Soil Clods Research Articles

A New Spiral Potato Cleaner to Enhance the Removal of Impurities and Soil Clods in Potato Harvesting

Sustainability in the agricultural field suggests the conservation and maintenance of a natural environment of soil. Nevertheless, in the potato production chain, the mechanized harvest is carried out with the concurring removal of impurities and fertile soil. The authors have developed a new spiral potato cleaner which is able to capture and efficiently remove soil lumps of various sizes and shapes, as well as various plant residues. Theoretical and experimental studies have been performed on this soil clod cleaner to determine the structural and kinematic parameters that provide efficient capturing, motion and sifting down of the soil, through the gaps between the helices of its cleaning spirals. An analytical description of the motion of the clod of soil has been made and a system of differential equations has been compiled, whose numerical solution made it possible to determine the indicated reasonable operative parameters of the developed spiral potato cleaner. The results of the experimental research confirmed those ones obtained through the numerical solution of the mathematical model, i.e., rational angular speed ω of the rotation of the spirals from 20.0 to 30.0 rad s−1 and the radius R of spirals between 0.12 and 0.15 m.

Effect of Different Agroecosystem on Earthworm Diversity in Azaguié Locality (Côte d'Ivoire)

In most terrestrial ecosystems, earthworms are considered to be excellent bioindicators of biodiversity and soil quality. However, their diversity and abundance encountered depend on the systems considered and on the anthropic pressure exerted. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of a land use on the earthworm community. Earthworms were collected in TSBF (Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility) type monoliths by the direct manual sorting method in three types of farms (fallow, rubber plantation and mangosteen plantation) in the locality of Azaguié. Measurements of the physicochemical parameters of the soil, in particular, the total organic carbon level, the organic matter rate, the nitrogen rate, the conductivity, the hydrogen potential (pH) and the total phosphorus were carried out at the Laboratory Central of Agrochemistry and Ecotoxicology (LCAE) from 200 g of clod of soil sampled in different monoliths. These studies showed that in all the plots analyzed, the endogeic polyhumic worms presented the highest densities while the epigeic detritivorous worms presented the lowest densities. The distribution of earthworms in the mangosteen plot was homogeneous, unlike that of the other plots. However, the physico-chemical parameters of the soils were higher in the fallow. The canonical correspondence analysis carried out to assess the relationship between the variability of the earthworm density of the plots and the physicochemical parameters measured showed that the physicochemical parameters measured explained only a substantial part of this distribution of earthworms while the other part is possibly linked to other environmental factors.

ТИПЫ РАБОЧИХ ОРГАНОВ ОБОРУДОВАНИЯ ДЛЯ ВЫКОПКИ ПОСАДОЧНОГО МАТЕРИАЛА С ПОЧВЕННЫМ КОМОМ

An analysis of the types of working tools used in serially produced equipment for digging large planting material with a soil clod has been carried out. The advantages and disadvantages of arcuate and segmental knives of lifting ma-chines have been evaluated from the point of view of working conditions, energy intensity of the working process and the shape of the soil clod dug out.

The theoretical substantiation of the roller diameter of a versatile tillage implement

The paper is devoted to a soil compacting implement. To improve the quality of soil cultivation before sowing, a versatile tillage tool has been designed which consists of a frame, loosening and leveling rollers, and rods with springs. The versatility of the implement lies in the fact that it can be used in combination with disc harrows, cultivators, grain seeders and units for the main moldboard or non-moldboard tillage. Theoretical studies have demonstrated that when the hollow cylinder of the roller interacts with a clod of soil, two normal forces N 1 and N 2 arise. The resulting force N = N 1 + N 2 tends to push the soil clod out of the clearance area between the hollow cylinder and the surface of the field in the direction of the positive part of the Ox axis. The friction force F 2 arises between the surfaces of the soil clod and the soil and the force F 1 between the surface of the hollow cylinder and the soil. The resulting frictional force F = F 1 + F 2 is directed opposite the movement direction (rotation) of the leveling roller. Preliminary theoretical calculations showed that the minimum diameter of the hollow cylinder should be at least 0.35 m, and the height of the annular compacting components and pointed rippers should not exceed 6 cm. Then the total outer diameter of the leveling roller will be 0.47 m. It was proven in the course of theoretical studies that the minimum diameter of the hollow cylinder of the leveling roller depends on the quantity hcm of the soil compaction, the maximum size of soil clods left after the pass of the loosening roller, and the physical and mechanical properties of the soil.

