Cabbage Harvester Research Articles

Suicide and Older Adults in Postdisaster Northeastern Japan

Following the Tohoku Daishinsai or Great Tohoku Earthquake, one of the widely reported concerns was the potential for a significant increase in suicides among those leftto deal with the disaster. The Los Angeles Times, for example, reported the worries of Naoko Sugimoto-based on the grapevine of Japan's mental health system-that a trickle of suicides might turn into a river exemplified bythe farmer who hanged himself, distressed about a cabbage harvest ruined by radioactive fallout from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant; the overworked government worker near the complex who took his life; the father who killed himself after a fruitless search for his child after the tsunami. (Glionna, 2011)These fears seem quite reasonable given the fact that Japan has shown among the highest suicide rates in the world and experienced a significant increase in suicides in the late 1990s that has yet to return to earlier levels (Traphagan, 2010).Although there is much research to be done concerning suicide in general following the disaster, in this article, I explore the more specific issue of elder suicide in Tohoku since March of 2011. Throughout this article, the basis for my research is the following hypothesis:(a) Older adults in Tohoku were disproportionately affected by the disaster in March of 2011. (b) Elders in the Tohoku region show high rates of suicide when compared to other parts of Japan. Therefore, (c) given the levels of stress experienced, suicide rates among the older adults are likely to have increased following the disaster.I begin by discussing some of the general trends in recent years concerning suicide in Japan and specifically within the Tohoku region. Following this, I will explore some of the data related to suicide and the postdisaster situation in Tohoku. This article relies on qualitative data and will emphasize the use of descriptive statistics because the samples involved are not sufficiently large to employ more complex statistical methods.SUICIDE IN JAPANOver the past decade, suicide has grown to be viewed as one of the more pressing social problems in Japan. In 2007, the Japanese government published a White Paper on countersuicide that discusses methods for reducing the suicide rate and stresses the importance of developing systems of addressing the needs of suicide survivors, potential suicide victims, and the families of suicide survivors and those who have attempted suicide (Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, 2007). The government is also spending significant funds ($220 million by 2017) to develop programs for suicide prevention and support. Indeed, suicide is a leading cause of death in Japan, having raised as high as sixth among causes of death (Yamamura, Kinoshita, Nishiguchi, & Hishida, 2006:575), and the suicide rate for Japan has typically hovered around 25 per 100,000 for the past several years (Traphagan, 2010); by comparison, the suicide rate in the United States is normally around 11 or 12 per 100,000; and in 2000, the world suicide rate was estimated to be roughly 16 per 100,000 (Hasegawa et al., 2011:276). Japanese men are considerably more likely to commit suicide than women are; and particular age groups, such as teens and middle-aged men, are particularly prone to suicidal behavior (Yamamura et al., 2006:576-578). Yamamura et al. (2006) note that there is a correlation between population den- sity and suicide in Japan, with lower density population areas exhibiting higher suicide rates than more densely populated urban areas.Among the more troubling aspects of Japanese suicide over the past 15 years has been a sharp increase in the suicide rate since the late 1990s. Figure 11 shows suicide rates in Japan from 1970 to 2010. Although it is not clear where the cause in the increase during the late 1990s may lie-there were some changes made in how suicides are reported as well as ongoing problems with the Japanese economy- the suicide rates have hovered around 25 for more than a decade, a rate that represents an annual number of suicides that typically exceeds 30,000, which is higher than for the United States despite the much larger U. …

A Newly Developed Cabbage Harvester

A Newly Developed Cabbage Harvester

Strip Tillage and Oat Cover Crops Increase Soil Moisture and Influence N Mineralization Patterns in Cabbage

Strip tillage (ST) is a form of conservation tillage in which disturbance is limited to the crop rows while the rest of the soil remains undisturbed. Compared with conventional, full-width tillage (CT), ST may reduce tillage costs, protect soil from erosion, and benefit cool-season crops including cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. ‘capitata’) by improving water retention, reducing soil temperatures, and improving the synchrony of inorganic nitrogen (IN) supply with crop demand. Field experiments were conducted in 2010 and 2011 in central Michigan to assess the effects of tillage (CT vs. ST) and a preceding cover crop (none vs. oats, Avena sativa L. var. ‘Ida’) on soil temperature, moisture, N dynamics, and yields in transplanted cabbage. Oats were sown in April and terminated 2 to 3 weeks before cabbage transplanting in early July. In-row (IR) soil moisture, temperature, and IN content were assessed from transplanting until cabbage harvest in October. In 2010, IR soil moisture was higher season-long in ST compared with CT and in oat compared with non-oat treatments, but these effects were not detected in 2011. Tillage and oat residue had little or no effect on IR soil temperature. Shortly after tillage in both years, soil IN availability was greater in CT treatments without oats compared with both ST treatments and CT with oats. However, these differences dissipated after 3 to 4 weeks, and hypothesized improvements in N release patterns under ST were not observed. No differences in cabbage marketable yield were detected in either year, although the proportion of plants that produced a marketable head was lower in cover-cropped plots in 2010. These findings suggest that soil conservation and input savings potentially associated with ST production systems may be attained without a yield penalty. More research is needed to understand and optimize cover crop management in ST systems to realize potential benefits in N use efficiency, moisture retention, and soil temperature moderation.

