Spray Volume, Canopy Density, and Other Factors Involved in Thinner Efficacy

HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 553d-553
Author(s):  
C.R. Unrath

Historically, most airblast chemical applications to apple orchards used a single “average” water volume, resulting in variability of coverage with tree size and also the greatest variable in chemical thinning. This coverage variability can be eliminated by properly quantifying the tree canopy, as tree row volume (TRV), and relating that volume to airblast water rate for adequate coverge. Maximum typical tree height, cross-row limb spread, and between-row spacing are used to quantify the TRV. Further refinement is achieved by adjusting the water volume for tree canopy density. The North Carolina TRV model allows a density adjustment from 0.7 gal/1000 ft3 of TRV for young, very open tree canopies to 1.0 gal/1000 ft3 of TRV for large, thick tree canopies to deliver a full dilute application for maximum water application (to the point of run-off). Most dilute pesticide applications use 70% of full dilute to approach the point of drip (pesticide dilute) to not waste chemicals and reduce non-target environmental exposure. From the “chemical load” (i.e., lb/acre) calculated for the pesticide dilute application, the proper chemical load for lower (concentrate) water volumes can be accurately determined. Another significant source of variability is thinner application response is spray distribution to various areas of the tree. This variability is related to tree configuration, light, levels, fruit set, and natural thinning vs. the need for chemical thinning. Required water delivery patterns are a function of tree size, form, spacing, and density, as well as sprayer design (no. of nozzles and fan size). The TRV model, density adjustments, and nozzle patterns to effectively hit the target for uniform crop load will be addressed.

1986 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 619
Author(s):  
KR Chapman ◽  
B Paxton ◽  
DH Maggs

Five processing guava clones (GA6- 1, GA7- 12, GA8-30, GA9-35, GA11-56) were tested over 3 cropping years at Nambour, in coastal south-eastern Queensland. Mean marketable yield for the first crop at 2 years of age was 45 kg/tree or 36.23 t/ha at a density of 805 trees/ha. GA11-56, the most acceptable clone for processing, also gave the highest marketable yields of 627, 71.65 and 72.53 t/ha for the first 3 crops. Yield per unit cross sectional area of trunk was a more simple and useful index of yield efficiency than more complex parameters including a fruitfulness index and multiple regressions with yield of north-south canopy spread, number of primary branches and combinations of these and trunk girth. Similarly, trunk - - girth provided at least as good an estimate of tree size as the vigour index. Tree dimension measurements which included east-west canopy spread, north-south canopy spread, tree height, stem height, number of primary branches, crown height, crown radius, tree canopy volume, canopy surface area and an index of crown weight provided no consistent indication of tree size. They were not highly correlated with either accumulated or final yield of the guava. The GA11-56 clone because of its yield, fruit size and other desirable processing characteristics was the only clone that could be recommended for commercial plantings.


HortScience ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 580d-580 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.R. Unrath

The canopy of an apple orchard can be objectively quantified by using tree height and cross row limb spread to calculate the tree row volume (TRV). Use of the appropriate water rate, adjusted for canopy density, is an effective tool for determining full dilute water rate for airblast applications. To save run off most dilute pesticides are applied at 70% of TRV. TRV model use will be discussed and illustrated. Comparison of handgun vs airblast applications showed more deposition and thinner activity w/handgun. Thinners applied at a fixed concentration of a.i. showed decreased activity as volume decreased. Applications at the same a.i./ha, regardless of water volume showed similar activity at and below TRV water and reduced activity at higher than TRV water, indicating activity loss from run off. Added testing showed uniform thinner activity only if water volume was within ± 20% of tree TRV rate. A fruit dip experiment showed greatly differing natural fruit drop but similar added chemical induced fruit drop between top, lower outside and lower inside of apple trees, a factor which must be adjusted for w/nozzle distribution on large trees.


