Chassis Design of Tomato Picking Robot in the Greenhouse

At present, the artificial fruit picking cost is high, the fruit damage rate is high, and the efficiency is low, so the greenhouse picking robot emerges as the times’ demand. Therefore, this paper designs a kind of a chassis system of greenhouse picking robots. This paper mainly designed and simulates the chassis mechanical system, electrical system, and basic motion control algorithm from three aspects. Finally, the prototype of the chassis system of the picking robot in the greenhouse is completed and the chassis system is debugged, which proves that it has the characteristics of adaptability to the greenhouse environment, strong universality, and strong expansibility.

Research on the reproductive biological characteristics of Amomum villosum Lour. and Amomum longiligulare T. L. Wu

Objective To explore the influence of biological characteristics on the yield of Amomum villosum Lour. and Amomum longiligulare T. L. Wu, to find an effective pollen viability evaluation method and storage method to solve the problem of the low yield of Amomum plants. Methods Five germplasm of Amomum plants were used to investigate the effects of the phenological phase, pollen viability, and stigma receptivity on natural and artificial fruit set. Results Amomum longiligulare T. L. Wu showed late flowering, and its natural pollination rate is higher than that of Amomum villosum Lour. In all germplasm, the artificial pollination rate and fruit setting rate are more than 3 times higher than that under natural conditions. Fruits begin to drop seven days after successful pollination, and the fruit drop is basically stable after one month. The hybridization verification showed that TTC method was simpler and more accurate than in vitro germination method. Optimal storage conditions for pollen are 4°C and high humidity. After 36 h of storage, pollen can still be used for artificial cross-pollination or as hybrid parents. Conclusion The special biological characteristics are the fundamental reason for the low natural pollination rate of Amomum plants. The accurate measurement method of Amomum plants pollen is the TTC method, and storage at 4°C and high humidity can increase the yield, which was six times that of the natural yield.

Knowledge of Artificial Fruit Ripening Among Consumers in Rivers State

The study investigated the knowledge of artificial fruit ripening among consumers in Rivers State. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional survey design. Four research questions and three null hypotheses tested at .05 alpha level guided the study. The population for the study was 2,617,600 respondents in fruit markets in Rivers State. A sample size of 1,024 fruit consumers was drawn suing multistage sampling procedure. Data were collected using a validated self-structured questionnaire titled "Knowledge of Artificial Fruit Ripening (KAFR)”. Guttman Split-Half Coefficient of 0.881 was obtained using Pearson Product Moment Correlation in conjunction with Spearman Brown correction statistics. Data were analyzed using percentage, mean, standard deviation, Chi-square, z-test, and One way Analysis of Variance. It was found that consumers had moderate knowledge of artificial fruit ripening in Rivers State. Also, male consumers, those within 31-40 years and those with tertiary education had higher knowledge of artificial fruit ripening. More so, the study revealed significant difference in knowledge among consumers in Rivers State based on gender, age and level of education. Based on the findings, the study recommended among others that; community health workers in Rivers State should organize regular heath education campaigns concerning the dangers of using chemicals for fruit ripening among consumers in Rivers State.

Chronic exposure of industrial grade calcium carbide and ethylene glycol alter histological architecture of systemic organs by disrupting redox balance in rat

Objectives The threat to human health or the surroundings by the use of artificial fruit ripening agents has become a global concern. Calcium carbide (CaC2) and ethylene glycol (EG) are the two widely using ripening agents. The present study evaluates the toxic effect of chronic exposures of CaC2 and EG in rats. Methods CaC2 and EG were administered to the rats for 180 days orally. The alterations in oxido-reduction status, haematological, biochemical and histopathological parameters were analysed. Arsenic content in CaC2 and animal samples were detected by atomic absorption spectrometer and phosphorus by molybdate-UV method. Results At chronic doses, there were no significant alterations in haematological and biochemical parameters except in creatinine level especially by EG. However, histological details revealed microvesicular fatty change in liver, corpuscles degeneration in kidney and lymphocytes infiltration in various tissues. In intestine, the mucosal lesion scoring was found high (p<0.01). SOD and CAT activities and GSH level was reduced significantly by CaC2 administration (p<0.01). Arsenic and phosphorus detected is above the toxic level: 7.222 and 13.91 mg/dL in CaC2, 1.634 and 6.22 mg/dL in blood and 0.563 and 6.99 mg/dL in liver, respectively. Conclusions The study suggests that the industrial grade CaC2 and EG induce systemic toxicity to rats and the liver is the most susceptible organ. The CaC2 and EG toxicity is mediated through the upset of redox balance and subsequent inflammatory responses. This could be due to the presence of arsenic and phosphorus contents that detected above the normal level in the industrial grade CaC2.

