scholarly journals Development and Validation of a LiDAR Scanner for 3D Evaluation of Soil Vegetal Coverage

Electronics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 109
Author(s):  
Matías Micheletto ◽  
Luciano Zubiaga ◽  
Rodrigo Santos ◽  
Juan Galantini ◽  
Miguel Cantamutto ◽  
...  

Water and wind erosion are serious problems due to the loss of soil productivity. The coverage of soil, by means of cover crops or crops residues, is an effective tool to prevent wind and water erosion. The soil coverage could curb wind on the surface, avoid water runoff and reduce direct soil evaporation. Residue spatial distribution is the main factor to successful soil protection. The current work presents details of a prototype, design and validation as a measuring instrument to sense the height of vegetal crop residues based on a short-ranged laser distance sensor (LiDAR) and a computer numerical control (CNC) mechanism. The results obtained in this work showed a high level of confidence to estimate the height and composition of soil vegetal coverage.

AGRICA ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Kristina Erniyani ◽  
Sri Wahyuni ◽  
Yustina Maria Silvia Wonga Puu

The use of inorganic fertilizers and pesticides can change the agroecosystem gradually. These changes may result in a decrease in the diversity of soil organisms. These organisms are very important in the decomposition process of reforming the organic matter into compounds that are readily absorbed by plants. Other changes include a change in the soil structure which will affect the soil chemical and physical characteristic and ultimately affect the soil productivity leading to a decreased agricultural product. The return of the remains from harvest, litter and crop residues from coffee and cocoa crops to the soil will provide energy for soil organisms and it will help maintain the soil environment that supports the life of other organisms. This research aimed at identifying the composition and diversity of mesofauna formed by the composted organic matter in cocoa and coffee plantations. Soil sampling was conducted on coffee and cocoa plantations in the Onelako village of Ndona District. Soil sampling was conducted in September 2010. Soil sampling used Neuman method of 0-15 cm and 16-30 cm depth. Each soil sample was taken to the laboratory. The separation of mesofauna from soil used Berlese-tullgran method that had been modified for 4 days. The separated Meso fauna was identified under the light microscope. The result of this research showed that the highest composition of mesofauna decomposer of organic matter in cocoa and coffee vegetation is Collembola. Collembola is very tolerant to acidic soil condition and they are dominant in the soil and surface habitats that contain lots of litter. Collembola is microarthropods that have large distribution both in quantity and diversity. The highest diversity of mesofauna on coffee vegetation is 1.525 and on cocoa, vegetation is 1.273. It was also noted that at a depth of 0-15 cm there was a higher concentration of mesofauna in the coffee vegetation area, which was about 7.3960, while in the cocoa vegetation there where 3.6376. The high level of the diversity index caused an increase in decomposition and therefore better soil fertility.


2021 ◽  
Vol 845 (1) ◽  
pp. 012045
Author(s):  
A I Zavrazhnov ◽  
S V Vedishchev ◽  
A I Kadomtsev ◽  
A G Pavlov ◽  
A V Prokhorov ◽  
...  

Abstract Insufficient intake of organic matter into the soil, non-compliance with crop rotations result in the soil degradation. Only due to the use of mineral nutrition, it is impossible to maintain a high level of soil fertility. To compensate for the lack of humus, the most optimal is the use of green fertilizers. The costs of producing and applying cover crops are significantly less than the costs of using organic fertilizers. In terms of peasant farms conditions in the Tambov region, two types of crop rotations with the introduction of sideral crops are recommended. It is important to carry out grinding and embedding of sideral crops specifically so that it can provide optimal parameters for the decomposition of organic mass and promote humus formation. Currently, four processing techniques are used for harvesting and embedding sideral crops. The recommended scheme involves mowing and step-by-step grinding of the grass stand with a mower-shredder located in front of the tractor, followed by embedding in the soil with a disc harrow. The analysis shows that small producers segment has no affordable machines for high-quality grinding of sideral crops with low specific energy consumption. To ensure stems cutting with minimal specific energy consumption, a mower has been developed, which, due to the trough-shaped type of its body, forms plants tilted forward in a mass and then, they fall into the grinding zone with the angle of inclination of the stems in this mass close to the angle of body inclination. In the grinding zone, the plant stems are exposed to knives rotating in plane surfaces perpendicular to the longitudinal surface of the mower body. As a result of operational tests of the mower-shredder of sideral crops and crop residues, it was found that technological process of plants grinding is carried out steadily and with a quality that meets agrotechnological requirements.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (23) ◽  
pp. eabd6034
Author(s):  
C. Ronnie Drever ◽  
Susan C. Cook-Patton ◽  
Fardausi Akhter ◽  
Pascal H. Badiou ◽  
Gail L. Chmura ◽  
...  