含铜有机肥对土壤酶活性和微生物群落代谢的影响

Composted manure has been used for centuries in Chinese agricultural production,however,only in recent year,there has been growing concerns over the problem caused by manure amendment,such as the buildup of salt in the soil and the potential introduction of hazardous trace elements into human diet.The objective of this experiment was to investigate the influence of Cu containing organic manure on soil enzyme activity and the functional diversity of microbial community.A pot experiment was conducted by incorporating same quantity of composts with a range of Cu concentrations,which were produced by composting the raw materials of swine manure and wheat straw spiked with 3 levels of Cu: 0 mg/kg(control),300 mg/kg(low Cu,referred to L thereafter) and 900 mg/kg(high Cu: H).The resulted soils after the cabbage harvest were used to investigate the soil enzyme activities and the diversity of microbial community function(Biolog #).The results showed that,the soil dehydrogenase activity declined by 64.75% in the low Cu containing compost treated soil and 90.66% in the high Cu compost treated soil as compared to the control treatment,suggested high Cu concentration in compost inhibits the soil dehydrogenase activity.The result of Biolog test showed that the average well color development(AWCD) of the control soil was greater than that of both the L and the H treatments during the process of the Biolog-ECO incubation.Compared with control treatment,AWCD of L and H treatments at 96 h had dropped by 3.55% and 36.59%,respectively.AWCD of H treatment was significantly lower than that of control(P0.01).The most microorganisms in control soil had higher ability to use carbon source than those in L and H treatments.The soil microbial community diversity indices had different responses,the highest Shannon index was observed on L treatment,the highest Simpson index was on H treatment,and the highest Mclntosh index and Mclntosh evenness index on control treatment.The principal component analysis demonstrated that the significant difference between the three treatments mainly depend on carbohydrate and carboxylic acids dominated carbon sources.The results indicated that the Cu contained in the composted manure significantly inhibited the soil enzyme activity and microbial metabolism.

Improving the drive of cabbage harvester's cutting device

Представлены результаты исследования кинематики и динамики привода режущего аппарата нового капустоуборочного комбайна. Режущий аппарат модернизирован путем ввода в его привод карданной передачи с расположенными под углом валами.

Development of a Following Type Vegetable Carrier

The purpose of this study was to decrease the labor demands of vegetable harvesting by automatically controlling the vegetable carrier. We developed a prototype of a carrier that had a simple mechanism, but possessed enough functions to follow a vegetable harvester smoothly. The following system automatically controlled starting, acceleration, deceleration, and steering. It was able to follow a cabbage harvester up to a running speed of 0.4 m/s in a performance test on asphalt. It could follow a Welsh onion harvester at 0.02 to 0.04 m/s while providing an effective field capacity of 0.4 to 0.6 a/person·h. The effective field capacity was equal to that of conventional work, but with 20% fewer working hours (e.g., transferring and taking the harvest out). Additionally, the worker did not need to lift the harvest, and could transfer it by moving sidewise because this carrier was able to follow the Welsh onion harvester closely. Compared to a normal carrier without a following system, this carrier reduced the number of times and the distance the workers moved in the field.

Trends of Vegetable Production and Evaluation of Mechanized Cabbage Harvesting System in Upland Farms of Hokkaido

Trends of Vegetable Production and Evaluation of Mechanized Cabbage Harvesting System in Upland Farms of Hokkaido

Weed-control effects on different types of cover-crop mulches

A field experiment was conducted during the period 2002–2006 at the Experimental Farm in Zawady, located in the mid-eastern part of Poland, to evaluate the effect of date of mulch ploughing down (autumn, spring, left till cabbage harvest) and the plant mulches [phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth.), vetch (Vicia sativa L.), serradella (Ornithopus sativus), and oat (Avena sativa L.)] on the weed pressure in red cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata L. f. rubra) in the first and onion (Allium cepa L. var. cepa Helm.) in the second year after mulching. The biomass yield of plant mulches, total cabbage and onion yields, and biomass and number of weeds before planting and harvest of cabbage and before sowing and harvest of onion were assessed. Weed infestation was determined by the quantitative-weighting method. The biomass yields of phacelia and oat amounted to 26.6 and 24.8 t·ha−1, respectively, and were almost 2.5-times higher than biomass yields of serradella and vetch. The average cabbage and onion yields were 45.8 and 41.9 t·ha−1, respectively. The yields of vegetables following mulches were higher than the yields recorded in the unmulched control. The weed species most often found in the experiment were Viola arvensis Murr., Capsella bursa pastoris, Matricaria indora L., Chenopodium album L., and Stellaria media (L.) Vill. Of the examined dates of mulch ploughing down, the spring-incorporated mulches were most effective in reducing the number of weeds in cabbage whereas the nonincorporated mulches showed such an effect in onion. Nonlegumes (phacelia and oat) used as mulch produced higher fresh biomass yields than did vetch and serradella. Oat and phacelia mulches significantly reduced the fresh biomass and number of weeds before cabbage planting. Additionally, oat mulch reduced the fresh biomass of weeds before cabbage harvest. Also, oat and phacelia mulches reduced the number of weeds before onion harvest.

