Spray Technology in Perennial Tree Crops

Environmental concerns associated with annual row crop grain production – including soil erosion, soil carbon loss, intensive use of chemicals and petroleum, limited arable land, among others – could be addressed by converting conventional livestock production to an organic pasture based system. The inclusion of tree crops would further enhance the opportunity for feeding pasture- raised livestock by providing shelter and alternative feed sources. Biodiversity is an essential aspect of an organic farm plan. The idea of including tree crops and other perennials into the vision of an organic farm as a “living system” is very much compatible with the goals and philosophy of organic farming. Before modern no-till farming systems were developed, tree crops and pasture systems were found to provide similar benefits for controlling soil erosion and conserving soil carbon. For example, J. Russell Smith’s Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture (Smith, 1950) and pioneered tree crop agriculture as the alternative to annual row crops for protecting soils from erosion while producing livestock feed such as acorns, nuts, and fodder. A survey of Mid-Atlantic USA soils under pasture found 60% higher soil organic matter content than cultivated fields. Because United States Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program (USDA-NOP) standards require dairy cattle consume pasture forage and limited grain (7 C.F.R. pt. 206), organic milk contains higher concentrations of omega-3 and fewer omega-6 fatty acids than conventional milk. Organic standards also state “the producer must not use lumber treated with arsenate or other prohibited materials for new [fence posts] installations or replacement purposes in contact with soil or livestock.” Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) is a fast growing renewable alternative to treated lumber with many attributes compatible with organic farming. This versatile tree fixes nitrogen (N), provides flowers for honey bees and other pollinators, and produces a highly durable dense wood ideal for fence posts useable for up to 50 year.

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Ant Species in Tropical Australian Tree Crops and Native Ecosystems-Is There a Mosaic?

Biotropica ◽

10.2307/2388303 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 173 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

J. D. Majer ◽

P. Camer-Pesci

Keyword(s):

Tree Crops

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Early fruit drop in tree crops with special reference to rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) - A review

Feddes Repertorium ◽

10.1002/fedr.19931040516 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 104 (5-6) ◽

pp. 395-402

Author(s):

V. Thomas ◽

C. K. Saraswathy Amma ◽

M. R. Sethuraj

Keyword(s):

Special Reference ◽

Hevea Brasiliensis ◽

Tree Crops ◽

Fruit Drop

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THE DEVELOPMENT OF TREE CROPS AND AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS

International Tree Crops Journal ◽

10.1080/01435698.1980.9752710 ◽

1980 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 3-14 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

ALAN GRAINGER

Keyword(s):

Agroforestry Systems ◽

Tree Crops

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FRUIT DEVELOPMENT IN DECIDUOUS TREE CROPS AS AFFECTED BY PHYSIOLOGICAL FACTORS AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS (KEYNOTE)

Acta Horticulturae ◽

10.17660/actahortic.2004.636.52 ◽

2004 ◽

pp. 425-441 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

L. Corelli-Grappadelli ◽

A.N. Lakso

Keyword(s):

Environmental Conditions ◽

Fruit Development ◽

Deciduous Tree ◽

Physiological Factors ◽

Tree Crops

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Accuracy assessment of a mobile terrestrial laser scanner for tree crops

Advances in Animal Biosciences ◽

10.1017/s2040470017000073 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 178-182 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

F. H. S. Karp ◽

A. F. Colaço ◽

R. G. Trevisan ◽

J. P. Molin

Keyword(s):

Data Acquisition ◽

Spatial Data ◽

Accuracy Assessment ◽

Laser Scanner ◽

Terrestrial Laser Scanner ◽

Tree Crops ◽

Area Estimation ◽

Gnss Receiver ◽

Truncated Cone ◽

Set Up

LiDAR technology is one option to collect spatial data about canopy geometry in many crops. However, the method of data acquisition includes many errors related to the LiDAR sensor, the GNSS receiver and the data acquisition set up. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the errors involved in the data acquisition from a mobile terrestrial laser scanner (MTLS). Regular shaped objects were scanned with a developed MTLS in two different tests: i) with the system mounted on a vehicle and ii) with the system mounted on a platform running over a rail. The errors of area estimation varied between 0.001 and 0.071 m2 for the circle, square and triangle objects. The errors on volume estimations were between 0.0003 and 0.0017 m3, for cylinders and truncated cone.

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