Alongside the steep reductions needed in fossil fuel emissions, natural climate solutions (NCS) represent readily deployable options that can contribute to Canada’s goals for emission reductions. We estimate the mitigation potential of 24 NCS related to the protection, management, and restoration of natural systems that can also deliver numerous co-benefits, such as enhanced soil productivity, clean air and water, and biodiversity conservation. NCS can provide up to 78.2 (41.0 to 115.1) Tg CO2e/year (95% CI) of mitigation annually in 2030 and 394.4 (173.2 to 612.4) Tg CO2e cumulatively between 2021 and 2030, with 34% available at ≤CAD 50/Mg CO2e. Avoided conversion of grassland, avoided peatland disturbance, cover crops, and improved forest management offer the largest mitigation opportunities. The mitigation identified here represents an important potential contribution to the Paris Agreement, such that NCS combined with existing mitigation plans could help Canada to meet or exceed its climate goals.


2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J. Shirtliffe ◽  
Eric N. Johnson

AbstractOrganic farmers in western Canada rely on tillage to control weeds and incorporate crop residues that could plug mechanical weed-control implements. However, tillage significantly increases the risk of soil erosion. For farmers seeking to reduce or eliminate tillage, potential alternatives include mowing or using a roller crimper for terminating green manure crops (cover crops) or using a minimum tillage (min-till) rotary hoe for mechanically controlling weeds. Although many researchers have studied organic crop production in western Canada, few have studied no-till organic production practices. Two studies were recently conducted in Saskatchewan to determine the efficacy of the following alternatives to tillage: mowing and roller crimping for weed control, and min-till rotary hoeing weed control in field pea (Pisum sativum L.). The first study compared mowing and roller crimping with tillage when terminating faba bean (Vicia faba L.) and field pea green manure crops. Early termination of annual green manure crops with roller crimping or mowing resulted in less weed regrowth compared with tillage. When compared with faba bean, field pea produced greater crop biomass, suppressed weeds better and had less regrowth. Wheat yields following pea were not affected by the method of termination. Thus, this first study indicated that roller crimping and mowing are viable alternatives to tillage to terminate field pea green manure crops. The second study evaluated the tolerance and efficacy of a min-till rotary harrow in no-till field pea production. The min-till rotary hoe was able to operate in no-till cereal residues and multiple passes did not affect the level of residue cover. Field pea exhibited excellent tolerance to the min-till rotary hoe. Good weed control occurred with multiple rotary hoe passes, and pea seed yield was 87% of the yield obtained in the herbicide-treated check. Therefore, this second study demonstrated that min-till rotary hoeing effectively controls many small seeded annual weeds in the presence of crop residue and thus can reduce the need for tillage in organic-cropping systems.


2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
RICARDO SFEIR DE AGUIAR ◽  
PAULO VICENTE CONTADOR ZACCHEO ◽  
CARMEN SILVIA VIEIRA JANEIRO NEVES ◽  
MARCELO SFEIR DE AGUIAR ◽  
FERNANDO TEIXEIRA DE OLIVEIRA

ABSTRACT The use of cover crops species may be an important strategy in the pursuit of sustainability of agroecosystems, considering benefits to soil, such as improvements of physical and chemical characteristics, and weed control. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of winter cover crops and other soil managements on chemical soil properties, on the cycle, on the production of the first cycle and on the fruit quality of banana cv. Nanicão Jangada in Andirá – PR, Brazil. The experiment was carried out in a commercial. Planting of banana suckers from the grower area occurred in the first half of March 2011, with a spacing of 2.40 m between rows and 1.90 m between plants. The experiment was designed in randomized blocks with four replications and six plants per plot. The six treatments were: black oat (Avenastrigosa Schreb), forage turnip (Raphanus sativus L. var. oleiferus), consortium of black oat and forage turnip, chicken litter, residues of banana plants, and bare ground. The evaluations were vegetative development and life cycle of banana plants, yield and quality of fruits, soil chemical characterstics, and fresh and dry mass of green manures. The results were submitted to ANOVA (F Test), and Tukey test at 5 % probability. Black oat and black oat with forage turnip consortium were superior in biomass production. Systems of soil management had no effect on the variables, except in the periods between planting and flowering and between planting and harvest, which were shorter in the treatment of soil management with crop residues, longer in the treatment with forage turnip, and intermediate in the other treatments.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (03) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maninder Singh ◽  
Anita Jaswal ◽  
Arshdeep Singh

Crop residue management (CRM) through conservation agriculture can improve soil productivity and crop production by preserving soil organic matter (SOM) levels. Two major benefits of surface-residue management are improved organic matter (OM) near the soil surface and boosted nutrient cycling and preservation. Larger microbial biomass and activity near the soil surface act as a pool for nutrients desirable in crop production and enhance structural stability for increased infiltration. In addition to the altered nutrient distribution within the soil profile, changes also occur in the chemical and physical properties of the soil. Improved soil C sequestration through enhanced CRM is a cost-effective option for reducing agriculture's impact on the environment. Ideally, CRM practices should be selected to optimize crop yields with negligible adverse effects on the environment. Crop residues of common agricultural crops are chief resources, not only as sources of nutrients for subsequent crops but also for amended soil, water and air quality. Maintaining and managing crop residues in agriculture can be economically beneficial to many producers and more importantly to society. Improved residue management and reduced tillage practices should be encouraged because of their beneficial role in reducing soil degradation and increasing soil productivity. Thus, farmers have a responsibility in making management decisions that will enable them to optimize crop yields and minimize environmental impacts. Multi-disciplinary and integrated efforts by a wide variety of scientists are required to design the best site-specific systems for CRM practices to enhance agricultural productivity and sustainability while minimizing environmental impacts.