Basic Study on the Determination of Cabbage Harvest Maturity by Compression Method

Basic Study on the Determination of Cabbage Harvest Maturity by Compression Method

Development of robotic cabbage harvester (Part 2)

Development of robotic cabbage harvester (Part 2)

Development of robotic cabbage harvester (Part 1)

Development of robotic cabbage harvester (Part 1)

Development of a Chinese Cabbage Harvester (Part 3)

Development of a Chinese Cabbage Harvester (Part 3)

Development of a Chinese Cabbage Harvester (Part 1)

Development of a Chinese Cabbage Harvester (Part 1)

SPATIAL VARIABILITY OF NITRATE IN CABBAGE AND NITRATE-N IN SOIL

Long-term use of excessive nitrogen fertilizer contributes to the accumulation of nitrate-N in soil and, in turn, can lead to excessive accumulation of nitrate in vegetable crops. Better understanding of the spatial variability of soil nitrate-N and vegetable nitrate can provide a basis for site-specific soil nutrient management and for rational nitrogen fertilization rates combined with balanced fertilization for high quality, high yield vegetable production. This study was conducted to determine spatial variability characteristics of soil nitrate-N (NO 3 - -N) and nitrate (NO 3 - ) in cabbage and their interrelationship in a 55-ha vegetable production area using traditional statistics and geostatistics. The study area comprised 182 farm plots belonging to six production groups (recorded as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th, and 8th groups). A total of 217 soil samples 0-20 cm in depth were collected on a 50 × 50-m grid in the study area before cabbage seeding. Prior to the cabbage harvest, 217 samples of edible cabbage parts were collected at sites corresponding to the soil sampling locations. The history of vegetable production at all of the soil sampling sites-including varieties, rotations, and fertilizer use-was surveyed, and soil nitrate-N and cabbage nitrate were measured. The spatial variability structure of nitrate content in cabbage and nitrate-N content in soil increased at first and then decreased with increasing separation distance. The spatial correlation ranges for cabbage nitrate contents and soil nitrate-N contents were 305.0 and 165.0 m, respectively, indicating the existence of significant spatial continuity in nitrate in cabbage and nitrate-N in soil. Notable spatial distribution comparability was observed in the contents of nitrate in cabbage and nitrate-N in soil. The contents of nitrate in edible cabbage parts and nitrate-N in soil were higher in most areas of Group 2 and Group 7 than in Group 1, Group 3, and Group 4; the contents were relatively lower in most areas of Group 8. Spatial variability of nitrate in cabbage was correlated positively with nitrate-N in soil (R 2 = 0.413**, n = 217), whereas soil nitrogen-N contents were closely correlated with vegetable production history and nitrogen fertilizer application rates.

Control of Soft Rot after Harvest of Cabbage in Indonesia

The highland of West Java is the main cabbage producing district of Indonesia. Soft rot sometimes occurs and causes severe damage because of high air temperature and poor transport technology. Therefore, it was examined to develop simple and low-cost improved methods to control the occurrence of soft rot after the harvest of cabbages. Consequently, drying was recognized as one of the important factors to control soft rot. The cement treatment to the cut end is being used in Indonesia at present and was an effective way of suppressing soft rot. Drying the cut end is thought to contribute to greatly improving the control effect. Furthermore, keeping cabbage indoors for more than one day after the harvest was a more simple and easy way to prevent the occurrence of soft rot.

Development and Utilization of a New Mechanized Cabbage Harvesting System for Large Fields

In establishing a technology system for labor saving in cabbage production, the most important issues are streamlining harvesting, reducing the work load, and reducing the amount of time required. We developed a mechanized trailer-supported harvesting system for cabbage growers in upland field areas. The system will benefit family-managed farms. The system, which requires only three people to operate, consists of a harvester, remote-controlled tractor, and a trailer, where the cabbage can be processed, boxed and palletized. We investigated the suitability of this system from the point of work efficiency, ergonomics, and farm management through trials on a commercial farm. This article presents the results of the field tests of the system.

