Fuel as the main energy resource in agriculture and forest production is surveyed in the work. Specific weight of fuel and lubricants in applicable expenses in country farms is analysed, average fuel and oil consumption in farms of different specialization, as well as changes in oil price in farms of different size and specialization are shown.

Decrease of the consumption of energy resources is possible if grain is actively dry at low air temperatures, which also has a more favourable effect on a single grain. By using the new low-temperature technologies in grain drying, the same effect can be reached as by using grain dryers with high air heating temperatures. One of such technologies could be active drying of the grain layer at low air temperatures in ozone medium. Laboratory experiments show that the carried out moisture from grain is more efficient is active drying is performed using ozonized air. The presence of ozone in grain active drying process increases the amount of carried out moisture. Ozone when decaying to ordinary oxygen creates additional energy, which can be efficiently used in grain drying. As a result, grain drying is accelerated and energy consumption is decreased. Laboratory experiments prove the effectiveness of the presence of ozone in grain active drying process.

The development of the water management economy must satisfy the demands of the society and create the assumptions for a balanced development of the Lithuanian economy. Therefore it is essential to develop a politically independent, innovative and effective water management economy, which shall ensure the supply of the continuous, long-term and accessible services of water supply and wastewater management, socially necessary to all users, the quality of which shall meet the provided requirements. Lithuanian economy has been evolving towards the market economy for the entire decade after the restoration of the independence in 1991. The situation in water supply and maintenance economy was complicated: water management economy in most localities was worn and economically ineffective, wastewater treatment equipment was physically and morally outdated. After joining the European Union, it was required to harmonize the national requirements with the legislation of the European Union: the core attention in the water management sector had been given to the implementation of the Directive of the Common Water Policy. The implementation of the European Union requirements in the water management sector required big financial investment. The objective of this article is to evaluate the investment into the water management sector in Lithuania. The European Union, the international financing institution and national sources are the main resources for the financing of the development of the water sector. In 2000-2003, the subsidies and grants from the aforementioned organizations amounted to 1,169.92 thousand LTL in order to improve the assimilation of the investment, it is essential to increase the pay-back of the water management sector, modify the current management, administration and control structure of the companies in the water sector.

The paper analyses possibilities to model the concentration of DIN - a harmful pollutant from the eutrophication point of view-contained in the stream and self-purification processes of the stream. During the studies the data of a small right affluent of the river Musa (administrative district of Birzai) was used. The data comprised results of natural observations about the changes in DIN concentrations during the vegetation period and cold period of the year. The model of pollution dispersion through the stream is a parabolic differential equation with partial derivates, initial as well as boundary conditions. Constant DIN pollution in a stream stretch containing constant hydrological parameters and adequate environment conditions is proportional to the concentration of pollutants inflow. Further from the pollution source the constant pollution is exponentially decreasing. At the distance expressed by x (m) from the initial pollution concentration c0 measuring place, DIN concentration is expressed by C(x) = c0eE-0.00017x in the cold season of the year and by in C(x) = c0eE-0.00031x during the vegetation period. The stream polluted in the result of agricultural activity, further flowing through forest-covered area is significantly purified already at a 1.5 km stretch. Relatively, DIN concentration decreases about 3.8 times a day during the vegetation period and about 2.7 times a day during the cold season of the year.

In the process of biological wastewater treatment, P-removal is efficient enough when the concentration of organic pollutants according to BOD5 (biochemical oxygen demand) is no higher than 190 mg lE-1 of O2 and its relationship with phosphorus does not exceed 20. Having studied the composition of wastewater from dairy farms it was determined that wastewater pollution according to BOD5 is from 800 to 900 mg lE-1 of O2 and the ratio of BOD5/Ptotal is 30-36. The paper gives the results of the tests on P-removal from wastewater carried out in a laboratory model. During investigations wastewater was flowing via mineral filters (filtralite P (FLP), zeolite (CE), and shulgite (SG)). Total amount of Ca, Fe and Al oxides contained in those filters were 23.0, 16.1 and 7.9% respectively. The rates of P-removal from wastewater in the filters were as follows: 88.5% (FLP), 45.5% (CE), and 96.3% (SG). Considering different hydraulic load, P-mass balance was calculated. The calculation results showed the following P absorption amounts: FLP - 5.08 g dE-1, CE - 1.76 g dE-1, and SG - 3.91 g dE-1 (calculated for 1 m**3 of each filter). Wastewater filtration through mineral media resulted in the removal of other pollutants, too: organic pollutants removal (according to BOD5) was 30.8 to 72.5%, and the removal of nitrogen compounds (more than 90% of which were in the form of ammonium salts) was even 93.2% in CE filter.