1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (8) ◽  
pp. 871 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. P. Cunningham ◽  
J. Harden

Summary. Conventional pesticide spraying in citrus crops with low-profile sprayers results in pest management problems because of the poor distribution of pesticide throughout the tree. Pesticide losses, particularly drift, are a concern with this type of sprayer especially in orchards situated in or near urban areas. The spray deposit on citrus leaves and fruit and off-target losses (canopy run-off and drift) were determined for air-assisted low-profile sprayers and air-assisted sprayers fitted with tower air conveyors (air-towers). The air-tower sprayers produced even distribution of leaf spray deposits through the full height of the tree canopy while the low-profile sprayers produced decreasing leaf spray deposits with increasing height in the trees. The Metters tower sprayer and Cropliner low-profile sprayer resulted in increasing deposits from the 0˚ axis through to the 90˚ axis to sprayer travel while the Barlow tower sprayer and the Hardi low-profile sprayer produced a more even distribution of deposits through the axes to sprayer travel. Fruit deposits were not significantly different between sprayers. The Barlow tower sprayer produced significantly less canopy spray run-off compared with the low-profile sprayers. The Barlow tower sprayer resulted in a significant reduction in spray drift in the above tree zone compared with the Hardi low-profile sprayer. Better distribution of pesticides in citrus tree canopies will improve pest control especially in the top sections of the tree as this is where the greatest increase in pesticide deposit is achieved with air-tower sprayers. Both ground and air contamination from pesticides can also be reduced by using sprayers fitted with air-tower conveyors designed to produce even airflows for the full height of the citrus trees being sprayed.


2009 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan H. D. Wolf ◽  
S. Robbert Gradstein ◽  
Nalini M. Nadkarni

Abstract:The sampling of epiphytes is fraught with methodological difficulties. We present a protocol to sample and analyse vascular epiphyte richness and abundance in forests of different structure (SVERA). Epiphyte abundance is estimated as biomass by recording the number of plant components in a range of size cohorts. Epiphyte species biomass is estimated on 35 sample-trees, evenly distributed over six trunk diameter-size cohorts (10 trees with dbh > 30 cm). Tree height, dbh and number of forks (diameter > 5 cm) yield a dimensionless estimate of the size of the tree. Epiphyte dry weight and species richness between forests is compared with ANCOVA that controls for tree size. SChao1 is used as an estimate of the total number of species at the sites. The relative dependence of the distribution of the epiphyte communities on environmental and spatial variables may be assessed using multivariate analysis and Mantel test. In a case study, we compared epiphyte vegetation of six Mexican oak forests and one Colombian oak forest at similar elevation. We found a strongly significant positive correlation between tree size and epiphyte richness or biomass at all sites. In forests with a higher diversity of host trees, more trees must be sampled. Epiphyte biomass at the Colombian site was lower than in any of the Mexican sites; without correction for tree size no significant differences in terms of epiphyte biomass could be detected. The occurrence of spatial dependence, at both the landscape level and at the tree level, shows that the inclusion of spatial descriptors in SVERA is justified.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 131
Author(s):  
Franziska Taubert ◽  
Rico Fischer ◽  
Nikolai Knapp ◽  
Andreas Huth

Remote sensing is an important tool to monitor forests to rapidly detect changes due to global change and other threats. Here, we present a novel methodology to infer the tree size distribution from light detection and ranging (lidar) measurements. Our approach is based on a theoretical leaf–tree matrix derived from allometric relations of trees. Using the leaf–tree matrix, we compute the tree size distribution that fit to the observed leaf area density profile via lidar. To validate our approach, we analyzed the stem diameter distribution of a tropical forest in Panama and compared lidar-derived data with data from forest inventories at different spatial scales (0.04 ha to 50 ha). Our estimates had a high accuracy at scales above 1 ha (1 ha: root mean square error (RMSE) 67.6 trees ha−1/normalized RMSE 18.8%/R² 0.76; 50 ha: 22.8 trees ha−1/6.2%/0.89). Estimates for smaller scales (1-ha to 0.04-ha) were reliably for forests with low height, dense canopy or low tree height heterogeneity. Estimates for the basal area were accurate at the 1-ha scale (RMSE 4.7 tree ha−1, bias 0.8 m² ha−1) but less accurate at smaller scales. Our methodology, further tested at additional sites, provides a useful approach to determine the tree size distribution of forests by integrating information on tree allometries.