Theoretical research of the work of technological equipment for lifting large planting material with a soil clod

Large woody plants are a promising type of planting material for use in landscaping and forestry. The most labor-intensive technological operation in the process of growing them is lifting. To increase efficiency, this type of work must be performed using special equipment. The aim of the study is to study the process of plantlets lifting with a soil clod based on mathematical modeling methods to determine the optimal design parameters of lifting equipment developed by the authors. For a theoretical study of the equipment working process, a mathematical description of the interaction of the digging working tool with the soil-plant environment is carried out. The research work with the model consisted in the implementation of computer experiments to solve the compiled differential equation of the working tool motion around a fixed axis. Moreover, within the framework of changing the parameters of the working tool and the medium being processed, the dependences of the moments created by the driving forces and resistance forces are recorded. According to the results of the study, patterns of changes in the power characteristics of the digging process were established depending on the parameters of the working tool and the soil-plant environment.

The experimental determination of the diameter of a flat disk in a ridge seeder

The article gives an outline of the development of a method for sowing row crops and the design of a ridge seeder for its implementation. The use of the latter makes it possible to carry out the pre-sowing cultivation in one pass, the sowing of seeds in a moist soil layer on a compacted bed. It also helps to form a soil hummock of the required size above the seeds and by rolling the soil hummock from three sides one can finally form a ridge of the soil of the required size and density. The optimal diameter of a flat disc of the working part in the ridge seeder has been theoretically and experimentally substantiated proceeding from the conditions of its reliable rotation in the soil with minimal sliding and rolling resistance, as well as cutting soil clods, weeds and pushing the soil from the inter-row space on to the sown seeds.

Semantic segmentation: A modern approach for identifying soil clods in precision farming

Clod identification and determination of aggregate size distribution have undeniable importance in tillage operations, it affects other missions in the field regarding the energy issue. The objective of the study is accurate identification of clods based on a state-of-the-art method entitled semantic segmentation. In this regard, a deep network in the domain of deep learning was used. As the shape of clods on the surface of the ground is often irregular, object detection algorithms are unable to determine the boundary and, they only put a bounding box around the objects. Thus, there is a gap in this regard with deep learning based semantic segmentation filling this gap properly. In order to identify soil clods and compute their various geometrical specifications in different sizes and then to deal with the clods according to required action in variable-rate applicators, VGG16, which is a deep model, was used for implementing the semantic segmentation task. RGB images obtained from a stereo camera were used for feeding the proposed model as stereo cameras are relatively robust to the ambient light conditions and provide high resolution data in real field conditions. The pixels in each image of the dataset were divided into five groups of clod size, based on the equivalent diameter of each clod. These image pixels were labeled for training the network and extracting the required features. Finally, different soil clods were segmented and classified. A classical watershed segmentation was applied and the deep model was also trained in binary setting to evaluate the performance of the deep model and the results of the binary segmentations were compared. The mean accuracy and mean intersection over union (IoU) of the binary semantic segmentation reached 89.09% and 80.50%, respectively. Also, the watershed segmentation yielded 85.17% and 72.01%, for the same metrics. These results indicated that the semantic segmentation used in this study has significant advantages over the conventional watershed segmentation method.

Laser-based 3D microscopic gauging of soil aggregate coating thickness and volume

In structured soils, clay-organic coatings are spatially distributed along macropore surfaces. Information on thickness and volume of coating material is essential for macropore-matrix mass exchange of water and solutes. However, their determination is difficult and fraught with uncertainty due to irregular shapes of macropore surfaces. The objective of this study was to test the use of a three-dimensional (3D) confocal laser scanning microscope for gauging soil macropore coatings. For this test, coating material was manually separated from the surface of intact soil clods (5 cm edge length) sampled from Bt horizons (with illuvial clay) of till-derived and loess-derived Haplic Luvisols. The resulting coating thicknesses ranged between approx. 0.1 and 0.5 mm and volumes between 0.057 and 2.9 mm3 with mean densities of 1.96 g cm−3 for loess-derived and 2.67 g cm−3 for till-derived coatings. The 3D laser microscopic method yielded data based on micro-topographic information. The key benefits of the 3D confocal laser scanning microscope are the information on the mm-scale spatial distribution of coating thickness and bulk density. These additional parameters of the clod surface or aggregate micro-topography can be useful for improved quantification of accessibility of sorption surfaces and for describing macropore-matrix mass transfer of reactive solutes.

