• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
• /
• v.49 no.3
• /
• pp.421-430
• /
• 2022

Crop load management in apple trees is important for achieving optimum productivity and crop value. Hence, we investigated the influence of different crop loads on the fruit quality, mineral content, and yield of the 'RubyS' apple variety. After 4 weeks of full bloom, the crop load was adjusted by hand thinning to different (5, 10, and 15 fruits·cm^-2) trunk cross-sectional areas (TCSA), representing low, medium, and high crop loads. The low crop load increased the fruit size and weight, the development of the red-blushed area, and the peel color a^* at harvest; however, it reduced the total number of fruits·tree^-1 and yield compared with that of the other crop loads. The medium crop load improved the fruit weight, flesh firmness, and soluble solids content and reduced the fruits·tree^-1 but did not affect the fruit size and yield. However, there were no significant differences in the titratable acidity and starch index among the crop loads. The fruit mineral content (phosphorus and potassium) was higher in the low and medium crop loads compared to the high crop load. However, the nitrogen, calcium, and magnesium contents in the fruits were not affected by the crop loads. Overall, this study suggests that a low crop load improves the fruit size and weight, but its effect on the quality and fruit mineral content is similar to that of a medium crop load. Therefore, the optimum crop load level for the 'RubyS' apple trees was approximately 10 fruits·cm^-2 TCSA.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.38 no.3
• /
• pp.145-153
• /
• 2019

BACKGROUND: The 'Gamhong' cultivar, middle season apple with big fruit size and high soluble solid content, has been bred in Korea. However, it was hard to cultivate the cultivar in Korea by serious bitter pit. The relationships between shoot growth, fruit size, and bitter pit may be affected by crop load. This study was conducted for 2 years (7~8 years after planting) to investigate vegetative growth, fruit quality, bitter pit incidence, return bloom, and gross income for optimum crop load of 'Gamhong'/M.9 adult apple tree. METHODS AND RESULTS: The crop load was assigned to 4 different object ranges as follow: 45~64, 65~84, 85~104, and 105~124 fruits per tree. The vegetative growth, average fruit weight, percentage of fruits heavier than 375 g, soluble solid content, and return bloom increased significantly at the crop load range of 45~64 fruits. However, the lowest total gross income per tree may have been caused by the highest bitter pit incidence and the lowest yield per tree in any other crop load range. The total gross income and yield per tree increased significantly at the crop load range of 105~124 fruits and return bloom dropped to 40%, and hence it was possible to occur biennial bearing. It was 85~104 fruits that biennial bearing did not occur and total gross income was as high as the crop load range of 105~124 fruits. Also, the yield of high grade fruits per tree, with fruit weight of 400~499 g and none bitter pit on fruit surface, was highest at the crop load range of 85~104 fruits, compared to other crop load range. CONCLUSION: In considering fruit size, bitter pit incidence, return bloom, and gross income, the optimum crop load range of 'Gamhong'/M.9 adult apple tree in high density orchard was 85~104 fruits per tree.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.64-71
• /
• 2017

The study was performed on the effects of crop load of pear (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai) trees on shoot growth, reserved nutrients, and fruit production for two years, as well as regrowth of cuttings treated with various cold temperatures in 2012 and 2013. Crop load adjustments included three levels of fruiting; 54 (60%), 90 (100%), and 126 fruits per tree (140%). As increasing crop load from 60% to 140%, water sprout growth decreased, and one-year old shoot resulted in declined concentrations of total carbon, macro-nutrients, and free sugar. The 140% of crop load greatly increased fruit yield of approximately 35 tons per ha in both 2011 and 2012 but slightly reduced weight, size, and soluble solid contents in fruit. However, 140% of crop load increased annual production income to approximately over 10 million won compared to the 60% and 100% of crop load. Germination rates in the cuttings did not rapidly decrease up to $-20^{\circ}C$ in a growth chamber condition. The 140% of crop load decreased germination rates less than 70% of cuttings grown under $-30^{\circ}C$. Amounts of electrolyte leakage in the cuttings under various cold temperatures were not significantly different among the adjustment of crop load.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
• /
• v.49 no.4
• /
• pp.845-855
• /
• 2022

