Trials Evaluating Solarization and Tarping for Improved Stale Seedbed Preparation in the Northeast USA

Conventional seedbed preparation is based on deep ploughing followed by lighter and finer secondary tillage of the superficial layer, normally performed by machines powered by the tractor’s Power Take-Off (PTO), which prepares the seedbed in a single pass. Conservation methods are based on a wide range of interventions, such as minimum or no-tillage, by means of machines with passive action working tools which require two or more passes The aim of this study was to assess both the power-energy requirements of conventional (power harrows and rotary tillers with different working width) and conservation implements (disks harrow and combined cultivator) and the soil tillage quality parameters, with reference to the capability of preparing an optimal seedbed for wheat planting. Field tests were carried out on flat, silty-clay soil, using instrumented tractors. The test results showed significant differences among the operative performances of the two typologies of machines powered by the tractor’s PTO: the fuel consumption, the power and the energy requirements of the rotary tillers are strongly higher than power harrows. However, the results also showed a decrease of these parameters proceeding from conventional to more conservation tillage implements. The better quality of seedbed was provided by the rotary tillers.

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Direct seeding of black spruce in northwestern Ontario: Seedbed relationships

The Forestry Chronicle ◽

10.5558/tfc70151-2 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 70 (2) ◽

pp. 151-158 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

R. L. Fleming ◽

D. S. Mossa

Keyword(s):

Seedling Establishment ◽

Black Spruce ◽

Mineral Soil ◽

Soil Surface ◽

Direct Seeding ◽

First Year ◽

Strongly Correlated ◽

Seedling Mortality ◽

Northwestern Ontario ◽

Seedbed Preparation

A series of spot seeding experiments was set out on coarse-textured upland sites in northwestern Ontario to investigate how black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] B.S.P.) seedling establishment and growth could be improved by site selection and seedbed preparation. Virtually all germination occurred within the first growing season. Annual seedling mortality rates were greatest during the first year, then declined steadily and stabilized at low levels (<10%) after the third year. The highest fifth-year establishment ratios (seedlings/viable seed sown) were found on seedbeds derived from materials near the mineral soil/humus interface. On wetter sites (i.e., higher Soil Moisture Regimes) the best seedbeds occurred closer to the soil surface. Mean fifth year establishment ratios for the best seedbeds were 0.032 on moderately fresh to fresh sites, 0.146 on very fresh to moderately moist sites, and 0.082 on moist to very moist sites. On adjacent lowland sites, slow-growing, compact Sphagnum mosses had a mean establishment ratio of 0.179. Mean fifth-year seedling heights on upland sites ranged from 12 to 14 cm, and were not strongly correlated with site or seedbed type. Key words: direct seeding, black spruce, seedbed, seedling establishment, site type and germination

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Understanding Non-compliance With Protected Species Regulations in the Northeast USA Gillnet Fishery

Frontiers in Marine Science ◽

10.3389/fmars.2015.00091 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Kathryn D. Bisack ◽

Chhandita Das

Keyword(s):

Protected Species ◽

Northeast Usa

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The relationship between aggregation and other soil properties in cracking clay soils

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr9840059 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 59 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

KJ Coughlan ◽

RJ Loch

Keyword(s):

Hydraulic Conductivity ◽

Salt Content ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Aggregate Size ◽

Strong Relationship ◽

Clay Soils ◽

Coarse Surface ◽

Seedbed Preparation ◽

The Relationship ◽

Dispersion Ratio

This paper explores the processes responsible for clay dispersion, and the formation of large dry aggregates, in cracking clay soils. It also isolates the soil factors causing variations in dry aggregate size using regression analysis. Twelve cracking clay soil samples were selected on visual differences in dry aggregate size distribution following seedbed preparation, and a range of soil structural and chemical properties were measured. The per cent dry aggregates > 5 mm was found to increase with resistance to mechanical abrasion, stability to wet sieving after capillary wetting, and dispersion ratio, indicating that large dry aggregates are formed as a result of binding by dispersed clay. Both raindrop impact and puddling by cultivation may be involved in dispersion. There was a strong relationship between dry aggregate size in the 0-10 cm layer and salt content in the subsurface (60-90 cm) layer. Coarse surface aggregation is explained in terms of limited profile hydraulic conductivity. For the soils studied, the properties of the surface layer appear to be responsible, at least in part, for the limitation in profile hydraulic conductivity. Dry aggregate size in the 0-10 cm layer was not simply correlated with any of the chemical properties of that layer. However, equations containing two (ESP and CEC per gram of clay) or three (ESP, per cent clay and CEC) independent variables were derived to explain variations in dry aggregate size, both for the 12 soils studied and for a wider range of Queensland cracking clay soils.

