Seeding System Configuration Effects on Sunflower Seedling Emergence and Yield under No-Tillage

No-tillage farming can improve crop productivity and the reliability of cropping compared with conventional tillage. The effects of three different seeding system configurations on surface residue handling, sunflower emergence and stand establishment, yield, and gross income were investigated over three cropping seasons. The seeding system configurations comprised a (1) turbo coulter blade, (2) notched disc row cleaner before turbo coulter blade, and (3) no residue handling unit installed in front of a double-disc opener. For all three seeding system configurations, crop residue cover on sown rows (after seeding) was greater than the minimum recommended value of 30% for no-tillage. Residue cover was best with the notched disc row cleaner in front of the turbo coulter blade compared to the other two seeding systems. Furthermore, the notched disc row cleaner in front of the turbo coulter blade produced the highest plant emergence counts and the most uniform stand establishment. Sunflower yield and gross income were highest with the notched disc row cleaner in front of the turbo coulter blade (3.16 Mg·ha−1 and 902 USD·ha−1) compared to when only the turbo coulter blade (2.38 Mg·ha−1 and 680 USD·ha−1) or no residue handling unit (1.69 Mg·ha−1 and 482 USD·ha−1) was used.

Cotton Emergence and Yield Response to Planter Depth and Downforce Settings in Different Soil Moisture Conditions

US cotton producers are motivated to optimize planter performance to ensure timely and uniform stand establishment early in the season, especially when planting in sub-optimal field conditions. Field studies were conducted in 2017, 2018 and 2019 to evaluate the effect of seeding depth and planter downforce on crop emergence and yield in cotton planted in different soil moisture conditions. Field conditions representative of dry, normal and wet soil moisture conditions were attained by applying 0, 1.27 and 2.54 cm of irrigation within the same field. Two cotton cultivars (representing a small-seeded and a large-seeded cultivar, 9259–10,582 and 11,244–14,330 seeds kg−1, respectively), were planted at seeding depths of 1.3, 2.5 and 3.8 cm with each seeding depth paired with three different planter downforces of 0, 445 and 890 N in each block. Cotton was planted in plots that measured 3.66 m (four-rows) wide by 10.67 m long. Results indicated that crop emergence was affected by the seeding depth across most field conditions and higher crop emergence was observed in the large-seeded cultivar at 1.3 and 3.8 cm seeding depths in dry and wet field conditions, respectively. Lint yield was also higher for the large-seeded cultivar at the 3.8 cm seeding depth across all field conditions in 2017, and in dry field conditions in 2018. Planter downforce effect on crop emergence varied among the cultivars where the large-seeded cultivar exhibited higher crop emergence than the small-seeded cultivar at 445 and 890 N downforce. Planter downforce of 445 N yielded greater than the 0 and 890 N treatment in dry field conditions in 2017. The study results suggest that matching planter depth and downforce settings for prevalent soil moisture conditions at planting along with appropriate cultivar selection can help in achieving optimal emergence and yield in cotton.

Psidium cattleianum (strawberry guava).

Stand establishment using: natural regeneration, planting stock. Vegetative propagation by: cuttings, grafting.

A HYBRID Approach for Determine the Location of Stand Establishment at Batik Hatta Semarang

Semarang has various types of business. One of them is Batik Hatta Boutique, a small and medium business under the guidance of the Bank of Central Java that deals specifically in the world of batik art. This business develops and maintains its existence by participating in various exhibitions in several shopping centers as a media product promotion. To minimize losses, it needs accurate calculation in making decision of determining the location of establishment. It is reviewed by rental cost, location, layout, profit, and security. However, that calculation is still manual so it is inefficient and susceptible to error. Therefore, Decision Support System (DSS) is made to help in getting recommended location of best establishment at the Butik Batik Hatta. The method used in this research is the HYBRID MCDM AHP-TOPSIS Method. Validation process of this research has been done by using comparison of actual data and its result is 0.90 in the Sparman Correlation Coefficient. The conclusion is that the AHP-TOPSIS HYBRID MCDM method can be used in determining the location of establishment stand at the Batik Hatta Boutique.