2021 ◽  
pp. 281-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abolghasem Beheshti ◽  
Zahra Kamalzadeha ◽  
Monireh Haj-Maleka ◽  
Meghdad Payaba ◽  
Mohammad Amin Rezvanfar ◽  
...  

Due to the new hopes for treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) diseases by Teriflunomide (TFN), in this project, a cheap, robust, and fully validated method has been developed both for determination of assay content in API (active pharmaceutical ingredient), and for related impurities analysis (RIA). To operate the method, a common C18, end-capped (250 × 4.6) mm, 5µm liquid chromatography column, was applied. The mobile phase A was prepared by dissolving 2.74 g (20mM) of PDP (potassium dihydrogen phosphate) and 3.72 g (50mM) of PC (potassium chloride) in water (1000 mL). Then, pH was adjusted to 3.0 by adding OPA (ortho-phosphoric acid) 85%; while, the mobile phase B was acetonitrile (ACN) (100%). In order to confirm the experimental data about the λmax of TFN, we have used the Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics (BOMD) simulations, quantum mechanics (QM), and TD-DFT calculations. According to the results, the method showed a high level of suitability, specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision, repeatability, robustness, and reliable detection limit.


Author(s):  
Daiana Jungbluth ◽  
Ana Regina Dahlem Ziech ◽  
Camila Roberta Pereira ◽  
Márcia Cristina Dos Santos ◽  
Patrick Machado

The no-till system has been growing over the years and for this system to be successful, it is essential to maintain permanent vegetation cover over the soil, an adequate crop rotation system with minimal overturning. A strategy for soil protection is to introduce species of cover crops in winter under single or intercropping. The objective was to evaluate the rate of soil cover by intercropping between black oats (Avena strigosa L.) and forage turnip (Raphanus sativus L.) at different sowing densities, as well as the isolated species in terms of soil protection under no-tillage. The study was conducted at the Federal Technological University of Paraná (UTFPR), campus Santa Helena, with a randomized block design, with five treatments and three repetitions. The treatments were: 100% black oats (BO); 100% forage turnip (FT); 75% BO + 25% FT; 50% BO + 50% FT and 25% BO + 75% FT. The cover crops were sown in May 2019. The percentage of soil cover from 21 to 91 days after sowing (DAS) was evaluated using the photographic method, with weekly collection of images in an area delimited by a metallic frame (25 m²), positioned on the ground at two fixed points per plot. The coverage rate quantification was estimated by overlaying a grid with 100 points of intersection over each image. The rate of soil cover by consortia and single crops did not show a statistically significant difference. To 49 days, consortia had coverage equal to or greater than 70%, while for single species, this percentage was reached at 56 DAS and 70 DAS, for BO and FT, respectively. All treatments showed high potential for soil protection and coverage rate from 70 DAS.


2012 ◽  
Vol 241-244 ◽  
pp. 1482-1486
Author(s):  
Jian Wen Zhao ◽  
Wei Xie

This paper mainly focuses on designing an open CNC system. At first, the advantages and disadvantages of the three popular open numerical control technologies were discussed, and on the basis of demands analysis, this paper chose motion controller plus PC as the whole system model. Then, according to the system model, this article designed the hardware system for the control system, including choosing multi-axis motion control card, servo motors and their drivers. Thirdly, based on the features of this open numerical control system, the paper designed and put the software into three levels, namely low level of control software, mid-level of communication software, and high-level of management software respectively. Finally, in order to test the control performance of this open numerical control system, some experiments were carried out on a two-dimension motion platform, the results are satisfactory and error analysis on these experiments is also given out.


2019 ◽  
Vol 161 (A1) ◽  

Navies from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom collaborated to develop and validate a distributed simulation of ship replenishment at sea. The simulation models the seaway, ship motions including hydrodynamic interaction effects between ships, and the transfer of a solid payload between ships using replenishment gear. The simulation was developed using the High Level Architecture (HLA), which facilitates sharing of data and synchronization of simulation time among software components on networked computers. Simulation results were validated using experimental data. The project demonstrated successful application of distributed simulation to complex naval platform systems. Lessons learned are shared for several areas, including seaway modelling, ship hydrodynamic interaction, and planning of model tests and sea trials for simulation validation.


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