hanging on a three-point rear hanger.

Cannabis lignin studies have been carried out because lignin plays a particularly important role. Nutrients contained in the cells of plant remains are protected by a thick two-layer wall consisting of extremely strong polymer compounds: lignin (about 25%), cellulose (about 50%) and hemicellulose (about 25%). It is because of them that the remains become woody. The stronger the cannabis residues, the more lignin has been accumulated. It is during the breakdown of lignin and cellulose that new organic carbon compounds - humus - are formed in the soil. Due to the different properties of plants to accumulate lignin, the level of woody plants varies. Cannabis residues are extremely strong and difficult to break down and humify. In hummus, nutrients such as biological compounds are less likely to evaporate or leach out. Mineralization—the release of nutrients—occurs in the spring, but before then the lignin and cellulose must be broken down. The fiber contains 73-77% cellulose, 7-9% hemicellulose and 2-6% lignin, the pulp contains 48%, 21-25% and 17-19%, respectively. Because of its higher carbohydrate to lignin ratio, hemp biomass is more suitable for biofuel production than other energy crops because it emits fewer greenhouse gases. Researches of cannabis residues moisture were carried out because the shredding roller mixes the cannabis residues together with the soil which affects the moisture of cannabis residues. Higher moisture content of cannabis residues correlates with faster decay and weakening of cannabis residues.

It can be predicted that in the future, applying the shredding roller in hemp cultivation technology will require less force to cultivate the soil with hemp residues and will facilitate the work of agricultural machines, reduce energy, fuel consumption and environmental pollution. Therefore, laboratory simulation researches of the cutting and breaking of cannabis residues were carried out, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the shredding roller in the mechanical properties of fibrous cannabis residues. These researches show whether using a shredding roller requires less force and time to cut and break the hemp residues.

 

Researches have been carried out on the residues of organic fibrous cannabis, comparing cannabis cultivation technology where a shredding roller was used and where it was not used.

 

3) The reasons behind variations in the parameters in the Results section are not given or clearly expressed neither supporting studies were cited.

Response. We have taken the reviewer's comment into account and supplementary the Results and Discussion section.

4) What is the significance of measuring cutting, breaking force, efficiency, lignin content, and CO2 emission?

Response. Lignin content affects the mineralization of plant residues, which can influence the cutting and breaking forces of plant residues. We related the results of lignin content with the mechanical characteristics of plant residues in lines 334–336 and 403, 404.

It can be predicted that in the future, applying the shredding roller in hemp cultivation technology will require less force to cultivate the soil with hemp residues and will facilitate the work of agricultural machines, reduce energy, fuel consumption and environmental pollution. Therefore, laboratory simulation studies of the cutting and pulling of hemp residues were carried out, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the shredding roller in the mechanical properties of fibrous cannabis residues. These studies show whether using a shredding roller requires less force and time to cut and break the hemp residue.

CO₂ is one of the main exhaust gases in the composition of diesel fuel, consisting of hydrocarbons and impurities, including carbon monoxide (CO - 0.5% by volume), hydrogen (H₂), hydrogen sulfur (H₂S), nitrogen (N₂-76% by volume) and oxygen (O₂−76% by volume)

Studies by other researchers have found that cannabis residues can also be used to make green composites made from cannabis and bark residues. Thermal and mechanical properties are useful in the use of these wastes as raw materials and in the production of low-density insulation boards. Their potential application can help reduce cooling and heating costs and at the same time reduce CO₂ emissions.

5) The use of word 'traction' can be misunderstood here. Traction is the force developed due to the interaction of the tire with soil.

Response. “Traction” was changed to “breaking”.

6) The title of the manuscript is misleading and should be rephrased.

Response. The title of the manuscript was rephrased.

6) Language is very poor and difficult to understand in many places.

Response. We edited the English language.

Overall, the manuscript is not ready for publication at this stage.

Response. We have carefully revised your comments and agree with all of them. We very responsibly tried to correct the manuscript according to all comments to improve its quality. We hope we did not disappoint and significantly improved the quality of the manuscript.

 

Reviewer 2

The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of the interaction of fibrous cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) residue and soil on the mechanical properties of the residue and the environment in cultivation technology using a shredding roller. The study determined the effect of the shredding roller on the moisture content of cannabis residues, lignin content, visual changes, and mechanical characteristics of traction and cutting.

The author presented the research very well. However, there are some suggestions to improve the manuscript.

1. In the introduction section improvement is required in the problem statement.

Response. According to Reviewer's comment we improved the introduction section.