Abrasion of soil clods with different textures and moisture contents in sand flow environment

Abstract Abrasion is an important but complicated and fundamental process in soil wind erosion. To determine the relationship between the abrasion mass (AM) of soil clod and sand transport rate (q), and to investigate the influences of clod characteristics including moisture content, geometry, and soil texture on AM and on clod abrasion resistance, we conducted soil clod abrasion experiments in a wind tunnel. The soils types were aeolian sandy soil, loess soil, chestnut soil, and brown calcic soil, respectively. The abraders were the same soil as used for making the target clods. We found that moisture content obviously influenced AM, and the AM variation at relatively high friction velocity (u∗ = 0.44, 0.52, and 0.60 m∙s−1) showed different trends from those at lower u∗ (0.31 and 0.37 m∙s−1). For dry clods of each soil type, AM of the hexagonal prism clod was greater than that of cylindrical clod, but for moist clods, AM of the two geometries differed among soil types. We developed an AM prediction equation which mainly accounts for the mean particle size (d) and u∗. Using the abrasion coefficient (AC) as the abrasion resistance index, dry clods of the loess soil showed the strongest resistance, followed by clods of an aeolian sandy soil, chestnut soil, and brown calcic soil. However, AC could not quantitatively predict the resistance of moist clods.

Tilling tests of rotary tiller and power harrow after subsoiling

Soil preparation is one of the most energy-consuming activities in plant production. To reduce the operating cost and the soil compaction effect, researchers have tried to decrease the number of machinery passes required for soil preparation, including using a rotary tiller and a power harrow as potential devices to incorporate with a subsoiler. In this study, field tilling tests were conducted using a rotary tiller and a power harrow under with- and without-subsoiling beforehand. The results in the field without subsoiling beforehand showed that both the rotary tiller and power harrow had mean negative drafts of −4.31 and −1.98 kN, respectively. The rotary tiller showed mean negative slip of −1.09% while the power harrow showed mean positive slip of 2.40%. The negative slip implied an amount of surplus thrust to push a tractor moving forward. The rotary tiller generated upward vertical force while the power harrow resulted in downward vertical force. In the field tilling tests after subsoiling, the rotary tiller in the loam soil field still produced a mean negative draft of −1.36 kN and mean negative slip of −0.70%. The power harrow resulted in a mean positive draft of 3.83 kN and mean positive slip of 0.68%. However, with a relatively hard surface of sandy loam soil field, the rotary tiller had a mean positive draft of 1.59 kN and could till down only about a half of its maximum working depth capacity while the power harrow still worked at about its maximum depth. It was observed the bouncing movement of the rotary tiller rather than successful penetration of the soil. The power harrow seemed to produce a smaller mean soil clod diameter than the rotary tiller. The proposed equation may be useful to quantify the amount of surplus thrust generated by the rotary tiller and power harrow; however, further research is needed to improve the fit of the equation to the data.

PM2.5 and PM10 emissions by abrasion of agricultural soils

Abrasion of soil clods by wind erosion is one process contributing to fine particulate emissions, which degrades air quality. Little is known about the abrasion process that generates and emits particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) or those less than 10 μm (PM10). Both PM2.5 and PM10 are regulated by the US-Environmental Protection Agency as health hazards. We used a laboratory wind tunnel to study the abrasion induced emissions of 15 aggregated soils from across the U.S. We subjected aggregated soils in trays as well as sets of aggregates placed on the wind tunnel floor to abrader sand (0.29 to 0.42 mm diameter) blown at 13 m s−1. PM2.5 and PM10 emissions were found to vary by soil type. Sandy soils had the poorest aggregation as well as lowest primary fine particulate contents and were found to have the greatest abrasion coefficients (AC) and highest emission of PM2.5 and PM10 under abrasion. By contrast, soils higher in clay had lower AC and emissions under abrasion. In addition, five of the soils tested had long-term histories of both conventional tillage (CT) and no-till (NT) management for paired comparisons of emission based on CT and NT managements. CT management tended to show higher AC values and greater abrasion emissions compared to NT management for the same soil, although only three of five management pairs were significant. Dry aggregate stability parameters were found to have an exponential relationship to AC with break force being a better AC predictor (R2 = 0.936) than dry stability (R2 = 0.894). We also developed equations that predict PM2.5 emissions as a fraction of PM10 emissions for aggregated soils (R2 = 0.932) and individual aggregates alone (R2 = 0.854). This research contributes to the understanding and prediction of PM2.5 and PM10 emission through the abrasion process.

