Mattie Crownover
Is it cost effective Is it environmentally responsible
Little research has been done Small farms Crops are cared for and harvested by hand
Harvest method (%) Mechanically Roots, tubers, & bulb Carrot 2 98 Potato 2 98 Onions 98 2 Fruiting Vegetables Peppers - bell & chili Tomato Melon/vine crops Berries Leafy veggies and greens Lettuce Spinach 2 98
High per acre crop values Need for greater yield Lack of help
Increases yield Improves product quality Efficiency of crop chemical use Conserve energy Product Efficiency
Site-Specific Management Postharvest Process Management
Present technology is in the mass flow or mass accumulation categories. Used where the crop harvested is conveyed on a belt or chain. Load sensors are placed on the idler wheels supporting the belt. Continues weight sampling is combined with GPS. Load cells are under a hopper or wagon monitoring the weight of the crop. Combining weight changes in the hopper per unit times with the GPS time and position.
Handheld GPS receivers & Hand-Trak Not as accurate, but offer a means for the grower Improvements in progress
Citrus crops in Florida Working on keeping water and nutrients in the root zone. Commercial Blueberry fields Real-time Slope mapping Viticulture Remote sensing from satellite and airborne platforms provides images depicting vineyard conditions.
Chlorophyll Meter Dualex Measures polyphenic compounds that accumulate in the epidermis of leaves under N stress.