In the paper there are described problems of sewerage system in Riga which essentially impede its normal functioning. There are analyzed operation regimes of two principal pumping stations which pump all wastewater of Riga to the purification plants (2001-2005). The main focus is on implementing different measures that would improve collection and pumping of wastewater. It is offered to build a third penstock from the Voleru chamber to the purification plants. It is suggested to separate the rainwater from the household wastewater. There are analyzed 11 different versions of pump operation. In the conclusions and recommendations the formation of the possible dangerous situation during heavy downpours is demonstrated. It is recommended to build a regulation reservoir near the purification plants which could essentially protect the Daugava from unpurified wastewater during the downpours.

The paper discusses the peculiarities of hydrological and hydro-chemical regime of ground water in shallow wells and boreholes in moraine soils of active karts zone. It was determined that the fluctuations in water levels in boreholes and wells have the same tendencies: water was closest to the ground surface when the air temperature was increasing in the cold period (November-March) and decreasing in the warm period (April-October) pf the year. Chemical composition of water in boreholes (sum of ions) was up to 1.2 times lower than that in well water. This was determined by higher sodium, sulphates, and chlorine and nitrates amounts. When water level is decreasing, water chemical composition is increasing in water of wells and boreholes. It was determined that water in wells was contaminated with nitrate nitrogen; water in boreholes was polluted with ammonia nitrogen.

This article analyzes the experience of economic clustering of Finnish industry. This experience is described in the report of the fundamental investigation which was carried out by the Research Institute of the Finnish Economy (ETLA) - Advantage Finland - The Future of the Finnish industries. The study deals with the competitiveness and future growth prospects of the Finnish industry on the basis of Michael E. Porter's theory of the competitive advantage of nations. The comparative advantage of Finnish industries has been moving from capital-and resource-intensive branches to those driven by know-how and technology. The author recommends to study this experience and to use it in Latvia. The finding of the real and potential business-groups in the economy of Latvia may be realized with the algorithm of clustering described by the professor of Colombian University (USA) David Stark on the base of Lursoft data of the Latvian enterprises.

The efficiency of solving of the state environmental protection policy and implementation of the environmental problems are closely related to identification of the existing problems of the environmental protection in a definite territory. In the rural territories this process depends on the process of agricultural production. In the society, alongside with the opinion about necessity of sustainable development there is also an opinion that the primary goal is to attain total economic increase even if it can damage the environment itself. Analyzing definite indices of the effect of agriculture on the environment, it is possible to evaluate changes in the development of the branch and the environmental condition as well as their mutual interrelation.

The article analyzes the diversification types, forms and their choice conditioned by the inner and outer environmental factors in agriculture business organizations. The analysis of the agriculture census data showed that external diversification of agriculture business organizations is more popular compared to internal diversification. The former diversification ensures extra incomes and higher employment of human resources without additional investment and with minimal risk. Wage labour is the main form of the external diversification. The internal diversification implements 5.9 % of agriculture business organizations. Mostly these organizations choose closely related forms of internal diversification (non-traditional agriculture, ecological agriculture). Above mentioned agriculture business organizations are aimed of the synergy in more rational usage of available inner resources and less activity risk. The diversification of agricultural business organizations activity (when applying unrelated forms, e.g., wood reprocess and trade of wood ware, crafts, rural tourism) prevails in unfavourable for farming localities and is characteristic to organizations with higher intellectual and management potential.