2. In the methodology section; there is no explanation that what parameters change for soil to determine its impact.

Response. Considering the Reviewer's comment, information about the idea and purpose of the research was better explained and supplemented.

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the shredding roller for cannabis residues, the field of experimental research was divided into two parts. In one part of the field, cannabis residues after harvesting were processed with a shredding roller. In another control part of the field, cannabis residues were left as usually on the soil surface. During the period of experimental research, deep shredding was performed with a shredding roller to a depth of 15 cm four times. First time on 04/04/2020 before seeding fiber cannabis, second time after harvest on 09/19/2020, third time before sowing on 05/04/2021 and after harvest on 09/29/2021.

Next, after the shredding roller, the effectiveness of the roller for the decomposition of cannabis residues was tested. Researches of cannabis residues moisture and lignin, residues cutting and pulling were specifically selected. Samples of cannabis residues for testing were randomly taken from the field, hanging on a three-point rear hanger.

Cannabis lignin studies have been carried out because lignin plays a particularly important role. Nutrients contained in the cells of plant remains are protected by a thick two-layer wall consisting of extremely strong polymer compounds: lignin (about 25%), cellulose (about 50%) and hemicellulose (about 25%). It is because of them that the remains become woody. The stronger the cannabis residues, the more lignin has been accumulated. It is during the breakdown of lignin and cellulose that new organic carbon compounds - humus - are formed in the soil. Due to the different properties of plants to accumulate lignin, the level of woody plants varies. Cannabis residues are extremely strong and difficult to break down and humify. In hummus, nutrients such as biological compounds are less likely to evaporate or leach out. Mineralization—the release of nutrients—occurs in the spring, but before then the lignin and cellulose must be broken down. The fiber contains 73-77% cellulose, 7-9% hemicellulose and 2-6% lignin, the pulp contains 48%, 21-25% and 17-19%, respectively. Because of its higher carbohydrate to lignin ratio, hemp biomass is more suitable for biofuel production than other energy crops because it emits fewer greenhouse gases. Researches of cannabis residues moisture were carried out because the shredding roller mixes the cannabis residues together with the soil which affects the moisture of cannabis residues. Higher moisture content of cannabis residues correlates with faster decay and weakening of cannabis residues.

It can be predicted that in the future, applying the shredding roller in hemp cultivation technology will require less force to cultivate the soil with hemp residues and will facilitate the work of agricultural machines, reduce energy, fuel consumption and environmental pollution. Therefore, laboratory simulation researches of the cutting and breaking of cannabis residues were carried out, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the shredding roller in the mechanical properties of fibrous cannabis residues. These researches show whether using a shredding roller requires less force and time to cut and break the hemp residues.

 

Researches have been carried out on the residues of organic fibrous cannabis, comparing cannabis cultivation technology where a shredding roller was used and where it was not used.

 

3. in the result and discussion section there is no information related to the change of soil parameters and its impact on the mechanical properties.

Response. It was added to lines 316-320. Considering the Reviewer's comment, information about the idea and purpose of the research was better explained and supplemented.

4. only force data is presented, there are other parameters that also can calculate such as tensile strength, bending strength and young's modulus, ets

Response. You are right that can be more research on the mechanical properties of hemp residues. However, in order not to expand the article too much, and considering that in real tillage conditions, the disc working parts of the machine can cut or break the plant residue when the plant residue falls between the two discs, we decided to present the force data. We agree that tensile strength tests would also be relevant, but in our opinion, breaking force data is more relevant, as it allows us to draw conclusions about tensile strength without additional testing.

 

Reviewer 3

This manuscript is an original and original work. I think it is an important study in terms of revealing the relationship between soil and the environment of cannabis residues in the soil after the cannabis harvest in Lithuania. However, some corrections and additions need to be made to the manuscript. I have marked these corrections on the Manuscript. After these corrections are made, your article can be published in this journal.

1. Title. Cannabis should be written in Latin (Cannabis sativa L.).

Response. We changed "Cannabis" to "Cannabis Sativa L.".

2. Introduction. What is the hemp production potential in Lithuania in the introduction section of the Manuscript and what is the share of Lithuania in the world cannabis production? Briefly, it should be given.

Response. According to Reviewer's comment, we added information to the introduction section in lines 66–72.

3. 3.3 section. In this part, the findings are not discussed by giving the relevant literature, only the findings are given. Findings obtained in this section should definitely be discussed by giving literature.

Response. We added discussion by submitting literature in lines 376-380.

 

 

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

The authors have revised and improved the manuscript. However, I have following suggestions to improve the quality of the manuscript.

1) The level of significance for Tukey’s test needs to be mentioned.

