Abstract: Provided is an electrophotographic apparatus including: an electrophotographic photosensitive member; a voltage application unit configured to cause discharge from an electroconductive member to the electrophotographic photosensitive member; a charge transfer amount detection unit configured to detect a charge transfer amount per unit time resulting from the discharge from the electroconductive member to the electrophotographic photosensitive member; and a charging potential control unit, wherein V1 and V2 defined by specific procedures for the electrophotographic photosensitive member satisfy a relationship represented by the following expression (E-4): 100V1<V2?V1 (E-4), and wherein the charging potential control unit is configured to control the charging potential of the electrophotographic photosensitive member at the time of image formation.

Abstract: A method of diagnosing nutritious condition of crop in a plant field is disclosed.

Abstract: At a starting of a motor which receives an electric power from a generator driven by an engine, an excitation current controller controls an excitation current so as to cause an output frequency of a generator to approach a predetermined frequency which is lower than a rated frequency when an output voltage detected by an output voltage detector is reduced to lower than a first predetermined voltage. Thereafter, the excitation current controller controls the excitation current so as to cause the output voltage of the generator to be the rated voltage when the output voltage detector detects a second predetermined voltage which is higher than the first predetermined voltage. In this way, the load capacity which enables the starting by the engine-driven generator without directly controlling the engine is improved.

Abstract: From the crop of a predetermined area in a plant field under exposure to natural light, a reflectivity of the light having relation to crop information such as nitrogen content rate is measured by a camera; the crop information as first crop information is obtained from the first crop related formula established in advance for obtaining the crop information from the reflectivity; light is irradiated on crop leaf blades in the same area as the predetermined area and an amount of the light is measured; the crop information as second crop information is obtained from the second crop related formula established in advance for obtaining the crop information from the amount of the light; differences are calculated from the first crop information and the second crop information; the first crop information is obtained from the unknown crop in the predetermined area within the crop field of the same area; the first crop information is corrected based on the differences; and the nutritious diagnosis of the crop in the

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for determining an amount of fertilizer to be applied to grain crops are disclosed. A fertilizer application related formula for obtaining the necessary amount of fertilizer to be applied is established by analyzing growth information including leaf blade information, fertilizer application information and quality information, all the above information being obtained in advance from a number of grains or grain crops. The formula thus established is stored in the memory. The necessary amount of fertilizer to be applied for each specific period for grain crops which are presently under growth is calculated by applying to the above formula, growth information of the grain crops presently under growth and target quality information. The growth information includes leaf blade information in relation to a specific period. The results of the calculation are displayed or printed out.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus are provided for estimating a quality of grains to be harvested from a grain plant in the future, during a growth period prior to the harvesting. The method comprises the step for establishing a quality conversion coefficient for estimating a specific quality of grains after the harvesting based on absorbencies relating to the specific quality of the grains obtained by irradiating light having predetermined wavelength regions on a leaf of a grain plant in growth at a predetermined time during the growth period of the grain plant and the specific quality obtained from the same grains after the harvesting, and the step for estimating the quality of the grains to be harvested in the future based on said quality conversion coefficient and absorbencies relating to said specific quality obtained from a leaf of the grain plant presently growing at the predetermined time.