Improving Ecological Functions and Ornamental Values of Traditional Pear Orchard by Co-Planting of Green Manures of Astragalus sinicus L. and Lathyrus cicera L.

Traditional orchards received little attention in ecology. In order to enhance the ecological function of traditional pear orchard, it is an effective strategy to co-plant the ornamental green manure (GM) under the pear forest. In this study, two kinds of GM, i.e., Astragalus sinicus L. (AS) and Lathyrus cicera L. (LC), were co-planted in pear tree orchard to elevate its landscape benefits of spatiotemporal distribution of flowers, the nutrient benefits and oxygen production. The results showed that the flower height of AS and LC arrange between 20~30 cm, and the flowering period covers the March. LC has a large number of flowers, a small area of single flower, and high yield of fresh grass. AS has a small number of flowers, a large area of single flower, and low yield of a single fresh grass. Among them, 35% AS + 65% LC and 50% AS + 50% LC are more suitable in achieving the well tourism value and potential good production of pear orchard. Nutrient accumulation, total carbon fixation and oxygen production, flower number of 35% AS + 65% LC are larger than other treatments, while the flower period of 50% AS + 50% LC is longest. This study proposed a “win-win” GM planting strategy for sustainable orchard development, by enhancing ecology functions and the landscaped value of the traditional fruit orchard.

Towards Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management in Intensive Pear Cultivation: A Case Study from Belgium

Recently, the concept of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) was further extended into Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management (IPPM). Implementation of IPPM strategies entails the combination of actions for pest and pollinator management providing complementary or synergistic benefits for yield and/or quality of the harvest. The aim of this study was to examine IPPM elements (i.e., mixed hedgerow, nesting boxes for mason bees, Osmia spp.) and demonstrate their impact in the practical context of modern commercial fruit cultivation in a 4-year case study in an intensive ‘Conference’ pear orchard. The outcomes of visual observations during transect walks and molecular analysis of pollen collected by mason bees, showed the importance of additional floral resources for the presence of mason bees and other pollinating insects in the orchard environment. Pear quality assessments indicated that insect-mediated pollination had a significant positive impact, with a tendency for higher quality pears in the close vicinity of Osmia nesting boxes. However, despite the fact that pear pollen was also detected in Osmia spp. nest cells, the amount and frequency of pear pollen collection for their nest built-up turned out to be rather low. In the same intensive pear orchard studied for pollination effects, we simultaneously demonstrate the impact of a mixed hedgerow to enhance integrated pest control.

Residue and dissipation dynamic of spinetoram insecticide in pear fruits

Cacopsylla pyri (Linnaeus, 1758) is the most significant and widespread pear pest. It attacks the pear only, causing direct and indirect damages. This study was conducted in order to evaluate the efficacy of insecticide spinetoram in the control of C. pyri. The experiment was set up according to EPPO methods, at the locality Kula (Republic of Serbia) in a pear orchard (Williams variety). Spinetoram (250 g/kg a.i., WG) was foliar applied in the amount of 0.3 kg/ha, during overlapping pest generations, when pear was on BBCH 75 scale. The efficacy was evaluated through the number of larvae aged L₁–L₃ and L₄–L₅. Spinetoram has shown satisfying efficacy, especially in the control of L₁–L₃ larvae (81.6%). In a dissipation study, spinetoram residues in pear fruits were determined using QuEChERS method followed by HPLC-DAD. The method was validated to fulfill SANTE/12682/2019 criteria. Three days after the application, spinetoram residues in pear fruits were below the MRL (0.2 mg/kg). The results have shown that spinetoram dissipation pattern followed the first-order kinetics (R²= 0.979) with a half-life of 2.17 days, in pear fruits. This study suggests that spinetoram could be safely used in pear, and it could take an important place in insecticide resistance management.

Complete Genome Sequence of Erwinia amylovora Strain TS3128, a Korean Strain Isolated in an Asian Pear Orchard in 2015

Erwinia amylovora causes fire blight, a devastating disease of apples and pears. Here, we report the complete genome sequence and annotation of E. amylovora strain TS3128, which was isolated from Anseong, South Korea, where fire blight first occurred in 2015, using the PacBio RS II system.

First record of the leafhopper Platymetopius notatus Fieber (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Deltocephalinae) from northwest Algeria with description of the species

A continuous monitoring of leafhoppers in a pear orchard (Pyrus communis L.) of Santa Maria variety, located in Khemis Miliana in northwest Algeria for a period of 7 months from February to August 2019, revealed a species, Platymetopius notatus Fieber, earlier having been reported from Europe (Spain, Portugal). The species is reported in two African countries (Morocco and Tunisia). The species is recorded for the first time from Algeria and is re-described and illustrated along with the male and female genitalia structures for the first time.

Soil Chemical Properties under Various Land-Use Types in the Karst Area with a Case Study in Shibing County of China

The effects of different land-use types on the pH, organic carbon, total nutrient, and available nutrients of soil in the 0–30 cm and 30–60 cm layers were studied using the gray relational analysis method. The research area is located in Baiduo village in the dolomite karst region and Shiqiao village in the limestone karst region of Shibing County, Guizhou Province, China. The land-use types investigated included shrubland, forest, grass slope, dryland, paddy field, pear orchard, and flue-cured tobacco field. The contents of organic carbon, total nitrogen, alkaline hydrolysable nitrogen, and available potassium, as well as the pH of the soil in the dolomite shrubland, were higher than those in the limestone shrubland. The total potassium, total phosphorus, and available phosphorus contents of soil in the limestone shrubland were higher than those in the dolomite shrubland. Among the four types of land-use most strongly affected by human activities (paddy field, dryland, flue-cured tobacco field, and pear orchard), the nutrient contents (except potassium in the upper soil layer) were higher than those in the lower layer. The differences in nutrient contents between upper and lower layers were relatively small in the dryland and the pear orchard, whereas they were large for the paddy field and flue-cured tobacco field. The gray relational degree of various land-use types decreased in the following order: dolomite shrubland > forest > grass slope > pear orchard > limestone shrubland > paddy field > dryland > flue-cured tobacco field. The dolomite shrubland had the best soil quality, while the flue-cured tobacco field had the worst. Of the four types of land use most strongly affected by human activities, pear orchard had the best soil quality. This study can provide reference for soil nutrient management and sustainable management in karst areas.