2) The major dimensions of the shredding roller needs to be mentioned.

3) How much time does it take to decompose the cannabis residue in the soil? If you have measured, kindly report it.

4) Also, does it need a bio-decomposer for the above purpose?

5) The developed shredder is similar with respect to the purpose and environmental benefits as that of a cotton stalk shredder. In the Introduction section, the following study on resource-conserving mechanization technologies may be added to strengthen the manuscript: Kumar, N., Upadhyay, G., Choudhary, S., Patel, B., Chhokar, R. S., & Gill, S. C. (2023). Resource conserving mechanization technologies for dryland agriculture. In Enhancing Resilience of Dryland Agriculture Under Changing Climate: Interdisciplinary and Convergence Approaches (pp. 657-688). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.

6) Following study on crop residue management technologies may be added to strengthen the manuscript: Kumar, N., Chaudhary, A., Ahlawat, O. P., Naorem, A., Upadhyay, G., Chhokar, R. S., Gill, S. C., Khippal, A., Tripathi, S. C. & Singh, G. P. (2023). Crop residue management challenges, opportunities and way forward for sustainable food-energy security in India: A review. Soil and Tillage Research, 228, 105641.

7) The peripheral speed of the shredding roller needs to be mentioned.

Author Response

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The authors have revised and improved the manuscript. However, I have following suggestions to improve the quality of the manuscript.

Comment

• The level of significance for Tukey’s test needs to be mentioned.

Answer

Considering the Reviewer's advice, the level of significance for Tukey's test was mentioned in the manuscript. It was fulfilled methods section and figures in results section with HSD values.

Mathematical Statistics Tukey Analysis of the dispersion test by estimating at the 95% confidence level (P <0.05) to ensure that the differences between the data means were significant [30]. Tukey's HSD ("honestly significant difference") test is a statistical tool used to determine whether a relationship between two groups of data is statistically significant—that is, whether there is a high probability that observed numerical changes in one value are causally related to observed values in another a change. Tukey's test is using to compare the means of differences between values. Tukey's test value is obtained by taking the absolute difference between pairs of means and dividing it by the standard error (SE) of the mean determined by a one-way ANOVA test. SE is the square root (variance divided by sample size). The Tukey test is a post hoc test in which variables are compared after the data have already been collected. Columns marked with the same letter mean the results have significant differences.

Comment

2) The major dimensions of the shredding roller needs to be mentioned.

Answer

According to the Reviewer's comment, the methodology section was added information about major dimensions of the shredding roller.

Shredding roller is designed for rolling hemp stalks, promoting faster decomposition of cannabis residues. The working width of the shredding roller is 4 m. Type - hanging. The diameter of the roller is 800 mm, the thickness of the roller band is 10 mm. 15 cutting knives are attached along the cylindrical roller.

Comment

3) How much time does it take to decompose the cannabis residue in the soil? If you have measured, kindly report it.

Answer

Thanks for the relevant idea for future research. During our research, the main focus was on the efficiency of the shredding roller for the processing of hemp residues. The fact is that the rolled hemp residues decomposed faster, but we did not record the exact time with methodologically reliable studies - this happened during the entire research year until the next repeated use of the roller in the following year. For cannabis residue research, samples were taken before they were completely decomposed, in order to perform more detailed methodologically reliable studies of lignin and mechanical characteristics.

The degradation of lignin can be and is as efficient as that of cellulose, and it depends on the core (also called core) microorganisms in the soil and the supporting microorganisms present in the soil. Less oxygen - less organic matter in the soil It is known that microorganisms that need oxygen are involved in the processes of decomposition (degradation) of plant residues. Rice fields are a good example of such a process. Rice can be grown using two types of soil systems: waterlogged and drained. It was found that in flooded soil, microorganisms that use oxygen for respiration (aerobes) decrease and oxygen-sensitive microorganisms (anaerobes) increase.

A common problem is deep plowing of the straw in the hope that the plowed straw will break down and turn into organic matter. But deeply buried straw finds itself in an environment with very little oxygen. A much better solution would be not to plow the straw, but to leave it on the surface of the soil or embed it shallowly. This will expose the straw to an oxygenated environment and be successfully broken down by aerobic microorganisms on the soil surface. Enzymes and soil acidity are important Decomposition of cellulose and lignin is a complex process carried out by substances released into the environment by soil microorganisms - enzymes. Some enzymes (e.g. endo-gluconase, glucosidase) are responsible for cellulose degradation, others (laccase, lignin peroxidase) degrade lignin. By determining the amount of enzymes in the soil and their ratio, the dynamics of cellulose and lignin degradation in the soil can be predicted.