Macropore–matrix mass transfer of reactive solutes quantified by fluorescence imaging

AbstractHorizontal infiltration experiments with a fluorescent dye (e.g., Na‐fluorescein) potentially allow the quantification of the macropore–matrix mass transfer of reactive solutes through coated macropore surfaces. The objectives were (a) to determine the movement and map the spatial mass distributions of a reactive and fluorescent dye (i.e., Na‐fluorescein) at the millimeter scale during horizontal tracer application to the intact structural surface of a soil aggregate, and (b) to validate the method by comparing total masses as quantified with Fluorescence imaging with total applied dye masses. For the quantification of dissolved masses of dye, millimeter‐scaled distributed water contents obtained from horizontal flow simulation using Hydrus‐1D were multiplied with mapped dye solution concentrations. The spatial distribution of dye concentrations was visualized and quantified with a fluorescence imaging technique at a pixel resolution length of ∼100 μm. Submillimeter‐scaled distribution maps of adsorbed dye concentrations were derived using the calibrated Freundlich adsorption model. The sorption isotherm predicted that most of the dye was adsorbed to soil. In total, 1,366 μg of dye was transferred through the coated matrix block, of which 1,181 μg was adsorbed to soil. The applicability of the method was validated by comparing applied and recovered Na‐fluorescein masses, which corresponded relatively closely. Although the test of the approach presented here was limited by uncertainties regarding the local distributions of water contents and bulk density, the method could be applied to map two‐dimensional horizontal distributions of dye in an intact soil clod for quantifying macropore–matrix mass transfer of the reactive solute.

АГРОТЕХНИЧЕСКАЯ И ЭНЕРГЕТИЧЕСКАЯ ОЦЕНКА МАШИН ДЛЯ НАРЕЗКИ ГРЯД И ГРЕБНЕЙ

The authors propose a method for the assessment the energy effi ciency of soil cultivation machines for forming seedbeds and ridges when growing potatoes, Jerusalem artichoke and other vegetables, taking into account the relationship between agrotechnical and energy indicators. The paper describes the results of comparative fi eld tests of tillage machines with diff erent working tools for the same type of technological processes. It is advisable to use the indicator of the unit power consumption, referred to the average diameter of soil clods. The indicator of specifi c power per average clod diameter for the FGF-1 rotary tiller amounted to 4.0...4.3 kW/mm, for the GPK-2 rotary tiller – 3.3...4.3 kW/mm, and for the KG-1 ridge cultivator – 2.6...3.2 kW/mm. The required power for operation of the cultivator with passive working tools at the maximum possible speed is 5...15% lower, however, the GPK-2 and FGF-1 tillers with active working tools demonstrated higher agrotechnical indicators. For cutting ridges on pre-planting treatment of loamy soil of a medium and heavy mechanical composition, it is recommended to use a rotary cultivator FGF-1, for cutting ridges – a rotary tiller GPK-2. On pre-planting ridging and post-planting inter-row cultivation of light loamy soil the KG-1 tiller with passive working tools is a more preferable solution