Design and validation of a soil moisture-based wireless sensors network for the smart irrigation of a pear orchard

<p>In this work, we propose to transfer a soil moisture-based wireless sensor network (SM-WSN) to support the reduction of irrigation water consume in the Tuscany region (Italy). The SM-WSN was designed and validated in a commercial pear orchard during two growing seasons (2019-2020) in which the smart irrigation strategy was implemented and applied.</p><p>Initially, the micro irrigation system was assessed based on its performance in terms of water distribution uniformity (DU) evaluated with field measurements of emitter flow rates. Then, a zoning analysis was carried out to divide the orchard into homogeneous areas according to the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) detected with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and GIS tools. These areas were used to define the topology of the SM-WSN and to investigate how water distribution uniformity can affect the vigour of the trees. A total of 6 “drill & drop” capacitance probes (Sentek Pty Ltd, Stepney, Australia) were installed in the field, after following a simplified laboratory calibration procedure. The hardware and the smartphone-based application, AgriNET, used to download from remote the sensors’ readings were provided by Tuctronics (Walla Walla, Washington, USA).</p><p>Assuming that the zoning outcome was only associated with the soil spatial variability, the effect of DU on the vigour of the trees has been identified. Moreover, unlike the ordinary irrigation scheduling applied in the farm, the smart system allowed maintaining the soil water content within a pre-defined optimal range, in which the upper and lower limits corresponded respectively to the soil field capacity and the threshold below which water stress occurs. Based on the smart irrigation management, a water-saving up to 50% of the total water supplied with ordinary scheduling was achieved during both the investigated growing seasons. Moreover, the quality of the productions (i.e °Brix, fruit size and firmness) were in line with the standard required by the farmer. The adoption of the new technology, aiming at identifying the most appropriate irrigation management, has the potential to generate positive economic returns and to reduce the environmental impacts.</p>

Intercropping With Aromatic Plants Increased the Soil Organic Matter Content and Changed the Microbial Community in a Pear Orchard

Intercropping influences the soil microbiota via litter and root exudate inputs, but the mechanisms by which root exudates mediate the soil microbial community and soil organic matter (SOM) are still unclear. In this study, we selected three aromatic plants (Ocimum basilicum, Tr1; Satureja hortensis, Tr2; Ageratum houstonianum, Tr3) as intercrops that separately grew between rows of pear trees, and no plants were grown as the control in a pear orchard during the spring–summer season for 3 years. The soil from each plot was collected using a stainless-steel corer by five-point sampling between rows of pear trees. The bacterial and fungal communities of the different aromatic intercrops were analyzed by 16S and ITS rRNA gene amplicon sequencing; their functional profiles were predicted by PICRUSt and FUNGuild analyses. The root exudates of the aromatic plants were analyzed by a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS) system. Compared with the control treatment, all intercropping treatments with aromatic plants significantly increased SOM and soil water content and decreased pH values. The contents of total nitrogen and alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen in Tr1 and Tr2 were higher than those in Tr3. In Tr3 soil, the relative content of saccharides increased little, whereas the changes in amine (increases) and alcohols (decreases) were rapid. Ageratum houstonianum intercropping decreased the microbial community diversity and significantly influenced the relative abundances of the dominant microbiota (Actinobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, Gemmatimonadetes, Cyanobacteria, Ascomycota, and Basidiomycota) at the phylum, class, and order levels, which increased the assemblage of functional groups (nitrite ammonification, nitrate ammonification, and ureolysis groups). Our study suggested that the main root exudates from aromatic plants shaped the microbial diversity, structure, and functional groups related to the N cycle during SOM mineralization and that intercropping with aromatic plants (especially basil and summer savory) increased N release in the orchard soil.

Weed Management and Economic Analysis of a Robotic Lawnmower: A Case Study in a Japanese Pear Orchard

The use of robots is increasing in agriculture, but there is a lack of suitable robotic technology for weed management in orchards. A robotic lawnmower (RLM) was installed, and its performance was studied between 2017 and 2019 in a pear orchard (1318 m2) at Ibaraki University, Ami. We found that the RLM could control the weeds in an orchard throughout a year at a minimum height (average weed height, WH: 44 ± 15 mm, ± standard deviation (SD) and dry weed biomass, DWB: 103 ± 25 g m−2). However, the RLM experiences vibration problems while running over small pears (33 ± 8 mm dia.) during fruit thinning periods, which can stop blade mobility. During pear harvesting, fallen fruits (80 ± 12 mm dia.) strike the blade and become stuck within the chassis of the RLM; consequently, the machine stops frequently. We estimated the working performance of a riding mower (RM), brush cutter (BC), and a walking mower (WM) in a pear orchard and compared the mowing cost (annual ownership, repair and maintenance, energy, oil, and labor) with the RLM. The study reveals that the RLM performs better than other conventional mowers in a small orchard (0.33 ha). For a medium (0.66 ha) and larger (1 ha) orchard, the RLM is not more cost-effective than RM and WM. However, the existing RLM performed weed control well and showed promise for profitability in our research field. We believe that, if field challenges like fallen fruit and tree striking problems can be properly addressed, the RLM could be successfully used in many small orchards.