2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (12) ◽  
pp. 1531-1544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Nicolini ◽  
Daniel Barthélémy ◽  
Patrick Heuret

The growth and branching patterns of the main axis of 6-year-old sessile oak, growing in a natural regeneration in the north of France, were analysed each year retrospectively according to three increasing canopy density conditions: large gap, small gap, and dense canopy. Increasing gap size is associated with an increase in the total height, basal diameter, branching probability, and global polycyclism rate of the trees. At the growth unit or annual shoot level, from dense canopy to large gaps these botanical entities also show an increase in their total length, number of nodes, polycyclism, and branching rate as well as mean number of branches and mean internode length. A discussion of our results revealed some endogenous features of growth and branching patterns in young sessile oak trees. It is also shown that increasing canopy density generally tends to reduce the expression of the endogenous architectural sequence of differentiation of young sessile oak trees. Young trees growing below dense canopy thus seem to be "delayed" in their sequence of differentiation and appear to be in a "waiting" status, whereas young trees growing in large gaps exhibit an architecture very similar to trees growing in nurseries under nonlimiting growth conditions.Key words: architecture, Quercus petraea, growth, morphology, canopy density.


2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Bhawna Adhikari ◽  
◽  
Bhawana Kapkoti ◽  
Neelu Lodhiyal ◽  
L.S. Lodhiyal ◽  
...  

Present study was carried out to assess the structure and regeneration of Sal forests in Shiwalik region of Kumaun Himalaya. Vegetation analysis and tree canopy density was determined by using quadrat and densitometer, respectively. Density of seedlings, saplings and trees was 490-14067, 37-1233, and 273-863 ind.ha-1 respectively. The basal area was 0.12-5.44 m2 ha-1 reported for saplings and 25.4-77.6 m2 ha-1 for trees. Regeneration of Sal was found good in Sal mixed dense forest followed by Sal open forest and Sal dense forest, respectively. Regeneration of Sal was assisted by the presence of associated tree species as well as the sufficient sunlight availability on ground due to adequate opening of canopy trees in Sal forest. Thus it is concluded that the density of tree canopy, sunlight availability and also associated tree species impacted the regeneration of Sal in the region.


2021 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 1611-1624
Author(s):  
Worasit Sangjan ◽  
Sindhuja Sankaran

HighlightsTree canopy architecture traits are associated with its productivity and management.Understanding these traits is important for both precision agriculture and phenomics applications.Remote sensing platforms (satellite, UAV, etc.) and multiple approaches (SfM, LiDAR) have been used to assess these traits.3D reconstruction of tree canopies allows the measurement of tree height, crown area, and canopy volume.Abstract. Tree canopy architecture is associated with light use efficiency and thus productivity. Given the modern training systems in orchard tree fruit systems, modification of tree architecture is becoming important for easier management of crops (e.g., pruning, thinning, chemical application, harvesting, etc.) while maintaining fruit quality and quantity. Similarly, in forest environments, architecture can influence the competitiveness and balance between tree species in the ecosystem. This article reviews the literature related to sensing approaches used for assessing architecture traits and the factors that influence such evaluation processes. Digital imagery integrated with structure from motion analysis and both terrestrial and aerial light detection and ranging (LiDAR) systems have been commonly used. In addition, satellite imagery and other techniques have been explored. Some of the major findings and some critical considerations for such measurement methods are summarized here. Keywords: Canopy volume, LiDAR system, Structure from motion, Tree height, UAV.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (30) ◽  
pp. 497-503
Author(s):  
A. B. dos SANTOS ◽  
É. C. DIAS ◽  
G. P. C. da SILVA ◽  
R. P. RIBEIRO ◽  
A. M. SILVA