Comment

4) Also, does it need a bio-decomposer for the above purpose?

Answer

In this study, only the efficiency of the engineering machine - the shredding roller was evaluated, and no biological preparations for the decomposition of plant residues were additionally used. But in our previous studies, we have conducted a number of studies evaluating the effectiveness of various bio-measures for reducing environmental pollution, and for plant, soil, manure and also the decomposition of plant residues. We have patented inventions in this field. And yes, you have great ideas, because in the future we could evaluate this mechanical engineering unit and biopreparations as a common set of tools. Thank you and we could work together in the future as you obviously work in a similar field.

Improving soil and increasing organic matter is critical to the physical, chemical and biological functions of soil. Microorganisms are also depleted in degraded soils, in other words, the populations and diversity of microorganisms are very low. In such soils, the mineralization of plant residues is also slow, although the availability of oxygen is ensured. One of the possible solutions is the use of innovative biological products. Today, microbiologists can accurately assess the microbiological activity of the soil, identify theoretically all the microorganisms present in the soil and offer a suitable solution. Since there are known enzymes that directly affect the straw structure, it is already possible to create biological products containing microorganisms intensively releasing the already mentioned enzymes into the environment. Such products may contain several different genera of bacteria (eg, Paenibacillus, Bacillus, Cellulomonas) along with microscopic fungi, one of the best known of which is Trichoderma. The mixture of such microorganisms together determines not only the effective decomposition of plant residues depending on the environmental conditions, but also protection against plant pathogenic microorganisms. Innovative farmers have already begun to value and protect the microorganisms in their soils: using proper tillage techniques and moderate fertilization plans. It is already possible to analyze the soil microbiome (all microorganisms present in the soil) in detail and, based on the results, to select biological products precisely for sustainable farming. Although this type of microorganism analysis is not yet a cheap method, it is the future of modern farming.

Comment

5) The developed shredder is similar with respect to the purpose and environmental benefits as that of a cotton stalk shredder. In the Introduction section, the following study on resource-conserving mechanization technologies may be added to strengthen the manuscript: Kumar, N., Upadhyay, G., Choudhary, S., Patel, B., Chhokar, R. S., & Gill, S. C. (2023). Resource conserving mechanization technologies for dryland agriculture. In Enhancing Resilience of Dryland Agriculture Under Changing Climate: Interdisciplinary and Convergence Approaches (pp. 657-688). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.

Answer

Thank you. Taking into account the advice of the Reviewer, the manuscript Introduction section was fulfilled with this new reference.

“It has been estimated that when cotton stalks are processed and chopped into small pieces of 50-60 mm using a cotton chopper, with the addition of a compost culture, the plant residues decompose in less than 120 days. In cotton crops under dry farming conditions, ex situ composting of stalks with a chopper was found to produce the highest yield compared to other management practices”.

14. Kumar, N., Upadhyay, G., Choudhary, S., Patel, B., Chhokar, R.S. and Gill, S.C., 2023. Resource Conserving Mechanization Technologies for Dryland Agriculture. In Enhancing Resilience of Dryland Agriculture Under Changing Climate: Interdisciplinary and Convergence Approaches(pp. 657-688). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.

Comment

6) Following study on crop residue management technologies may be added to strengthen the manuscript: Kumar, N., Chaudhary, A., Ahlawat, O. P., Naorem, A., Upadhyay, G., Chhokar, R. S., Gill, S. C., Khippal, A., Tripathi, S. C. & Singh, G. P. (2023). Crop residue management challenges, opportunities and way forward for sustainable food-energy security in India: A review. Soil and Tillage Research, 228, 105641.

Answer

Thank you. Considering the advice of the Reviewer, the manuscript Introduction section was fulfilled with this new reference too.

“For large quantities of plant residues, it is important to apply appropriate in situ management of crop residues in a variety of ways, using the right machinery package, composting and thermal decomposition methods.”

15. Kumar, N., Chaudhary, A., Ahlawat, O.P., Naorem, A., Upadhyay, G., Chhokar, R.S., Gill, S.C., Khippal, A., Tripathi, S.C. and Singh, G.P., 2023. Crop residue management challenges, opportunities and way forward for sustainable food-energy security in India: A review. Soil and Tillage Research, 228, p.105641.

Comment

7) The peripheral speed of the shredding roller needs to be mentioned.

Answer

According to Reviewer comment manuscript methods section was fulfilled with peripheral speed of the shredding roller.

The diameter of the shredding roller is 800 mm, the rotation speed is 132.8 rpm min^-1, the peripheral speed is 5.56 m s^-1.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf