Soluble solids content, variety and origin of grapes are three relevant features to determine wine quality. Soluble solids content is directly related to ripeness. The capacity to certify the origin or variety of a grape is of major interest for wine makers. The aim of this paper was to study whether near infrared refl ectance (NIR) spectroscopy could be used to determine soluble solids content and to identify different varieties and origins of grapes. Samples of Viura and Chardonnay grapes were collected in two locations (Cadreita and Villamayor de Monjardin) which varied in environmental conditions. Mass and sugars content measured by a refractometer and NIR (800-500 nm) refl ectance spectra were obtained. A partial least squares regression (PLS) was made to calibrate the NIR spectra. The regression models for Chardonnay grapes were more robust than for Viura grapes, showing coeffi cients of determination for calibration and validation of 0.75 and 0.70 and a standard error of cross-validation of 1.27. Therefore, NIR technology is suitable to determine the soluble solids content although it requires a calibration model for each variety, using a large number of data points and variables. The combined variety model showed a residual predictive deviation of 1.33, while Viura and Chardonnay models showed 1.54 and 1.88, respectively. The results of discriminant analysis using variables from the NIR spectrum showed a percentage of well-classifi ed grapes according to the variety to which they belonged of 97.2% and a 79.2% of well-classifi ed Chardonnay grapes according to their origin. In conclusion, NIR technology is a useful alternative for identifying the variety and origin of grapes.

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Many fatal accidents happen in agriculture and some of them are not officially recorded. The aim of this research was to compare official to real data about fatal accidents in agriculture and to characterize and evaluate the main risk factors associated with them. A comparative study of 388 fatal accidents related to agricultural machinery, occurred in Spain during the last five years, has been conducted. Official records only account for 61.85% of the deaths. Older people are the social group with the highest risk but children and nonfarmers are risk groups too. The main cause of death was the overturn of tractors lacking roll-over protective structures (ROPS) since from 272 fatal overturns detected; only one occurred in tractors equipped with homologated ROPS. Many overturns happened while tractor driving along roads and tracks. Terrain conditions as slopes, ditches and obstacles are also risk factors. A total of eleven risk factors have been characterized but the concurrence of at least two of them is required to cause a fatal accident. Most accidents are caused by the overlapping of three or more risk factors. Therefore, accidents are preventable when trying to circumvent all described risk factors because the probability of concurrence of at least two decreases.Additional key words: age, cause, machinery, overturning, ROPS, tractor. Resumen Evaluación de los riesgos de accidente mortal en agriculturaEn el ámbito agrario se producen anualmente muchos accidentes mortales, no siendo todos ellos registrados oficialmente como accidentes laborales. El objetivo de esta investigación es comparar los datos reales y oficiales de accidentes agrícolas mortales y caracterizar los principales riesgos asociados a ellos. Un estudio sobre 388 accidentes mortales ocurridos en España con maquinaria agrícola en los últimos cinco años ha mostrado que sólo el 61,85% de ellos ha tenido carácter oficial. Las personas mayores fueron el sector de la población con un mayor riesgo, seguidos de los niños y las personas ajenas al sector agrario. La mayoría de las muertes registradas fueron debidas al vuelco de tractores sin estructuras de protección. De las 272 muertes causadas por accidentes con vuelco del tractor, sólo una sucedió en un tractor con estructura de protección homologada. La mayoría de los vuelcos se produjo en trayectos por carreteras o caminos, aunque las fuertes pendientes y los baches también son un factor de riesgo. Se han caracterizado once factores de riesgo y se ha comprobado que para que ocurra un accidente generalmente es necesario que confluyan, al menos, dos factores de riesgo y que la mayoría de los accidentes son causados por la concurrencia de tres o más de estos factores. Todos los accidentes son evitables porque requieren la coincidencia de más de un factor de riesgo. Si intentamos evitar todos los factores de riesgo, es posible que exista uno de estos factores, pero es muy difícil que concurran dos o más de ellos a la vez.

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The harvesting of processing tomatoes is fully mechanised and it is well known that during harvest, fruits are subjected to mechanical stress causing physical injuries, including skin punctures, pulp and cell rupture. Some wireless sensors have been used for research during recent years with the main purpose of reducing the quality loss of tomato fruits by diminishing the number and intensity of impacts. In this study the IRD (impact recorder device) sensor was used to evaluate several tomato harvesters. The specific objectives were to evaluate the impacts during mechanical harvest using a wireless sensor, to determine the critical points at which damage occurs, and to assess the damage levels. Samples were taken to determine the influence of mechanical harvest on texture, or on other quality characteristics including percentage of damages. From the obtained data it has been possible to identify the critical points where the damages were produced for each one of the five harvester models examined. The highest risk of damage was in zone 1 of the combine—from the cutting system to the colour selector—because the impacts were of higher intensity and hit less absorbing surfaces than in zone 2—from colour selector to discharge. The shaker and exit from the shaker are two of the harvester elements that registered the highest intensity impacts. By adjusting, in a specific way each harvester model, using the results from this research, it has been possible to reduce the tomato damage percentage from 20 to 29% to less than 10%.

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