The purpose of this study is to develop a self-propelled underground crop harvester and its performance was evaluated by measuring the load during actual potato harvesting operations. This study was conducted at a constant working speed of 1 km·h^-1. A load measurement system was installed to measure the actual load and the required working power was analyzed. A hydraulic pressure sensor was also installed to measure the hydraulic pressure. The required hydraulic power was calculated using the hydraulic pressure and flow rate. The results showed that the engine speed, torque, and power during harvesting operation were in the range of 845 - 1,423 rpm, 95 - 228 Nm, and 9 - 31 kW, respectively. Traction power, excluding the hydraulic pump of the tractor and power take-off (PTO) output, was in the range of 9 - 28 kW, and it was confirmed that it occupies a ratio of 16.2 to 50% of the engine rated output. The engine can supply the minimum required traction power to move the vehicle. This means that the engine used in this study could be down-sized to be suitable for an underground crop harvester. In this study, the gear stages of the tractor were not considered. This research thus shows the possibility of developing a self-propelled underground crop harvester.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.301-309
• /
• 2017

This study was conducted to provide basic data needed to calculate the crop loads for the greenhouse design. Four countries' crop loads for greenhouse structures were compared and the crop loads were measured directly and analyzed for various greenhouse crops, including tomato, strawberry, cucumber, and eggplant. According to the analysis results of four country's standards for the design crop loads, it was judged that the new design crop loads suit for greenhouse crops in our country should be suggested because our standards just used the design crop loads of other countries. The maximum crop loads per plant of tomato, cucumber, eggplant, and strawberry were 3.9, 0.75, 1.9 and $2.1kgf{\cdot}plant^{-1}$, respectively. The crop load per unit area of tomato was $8.5kgf{\cdot}m^{-2}$, which was much greater than the cucumber and eggplant's crop load of 2.1 and $2.4kgf{\cdot}m^{-2}$ respectively. The crop loads of tomato and cucumber, suggested by the greenhouse structure design standard of Korea, is $15kgf{\cdot}m^{-2}$, which is far greater than the values suggested by this research. It was judged that this was because our standard just used the Dutch standard, our crop load standard should be reviewed considering this difference. The crop load of strawberry, including the growing bed, was $21.0kgf{\cdot}m^{-2}$, which was much greater than the crop load in the Dutch standard.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
• /
• v.64 no.3
• /
• pp.33-43
• /
• 2022

South Korea's agricultural nitrogen balance and phosphorus balance rank first and second, respectively, among OECD countries, and proper nutrient management is required to preserve the water quality of rivers and lakes. This study evaluates the effects of furrow mulching on the reduction of non-point source pollution (NPS) load from a sloped upland. The study site was Wanju-gun, Jeollabuk-do, and the survey period was from 2018 to 2019. The slope of the testbed was 13%, and the soil type was sandy loam. The cropping system consisted of maize-autumn Chinese cabbage rotation. The testbed was composed of bare soil (bare), control (Cont.), furrow vegetation mulching (FVM), and furrow nonwoven fabric mulching (FFM) plots. Runoff was collected for each rainfall event with a 1/100 sampler, and the NPS load was calculated by measuring the concentrations of SS, T-N, and T-P. The NPS load was then analyzed for the entire monitoring and crop cultivation periods. During the monitoring period, the effect of reducing the NPS load was 1.5%~44.5% for FVM and 13.1%~55.2% for FFM. During the crop cultivation period, it was 1.2%~80.5% for FVM and 27.0%~65.1% for FFM, indicating that FFM was more effective than FVM. As the NPS load was fairly high during the crop conversion period, an appropriate management method needs to be implemented during this period.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
• /
• v.33 no.1
• /
• pp.1-10
• /
• 2015

This study was conducted in three years (7-9 years after planting) to investigate vegetative growth, yield, fruit quality, and return bloom for optimum crop load based on different planting densities of adult 'Fuji'/M.9 apple trees. As plant materials, 'Fuji'/M.9 apple trees planted at $3.5{\times}1.5m$ (190 trees per 10 a), $3.5{\times}1.2m$ (238 trees per 10 a), and $3.2{\times}1.2m$ (260 trees per 10 a) spacing and trained as slender spindles were used. The crop load was assigned to five different object ranges as follows: 55-64, 65-74, 75-84, 85-94, and 95-104 fruit per tree. TCA increment, total shoot growth, return bloom, yield per tree, and yield efficiency tended to increase as planting density decreased, and fruit weight and soluble solid content tended to increase as the object range of crop load decreased. Fruit red color tended to increase as shoot growth decreased. For apple trees planted with 238 trees and 260 trees per 10a, biennial bearing occurred when the crop load was over 85-94 and 75-84 fruits, respectively. However, biennial bearing did not occur when the crop load was 95-104 fruits in apple trees planted with 190 trees per 10a. Accumulated yield tended to increase as planting density and crop load increased, but that of biennial bearing did not show such a difference. Based on our results, optimum crop load recommendations are to set 95-104 fruits per tree in 'Fuji'/M.9 mature apple trees planted at 190 trees per 10a, 75-84 fruits per tree at 238 trees per 10a, and 65-74 fruits per tree at 260 trees per 10a.