Innovative Deflector Soil-Cultivating Paw

When planting, most planters coulters enter the ground from the top. They meet hard clods of soil, jump, changing the depth of planting seeds. Some seeds are thrown to the surface. As a result, the sowing germination, as well as yield, decreases. ( Research purpose ) To develop an innovative soil-cultivating pointed paw, eliminating the rejection of soil and the formation of unevenness of the surface, as well as increasing the productivity of the cultivator. ( Materials and methods ) The authors determined the setting parameters of the developed deflector pointed paw with the involvement of mathematical device and taking into account the requirements for the working bodies of soil-cultivating units. ( Results and discussion ) The authors developed an innovative deflector pointed paw. A triangular deflector was placed over the ploughshare. They determined the optimal angle of deflector inclination in the horizontal plane-15-25 degrees, and the height of the installation of the pointed paw over the blade- in 1.5 times above the depth of soil cultivation. It was found that the rear part of the deflector, which has a serrated shape and curved down, allows to grind the soil, forming a small-lumpy structure. It was shown that the soil, moving along the deflector, in collision with the curved part returns to the surface, closing and leveling the formed furrow. The triangular shape of the rack between the ploughshare and the deflector significantly reduces the clogging of coulters with plant residues. ( Conclusions ) The authors proved that the leveled soil surface with a finely lumpy structure of the top layer can be obtained using a deflector pointed paw, which eliminates the use of rollers. This reduces the material consumption of the cultivator, fuel consumption, and productivity increases by 50 percent as a result of increasing the speed of soil cultivation to 18 kilometers per hour.

Fluorescence imaging for mm-scale observation of macropore-matrix mass transfer: Calibration experiments

Macropores are important for gas, water, and heat movement in soils. Still, the transfer of water and solutes through the interface between macropore and matrix like the walls of biopores is less understood. For mass-exchange processes and water storage in soil aggregates, relatively small sizes and volumes limit the analysis of distributed interface properties including the permeability for water or air. Photo-based imaging techniques could perhaps be used to trace the movement of sorbing chemicals at such smaller scale similarly as for larger soil profiles. The objective was to test the suitability of Na-Fluorescein (i.e., fluorescein di sodium salt) for marking small-scaled flow and transport processes through surfaces of biopore walls and coated soil aggregates and for determining water and reactive solute mass exchange.Fluorescence imaging was carried out using fluorescence spectrometer (for aqueous solutions) and a uv/vis photo-based imaging technique for soil and intact biopore and aggregate surfaces of soil samples from the Bt-horizon of a haplic Luvisol. For calibration, a linear relation between fluorescence intensity and initial Na-Fluorescein concentrations could be used for aqueous solutions up to a concentration of 100 mg L−1 Na-Fluorescein. The fluorescence intensities of homogenized soil samples were used to determine the amount of sorbed dye at equilibrium.After calibration, the photo-based imaging technique allows determining mm-scale maps of dye concentrations at intact soil surfaces in both, the dissolved and sorbed fraction of the dye. Uncertainties are caused mainly by effects of fluorescent soil organic carbon that is heterogeneously distributed at biopore wall surfaces. The results suggest that sorption of the dye mostly occurs in the soil region next to the macropore surface. A few high concentration spots at greater distances could be an indication for rapid tracer movement along root channels suggesting occurrence of non-uniform flow and transport even at the scale of soil clods and aggregates.The method seems promising for a small-scale analysis of macropore-matrix exchange of reactive solutes.

Specific energy requirements and soil pulverization of a combined tillage implement

Reducing energy use in soil preparation has become increasingly important since it is a major cost in planting. Experiments were conducted with a combined tillage implement consisting of a subsoiler and a rotary harrow to reduce the cost due to step reduction in soil preparation. Three tillage operations, two forward speeds, and two rotational rotor speeds were determined as input factors in this study. Soil clod size, performance parameters, and the specific energy requirements of a combined tillage implement were investigated. The field experiments were using two different soil conditions. Increasing the rotor speed from 299 to 526 rpm decreased the mean soil clod diameter at a depth of 0–200 mm from 22.98 to 19.83 mm and from 31.77 to 26.57 mm for fields 1 and 2, respectively. The specific energy requirement was affected significantly by rotor speed and tillage operation. The specific energy requirements for the combined tillage implement with an on-frame pivot joint and an on-pivotable-shank joint were less by 10.4 and 21.1% and by 18.4 and 24.7%, for fields 1 and 2, respectively, compared to the total power requirement for the separate use of a subsoiler and a rotary harrow.