Simulated Corn Earworm, Helicoverpa zea, Injury in an Indeterminate Soybean Cultivar at Various Growth Stages under Non-Irrigated Conditions in the Southern United States

Soybean is considered one of the most valuable crops in the United States of America. Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) is among several insect pests which are associated with soybean, damaging leaves when infestations occur during the vegetative stages, and flowers and pods during the reproductive stages, which can directly impact yield. Artificial fruit removal is a method used to understand insect damage and to adjust action levels for control. The objective of this work was to evaluate the impact of five levels of fruit removal (0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%) at four stages (R2, R3, R4 and R5) on maturity and yield of soybean. These methods were used to simulate H. zea damage under controlled conditions in non-irrigated environments, during 2016 and 2017. There was a significant interaction between fruit removal timing and fruit removal level for the percentage of non-senesced main stems and abscised leaves. For soybean yield, there was no significant interaction between fruit removal timing and fruit removal level. Plots that received fruit removal treatments at R5 had significantly lower soybean yields compared to plots that received damage at other growth stages and the nontreated control. Plots with 100% fruit removal had significantly lower yields compared to plots that received any of the other fruit removal treatments. These data demonstrate that indeterminate midmaturity group IV soybeans that are commonly grown in the midsouthern region of the United States may be able to compensate for even severe levels of fruit loss early during the reproductive portion of the growing season if favorable growing conditions occur.

PROXIMATE AND ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS OF BANANA FRUITS (Musa spp) RIPENED WITH VARIOUS CONCENTRATIONS OF CALCIUM CARBIDE.

Fruit ripening is a natural process in which fruits go through various physical and chemical changes and gradually become sweet, coloured, soft and palatable. However, in recent years, the use of chemical agents as artificial fruit ripening agents has become prevalent mostly due to the commercial purposes without recourse to their health effects. Calcium carbide is one of such chemicals that is used in ripening fruits because of its cheapness and availability but at the same time it poses lots of potential health problems to health. The aim therefore was to determine the effect of the compound on the nutritional quality and hence otherwise any health effects of consuming such fruits. In this study, Banana fruits of Musa spp were purchased from vendors at station market Kaduna and were subjected to artificial ripening using various concentrations of calcium carbide(0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 M. and adopting similar techniques used by the vendors The result of the proximate analysis revealed that moisture content ranged between(71.52% -74.54%), ash content (0.815% -1.185%), fats content (0.47% - 3.21%), crude protein content (3.33%-2.63%) as well as carbohydrates content (23.67% - 18.44%). The effect of the calcium carbide is the exposure of the fruit to higher moisture content which leads to spoilage and degradation on the nutritional quality of the Banana fruits. However, at lower concentration of the calcium carbide same period of ripening was achieved without much effects on the fruits. The results of the elemental analysis revealed the concentration of Arsenic as (0.010mg/kg-0.071mg/kg) and Phosphorous as (194.50mg/kg- 231.00mg/kg).The values for Arsenic were found to be within the tolerable limit of FAO standard but for Phosphorous the values were higher than the standard and this could be from the fertilisers used for cultivation. The findings indicates that ripening of Banana fruits ( Musa spp) with higher concentration of Calcium carbide pose a great potential health dangers to consumers especially to the nervous system and must therefore be legislated.

Is the Tolerance of Commercial Peach Cultivars to Brown Rot Caused by Monilinia laxa Modulated by its Antioxidant Content?

Brown rot, caused by Monilinia spp., provokes pre- and post-harvest damage in peach (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch), which causes an economic impact in the industry. With a view to breeding for increased tolerance to this disease, a screening test based upon artificial fruit inoculation was validated on several parental lines of a peach breeding program during the two-period harvest. In addition, cultivars with different total phenolic contents were included in the two-year study. All physicochemical fruit traits recorded at harvest showed differences among all cultivars. The antioxidant compound content determined using spectrophotometry (to measure ascorbic acid and antioxidant capacity) and UPLC-MS (to measure and identify phenolic compounds) also revealed important differences among all genotypes. The rate of brown rot lesion following fruit inoculation varied widely among cultivars, and it was possible to discriminate between highly and less susceptible cultivars. Cultivars with minimal development of damage were identified as germplasm with the desirable allele combination to increase brown rot tolerance in peach breeding programs. Finally, Pearson’s correlation coefficients (r) between pairs of variables were calculated, searching for any biochemical candidate conferring tolerance. The correlation of phytopathological traits with the antioxidant composition, concerning contents of ascorbic, neochlorogenic, and chlorogenic acids and total polyphenols in fruit, is discussed.

Review on sensitive and selective ethylene detection methods for fruit ripening application

Purpose This work encompasses the various laboratory-based and portable methods evolved in recent times for sensitive and selective detection of ethylene for fruit-ripening application. The role of ethylene in natural and artificial fruit ripening and the associated health hazards are well known. So there is a growing need for ethylene detection. This paper aims to highlight potential methods developed for ethylene detection by various researchers, including ours. Intense efforts by various researchers have been on since 2014 for societal benefits. Design/methodology/approach The paper focuses on types of sensors, fabrication methods and signal conditioning circuits for ethylene detection in ppm levels for various applications. The authors have already designed, developed a laboratory-based set-up belonging to the electrochemical and optical methods for detection of ethylene. Findings The authors have developed a carbon nanotube (CNT)-based chemical sensor whose performance is higher than the reported sensor in terms of material, sensitivity and response, the sensor element being multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) in comparison to single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT). Also the authors have developed infrared (IR)-based physical sensor for the first time based on the strong IR absorption of ethylene at 10.6 µm. These methods have been compared with literature based on comparable parameters. The review highlights the potential possibilities for development of portable device for field applications. Originality/value The authors have reported new chemical and physical sensors for ethylene detection and quantification. It is demonstrated that it could be used for fruit-ripening applications A comparison of reported methods and potential opportunities is discussed.