Current Issue : April - June Volume : 2018 Issue Number : 2 Articles : 5 Articles
Self-propelled fruit harvesters (SPFHs) are agricultural machines designed to facilitate\nfruit picking and other tasks requiring operators to stay close to the foliage or to the upper part\nof the canopy. They generally consist of a chassis with a variable height working platform that\ncan be equipped with lateral extending platforms. The positioning of additional masses (operators,\nfruit bins) and the maximum height of the platform (up to three meters above the ground) strongly\naffect machine stability. Since there are no specific studies on the lateral stability of SPFHs, this study\naimed to develop a specific test procedure to fill this gap. A survey of the Italian market found 20 firms\nmanufacturing 110 different models of vehicles. Observation and monitoring of SPFHs under real\noperational conditions revealed the variables mostly likely to affect lateral stability: the position and\nmass of the operators and the fruit bin on the platform. Two SPFHs were tested in the laboratory to\ndetermine their centre of gravity and lateral stability in four different settings reproducing operational\nconditions. The test setting was found to affect the stability angle. Lastly, the study identified two\nspecific settings reproducing real operational conditions most likely to affect the lateral stability of\nSPFHs: these should be used as standard, reproducible settings to enable a comparison of results....
Nitrogen (N) is one of the most essential nutrients needed to reach maximum grain yield in all environments. Nitrogen fertilizers\nrepresent an important production cost, in both monetary and environmental terms.The aim of this study was to assess the effect\nof preplant nitrogen (N) rate and topdress N source on spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain yield and quality. Study was\nconducted in North-Central andWesternMontana from2011 to 2013 (total of 6 site-years). Six different preplant nitrogen (N) rates\n(0, 220, 22, 44, 67, and 90 N rate, kg haâË?â??1) followed by two topdress N sources (urea, 46-0-0, and urea ammonium nitrate (UAN),\n32-0-0) were applied to spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The results showed that there were no significant differences in grain\nyield, protein content, or protein yield, associated with topdress N source....
Natural elicitors induce plant resistance against a broad spectrum of diseases, and are\ncurrently among the most promising biocontrol tools. The present study focuses on the elicitor\nproperties of the cyclic lipopeptide surfactin on wheat, in order to stimulate the defenses of this\nmajor crop against the challenging fungal pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. The protection efficacy of\nsurfactin extracted from the strain Bacillus amyloliquefaciens S499 was investigated through greenhouse\ntrials. Surfactin protected wheat by 70% against Z. tritici, similarly to the chemical reference elicitor\nBionÃ?®50WG. In vitro biocidal assays revealed no antifungal activities of surfactin towards the\npathogen. A biomolecular RT-qPCR based low-density microarray tool was used to study the relative\nexpression of 23 wheat defense genes. Surfactin significantly induced wheat natural defenses by\nstimulating both salicylic acid- and jasmonic acid-dependent signaling pathways. Surfactin was\nsuccessfully tested as an elicitor on the pathosystem wheatââ?¬â??Z. tritici. These results promote further\nsustainable agricultural practices and the reduction of chemical inputs....
Colony monitoring devices used to track and assess the health status of honey bees are\nbecoming more widely available and used by both beekeepers and researchers. These devices\nmonitor parameters relevant to colony health at frequent intervals, often approximating real\ntime. The fine-scale record of hive condition can be further related to static or dynamic features\nof the landscape, such as weather, climate, colony density, land use, pesticide use, vegetation\nclass, and forage quality. In this study, we fit commercial honey bee colonies in two apiaries\nwith pollen traps and digital scales to monitor floral resource use, pollen quality, and honey\nproduction. One apiary was situated in low-intensity agriculture; the other in high-intensity\nagriculture. Pollen traps were open for 72 h every two weeks while scales recorded weight every\n15 min throughout the growing season. From collected pollen, we determined forage quantity per\nday, species identity using DNA sequencing, pesticide residues, amino acid content, and total protein\ncontent. From scales, we determined the accumulated hive weight change over the growing season,\nrelating to honey production and final colony weight going into winter. Hive scales may also be used\nto identify the occurrence of environmental pollen and nectar dearth, and track phenological changes\nin plant communities. We provide comparisons of device-derived data between two apiaries over the\ngrowing season and discuss the potential for employing apiary monitoring devices to infer colony\nhealth in the context of divergent agricultural land use conditions...
Background: The production of seeds for horticultural crops has seen a steady growth since\n2006. Onion is one of the most widespread crops that followed this trend until 2013, undergoing a\nslight decline in 2016. Even though these crops are characterized by high economic value, they present\nsome important issues such as high costs and labor required by some operations such as threshing.\nThe purpose of this study is the evaluation of a patented and dedicated system for mechanical\nthreshing throughout the evaluation of seed quality parameters. Methods: The study was conducted\ncomparing seed samples mechanically threshed obtained from 12 companies and samples of the same\nbatches manually threshed to determine the maximum qualitative potential. The chosen terms for\ncomparison are the most important qualitative parameters included within ISTA standards for seed\nevaluation. Results: The mechanically threshed seeds show lower values for all the considered quality\nparameters compared to those found in the control samples. In the same way, there is also greater\nvariability. Conclusions: The introduction of the dedicated mechanical systems allows the reduction\nof seed processing time while maintaining the quality standards within the limits of merchantability,\nbut for obtaining higher standards, further analysis is necessary...
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