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Optimizing Rotavator Design Towards Enhancing Agricultural Crop Productivity

International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering - 2 ◽

10.35940/ijrte.b1796.078219 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 48-52

Keyword(s):

Crop Production ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Organic Fertilizer ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Crop Productivity ◽

Pigeon Pea ◽

Chemical Fertilizer ◽

Cost Ratio ◽

Agricultural Crop ◽

Seedbed Preparation

By continuous and rapid growth in industrialization as well as population, the agricultural lands are also becoming less and less continuously day by day which results in increase in the population of small land holders. In addition to this, because of continuous decreasing production the youth of the villages are also migrating in big cities for the employment, resulting decreasing manpower essential to perform various seedbed operations in the villages. Hence, it is the need of time for small farmers having small agricultural land and having less crop production to introduce the cost-effective farm mechanization so that they can improve production rate. Rotavator is the best option available to achieve this landmark as it is already proved that seedbed prepared by using rotavator gives highest benefit to cost ratio. For this experimental study the whole land of 9 acre area is divided into 18 plots of equal size in area. The combination of method of seedbed preparation and use of fertilizers were the preliminary criteria. The categories of fertilizer according to quantity are discussed earlier which are 50kg, 35kg and 65kg per acre respectively. The quantities of organic fertilizer used are 45kg and 60kg per acre of agricultural land for both seedbeds which are prepared manually and by using rotavator. The highest production of Pigeon Pea was obtained of 814kg was from the plot whose seedbed is prepared by using agricultural machine called rotavator and organic fertilizer; next highest production is obtained of 802 kg from the plot whose seedbed is prepared by using rotavator and the fertilizer used was chemical fertilizer. The minimum production of Pigeon Pea which is 690 kg was obtained in the plot whose seedbed was prepared manually and chemical fertilizer was used.

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Bees use anthropogenic habitats despite strong natural habitat preferences

10.1101/278812 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Miguel Á. Collado ◽

Daniel Sol ◽

Ignasi Bartomeus

Keyword(s):

Habitat Loss ◽

Natural Habitat ◽

Habitat Preferences ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Comprehensive Analysis ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Large Dataset ◽

Anthropogenic Habitats ◽

Bee Diversity ◽

Northeast Usa

ABSTRACTHabitat loss and alteration is widely considered one of the main drivers of the current loss of pollinator diversity. Unfortunately, we still lack a comprehensive analysis of habitat importance, use and preference for major groups of pollinators. Here, we address this gap analysing a large dataset of 15,762 bee specimens (more than 400 species) across northeast USA. We found that natural habitats sustain the highest bee diversity, with many species strongly depending on such habitats. By characterizing habitat use and preference for the 45 most abundant species, we also show that many bee species can use human-altered habitats despite exhibiting strong and clear preferences for forested habitats. However, only a few species appear to do well when the habitat has been drastically modified. We conclude that although altered environments may harbor a substantial number of species, preserving natural areas is still essential to guarantee the conservation of bee biodiversity.

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Health Needs Assessment of the Theravada Buddhist Monastic Community in the Northeast USA

10.17918/etd-7955 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Chandupa Abeyratna

Keyword(s):

Needs Assessment ◽

Health Needs ◽

Health Needs Assessment ◽

Monastic Community ◽

Northeast Usa

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Management Zone Delineation for Site-Specific Fertilization in Rice Crop Using Multi-Temporal RapidEye Imagery

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs12162604 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (16) ◽

pp. 2604

Author(s):

Christos Karydas ◽

Miltiadis Iatrou ◽

George Iatrou ◽

Spiros Mourelatos

Keyword(s):

Soil Heterogeneity ◽

Rice Crop ◽

Growth Stages ◽

Spectral Variation ◽

Site Specific ◽

Management Zone ◽

Soil Variation ◽

Multi Temporal ◽

Basic Hypothesis ◽

Seedbed Preparation

The objective of this research is to assess the potential of satellite imagery in detecting soil heterogeneity, with a focus on site-specific fertilization in rice. The basic hypothesis is that spectral variation would express soil fertility variations analogously. A 100-ha rice crop, located in the Plain of Thessaloniki, Greece, was selected as the study area for the 2016 cropping season. Three RapidEye images were acquired during critical growth stages of rice cultivation from the previous year (2015). Management zones were delineated with image segmentation of a 15-band multi-temporal composite of the RapidEye images (three dates × five bands), using the Fractal Net Evolution Approach (FNEA) algorithm. Then, an equal number of soil samples were collected from the centroid of each management zone before seedbed preparation. The between-zone variation of the soil properties was found to be 33.7% on average, whereas the within-zone variation 18.2%. The basic hypothesis was confirmed, and moreover, it was proved that zonal applications reduced within-zone soil variation by 18.6% compared to conventional uniform applications. Finally, between-zone soil variation was significant enough to dictate differentiated fertilization recommendations per management zone by 24.5% for the usual inputs.

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