Automatic Cabbage Feeding, Piling, and Unloading System for Tractor Implemented Chinese Cabbage Harvester

Since Chinese cabbages weigh 3 to 5kgf and are big in size at the time of harvest, handling operations such as harvesting, loading and unloading including transportation require the highest labor demand among all other cultivation processes. Recently, though several cabbage harvesters were developed in Japan and Europe, those harvesters were not suitable for Chinese cabbages cultivated in Korea because of the size and shape. To compromise system expenses and function, Semi-automatic cabbage piling and pallet unloading mechanism was devised and it required one labor. The foldable mesh pallet with a size of 1050mm × 1050mm × 1000mm and holding capacity of around 70 cabbages was utilized. The prototype for piling and unloading mechanism was composed of three parts such as feeding device, automatic piling device with retractable bellows, and pallet unloading device. Prior to developing the prototype, the geometric properties and the amount of the damage of the cabbage caused during the riling operation were investigated. Considering the height of the pallet, a series of cabbage carrying plates were mounted to the bracket chain to lift and to carry cabbages to the loading device. Indoor laboratory experiments showed that the cabbage carrying chain conveyor worked successfully. Considering the conveying speed 0.46m/sec of the pull up belt from the cabbages on the ground, the speed of cabbage carrying chain conveyor worked property in the range of 0.26m/sec to 0.36m/sec. The system allowed the operator to modify the position of cabbage slightly. Overall system worked successfully resulting into almost same capacity without severe damage to the cabbage as human did.

Pengaruh Dosis Nitrogen dan Kalium terhadap Produksi dan Mutu Tembakau Temanggung pada Tumpang Sisip Kubis - Tembakau di Pujon Malang

The experiment were carried out to determine the effect of N and K on growth, yield and quality of Temanggung tobacco grown intercropped with cabbage at Pujon, Malang. The factorial design with randomized block in five replications were used. Cabbage were planted from February-May, 1992 where as tobacco intercropped in April-September 1993. Three levels of nitrogen from Ammonium Sulphate namely 30 kg N/ha (N1), 60 (N2) and 90 kg N/ha (N3), while Potassium from Potassium Sulphate of 0, 50 and 100 kg K2O/ha were the treatment. Cabbage were fertilization at the rate of 390 kg N/ha and 780 kg P2O5/ha without K fertilization. The first tobacco fertilizations were done at a day after cabbage harvest when tobacco at 16 days old, the half dosages of N and full dosages of K were applied. Other half of N were applied when tobacco at 30 days old. The nitrogen did increase top leaf length, 10 leaf width, fresh yield and N content of Temanggung tobacco of variety of Genjah Kemloko. The potassium did increase quality index and crop index significantly. The N and K interactions is likewise influenced significantly the quality and crop indexes. The maximum leaf length and leaf width were obtained from 90 kg N/ha treatment, whereas highest quality and crop indexes obtained from 30 kg N/ha (N1) and 100 kg K2O/ha (K1) treatments. Highest N content of 3.707% were detected from 90 kg N/ha treatments.

Development of a Chinese Cabbage Harvester (Part 2)

Development of a Chinese Cabbage Harvester (Part 2)

冬穫りキャベツの凍害発生および耐凍性獲得におよぼす気温の影響

It has been known that the occurrence of head rot is due to the multiplication of bacteria on cabbage which is pre-disposed by cold injury.Relations among the bacterial head rot on cabbage harvesting in winter at the Miura Peninsula and the meteorological elements in growing period were investigated from 1983 to 1992 except 1987. Percentage or index of head rot occurrence were determined using from 500 cabbage plants in each year. The meteorological data were obtained from AMeDAS (automated meteorological data acquisition system) data observing in Miura city.The cold hardiness of the third leaf from outside of the head was investigated during harvesting time for 2 years. Cold hardiness, using ‘LT50’ (equation 2 and 3) which determines the frost-killing temperature required to kill 50% of the cells of cabbage leaves which were under the condition of low temperatures (-5, -7.5 and -10°C) for 2 hours in low temperature water bath were calculated.The results obtained as follows:1. There were high correlations between the air temperature in the middle of November and the head rot occurrence in cabbage. The higher the mean air temperature in the middle of November than the normal, the higher the head rot occurrence.2. There were no relation between the duration of sunshine or the amount of precipitation and the head rot occurrence in cabbage.3. The time of increased cold hardiness of cabbage leaves was not the same. However, the lowest ‘LT50’ was about -10°C in each year.4. There were correlations between ‘LT50’ and the accumulated daily mean air temperature for over 4 days. The difference of ‘LT50’ was more than 4°C during harvesting time, because of the differences in the mean daily air temperature when the cabbage were harvested.5. These results indicates that if the mean air temperature in the middle of November was higher than normal, the countermeasure by covering cabbage is necessary.