Kinematic analysis of rotary harrows

This article presents the kinematic analysis of the tine motion of a rotary harrow. In particular, it analyses the trajectories that the tines describe when they are pulled by the motion of the tractor and rotated by the rotors. This analysis, has led to the identification of the parameters that influence the motion of the tines and how these parameters intervene in the secondary tillage. The interaction between the tines and the soil is evaluated considering a plastic soil, i.e. without any cleavage and its propagation. With this hypothesis, the dimensions of the soil clods created by the passage of the tines in the soil have been analysed. The trajectories described by the tines of the machine, and therefore the dimensions of the portions of worked or unworked soil, are influenced by the operating parameters of the soil tillage process, such as the tractor speed and the angular speed of the tines themselves. Furthermore, a contribution is also given by the geometric parameters of the machine, such as the rotor radius and the geometric configuration of the rotary harrow in terms of rotor arrangement. This study is based on the creation of a mathematical model of the trajectories of the tines of a rotary harrow during soil tillage. The model is parametric and makes it possible to simulate and optimise the tillage process. The approach adopted also makes it possible to visualise the trajectories in graphic form for an easy visual interpretation of the results.

Droplet size and physicochemical property effects on herbicide efficacy of pre-emergence herbicides in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr).

Unlike post-emergence herbicides (POSTs), little is known about droplet size effect on pre-emergence herbicide (PRE) efficacy. Four nozzle types were used to apply different PRE herbicides on eight soybean fields in Missouri and Mississippi in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Pendimethalin, metribuzin, clomazone, imazethapyr and pyroxasulfone were selected based on their physicochemical characteristics (adsorption, volatility and solubility) and were sprayed using XR11002, ULD12002, TTI6011002, and TTI11002 nozzles. The XR nozzle produced the smallest droplet size (DV0.5 ), 204 μm, followed by the ULD, TTI60 and TTI with DV0.5 of 468, 646, and 794 μm, respectively. Droplet size, spray coverage, nozzle type or physicochemical characteristics showed no effect on PRE herbicide efficacy, except in the Monroe County, MS, field, with pendimethalin. The TTI60 twin fan nozzle enhanced pendimethalin weed control (up to 91%) in comparison with pendimethalin sprayed with the TTI nozzle (64%), in a high organic matter (OM) soil composed of large soil clods and high weed pressure. It was hypothesized that improved herbicide penetration assisted by the TTI60 dual fan pattern increased herbicide-moisture contact and clod coverage by the herbicide. Under soils with higher OM content (>2%) pendimethalin weed control was reduced. In soils with low OM (<0.7%), low cation exchange capacity (CEC) (<13.1%) and rainfall of 12.2mm within 3days after application, metribuzin also resulted in reduced weed control. The results indicate that droplet size does not affect PRE herbicide efficacy regardless of physicochemical herbicide properties including adsorption, volatility and solubility. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Assessing Topsoil Movement in Rotary Harrowing Process by RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) Technique

Harrowing is a process that reduces the size of soil clods and prepares the field for seeding. Rotary harrows are a common piece of equipment in North Italy that consists of teeth rotating around a vertical axis with a processing depth of 5–15 cm. In this study, the topsoil movement in terms of distance and direction were estimated at different rotary harrow working conditions. A total of eight tests was performed using two forward speeds of 1 and 3 km/h, two working depths of 6 and 10 cm and two levelling bar positions of 0 and 10 cm from the ground. In order to simulate and follow topsoil movement, Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tags were inserted into cork stoppers and distributed in a regular pattern over the soil. Tags were distributed in six lines along the working width and repeated in three rows for each test: a total number of 144 tags was tracked. Results showed that there were no significant differences between the performed tests, on the other hand the reported tests highlight the effectiveness of the RFID monitoring approach.

Object-Based Point Cloud Analysis for Landslide and Erosion Monitoring

Today point clouds from close-range sensing are used for operational erosion and landslide monitoring. Distances between points from multi-temporal acquisitions can indicate surface deformation, while a designation of the underlying geomorphological processes is often handicapped by complex terrain structures and vegetation. We present an approach to landslide monitoring that integrates semantic information and three-dimensional deformation detection automatically. Surface changes are assigned to (i) semantic object classes (landslide scarp, eroded area, deposit) and (ii) to spatially contiguous, individual objects (like parts of the landslide scarp and moving clods of turf and soil). We demonstrate this object-based approach with a time series of 13 topographic Light Detection and Ranging point clouds, covering a site affected by shallow landsliding. The results of this case study illustrate how the presented methods translate the unstructured point clouds into information on geomorphological process dynamics to support erosion and landslide assessment.