Due to the events of the last years, when, mainly the Southeast region of Brazil has experienced one of the worst periods of water shortage, there has been a process of national awareness for the need of care with the quality and quantity of water. Therefore, currently in the national and world scenario is seeking to minimize the waste of water, acting mainly in the water supply systems, which have the highest loss rates of this liquid. In this way, the objective is to determine the volume of water (1000m³/year) wasted in SAA (Water Supply System), based on the amount of water produced and consumed in the North and Central-West region of Brazil and, from this, compare the losses in those regions, for the year 2015. Based on the analysis of the datas, it was verified that the water supply in the North and Central-West regions presented high losses rates, 43% and 37%, respectively. Actions such as maintenance of sanitary fittings and elimination of leaks in the residence, more efficient operation and maintenance of the system and improvement in the commercial management of service providers, are measures to combat and reduce water losses.


2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 246-265
Author(s):  
A. K. Ambrosimov ◽  
N. A. Diansky ◽  
A. A. Kluvitkin ◽  
V. A. Melnikov

Based on time series of near-bottom current velocities and temperatures obtained in the period June, 2016 to July, 2017, at three points in the Atlantic Subarctic Front, along with the use of multi-year (since 1993 up to now) satellite ocean surface sounding data, multi-scale fluctuations of ocean surface and near-bottom flows over the western and eastern flanks of the Reykjanes ridge, as well as near Hatton Rise, on the Rokoll plateau, are studied. Hydrological profiles were carried out from the ocean surface to the bottom with readings every 10 m, when setting and retrieving the buoy stations. Using data from the Bank of hydrological stations (WOD13), SST satellite arrays (Pathfinder), long-term sea level and geostrophic velocities time series (AVISO), and bottom topography (model ETOPO-1), features of longterm cyclical fluctuations of SST, sea level, geostrophic currents on the ocean surface were defined in the sub-polar North Atlantic. It is shown that, in accordance with the large-scale thermohaline structure of the Subarctic front, two branches of the North Atlantic Current are detected on the ocean surface.One is directed from the Hatton towards the Icelandic-Faroese Rise, and the other – alomg the western flank of the Reykjanes Ridge toward Iceland. For the first branch, which is the main continuation of the North Atlantic Current, the average (for 25 years) water drift at a speed of 9.1±0.1 cm/s is determined to the northeast. The second branch, which forms the eastern part of the Subarctic cyclonic gyre, has the average water drift at a speed of 4.0±0.1 cm/s is directed north-northeast, along the western flank of the Reykjanes Ridge. In the intermediate waters of the frontal zone, an average water flow is observed at a speed of 2.7±0.1 cm/s to the north-northeast, along the eastern slope of the Reykjanes ridge.Due to the multy-scale components of the total variability, the average kinetic energy densities(KED) of total currents (109, 45, 97, (±3) erg/cm3, at station points from east to west) are much greater than the mean drift KED. The near-bottom flows on the Reykjanes ridge flanks are opposite to the direction of the North Atlantic Current. Outside the Subarctic gyre, the direction of average transport is maintained from the ocean surface to the bottom. The average (per year) KED of near-bottom currents are 31, 143, 27 (±3 erg/cm3), for three stations from east to west, respectively. In the intermediate waters of the frontal zone, above the eastern slope of the Reykjanes Ridge, there is a powerful reverse (relative to the North Atlantic Current) near-bottom water flow to the south-west, with a high average speed of ~ 15 cm/s. The KED of the currents during the year varies widely from zero to ~ 600 erg/cm3. The overall variability is due to cyclical variations and intermittency (“flashes”) of currents. Perennial cycles, seasonal variations, synoptic fluctuations with periods in the range of 30–300 days, as well as inertial oscillations and semi-diurnal tidal waves are distinguished. The intermittency of oscillations is partly due to changes in low-frequency flows, which can lead to a dopler frequency shift in the cyclic components of the spectrum. The amplitude of temperature fluctuations in the bottom layer for the year was (0.07–0.10) ± 0.01°C by the standard deviation. The seasonal changes of the bottom temperature are not detected. However, a linear trend with a warming of ~ (0.10–0.15) ± 0.01°С per year is noticeable.


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