• Horticulture, Environment, and Biotechnology : HEB
• /
• v.59 no.6
• /
• pp.815-826
• /
• 2018

The intense drought affecting olive production in Northern Chile underscores the need to research non-traditional irrigation strategies to obtain the best crop performance. Accordingly, this study aimed to obtain preliminary data to guide future research on this topic. Different water replenishment levels on crop evapotranspiration ($ET_c$ ; 13.5, 27.0, 40.5, and 54%) were established in a young orchard, cv. Arbequina, from the end of fruit drop (EFD) to full bloom in the next season. We evaluated the influence of plant water status (${\Psi}_{stem}$ ) and crop load, considered as function of fruit number divided by trunk cross-sectional area, on reproductive and productive variables using multiple linear regressions. Our results show that crop load and ${\Psi}_{stem}$ measured from EFD to harvest affected yield components. Nevertheless, ${\Psi}_{stem}$ had the strongest influence on fruit size, pulp development, oil accumulation, and yield. Oil content and yield were reduced by 54% and 50% for each MPa, respectively, from ${\Psi}_{stem\;EFD-H}$ -1.8 MPa, an effect that intensified as crop load increased. During the period of flower development (September-November), the number of flowers per inflorescence and percentage of perfect flowers were reduced when ${\Psi}_{stem}$ was less than -2.0 MPa. These preliminary results showed that bud differentiation, inflorescence and flower formation are highly sensitive to water deficit.

• Journal of the Korea Furniture Society
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.281-289
• /
• 2009

This research examined the technical feasibility of composite that had two layers of fiberglass reinforcement to enhance the load carrying capacity of lumber. Specimens were prepared from standard lumber made of thinning crop trees such as Larix kaempferi, Pinus koraiensis, and P. rigida. Results indicated that bending properties, hardness, and wood screw withdrawal load of low density lumber from the P. koraiensis increased as the number of layers of fiberglass reinforcement increased. Composite produced by VARTM method showed the MOE increased in all specimens, while the MOR differed on the location, whether the 2-layers of FRP is put on tensile zone or compressive zone. The MOR of high density lumber from Larix kaempferi and P. rigida decreased when they placed into tensile zone, but low density lumber from P. koraiensis increased in same location. The bending toughness only increased high density lumber of Larix kaempferi as the number of layers of fiberglass reinforcement increased. The technique developed by this study may increase an opportunity to use small diameter log with low density for commercial purposes.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
• /
• v.55 no.2
• /
• pp.29-36
• /
• 2013

The objective of the research was to describe the effect of straw mat cover and soil amendments on the reduction of runoff and non-point source load from steep sloped highland agricultural fields. Four $5{\times}30$ m plots on sandy loam soil with 28 % slope were prepared. Experimental treatments were bare (control), rice straw mat cover (3,000 kg/ha) (S), PAM (5 kg/ha)+Gypsum (1 ton/ha) (PG) and rice straw mat cover+PAM+Gypsum (SPG). A variety of lettuce was cultivated and runoff was monitored during a growing season in 2011. Natural monitoring was conducted to three times. Runoff rate of S, PG and SPG plots were significantly lower than those of control plot. Especially, the runoff rate is zero in SPG plot at a first rainfall events. The reduction rate of runoff from the S, PG and SPG plots was 30.8 %, 29.0 % and 81.8 % compared to control plots, respectively. The reduction rate of NPS pollution load of S, PG and SPG was ranged of 50~90 %, 30~70 % and 90~100 %, respectively. Yield of lettuce from S, PG and SPG plots was respectively 400 (567 kg/ha), 320 (453 kg/ha) and 760 (1,067 kg/ha) that of compared to control plots greater than that from control plots (140 kg/ha). We speculated that the experimental treated plots could hold more nutrients and moisture than the control and helped the crop grow healthier. When analyzing the above results, in terms of reduction of runoff and NPS pollution load and crop yields, SPG experimental treatment had the best effect. It was concluded that the use of rice straw mats cover and soil amendments on soil surface could not only reduce the NPS pollution loads in receiving waters but also help increase the crop yield.