Floor Management Systems Research Articles

ORCHARD FACTORS AFFECTING TREE PRODUCTIVITY AND MITE INFESTATIONS IN ARKANSAS

Twelve apple orchards and an experimental orchard were evaluated in 2 years for weed population and diversity, primary pests (codling moth, oriental fruit moth, plum curculio and mites), primary diseases, soil water content, and 37 horticultural attributes describing tree growth, fruit growth, productivity, tree nutrition, and management intensity. Data were collected at 2 week intervals. The experimental orchard contained three apple cultivars grown in three orchard floor management systems. Increased weed ground cover related to earlier and increased mite predator populations in trees, decreased pest mite-days, but reduced tree and fruit growth. Grass weed species appeared more detrimental to tree growth than broadleaf species. Tree training intensity was negatively related to canopy density, and incidence of pests and diseases. Reductions in fruit size and quality were more closely linked to weed competition, and earliness and degree of pest mite infestation than to crop load.

COMPETITIVE VEGETATIVE ORCHARD COVERS REDUCE PEACH ROOTING

Peach trees (`Biscoe'/Lovell) were planted in March, 1988 in ten different ground cover management systems. The trees were planted at the Sandhills Research Station in Southeastern North Carolina on a Candor sand and Eunola sandy loam. In December, 1991 the trench profile method was used to evaluate root distribution under the six orchard floor management systems of nimblewill, bare ground control, centipedegrass, brome, bahiagrass, and weedy control. Trenches were dug parallel to the tree row 60 cm from the center of the row on both sides of the tree. Grids 1 meter square, sectioned into 10 cm squares, were placed on the profile walls and root distribution (in three size categories) was recorded for 1 meter on each side of the tree in each trench. Root numbers were greatly reduced under the vegetative covers that provided the greatest suppression of vegetative tree growth. Total root densities under the trees in the vegetative covers were ranked into three size categories which were correlated with the amount of vegetative tree growth.

Similarity of Peach Bud Development and Cold Hardiness in Orchards with Different Floor Management Practices

Abstract Orchard floor management has been found to affect the microclimate both seasonally (4) and on radiation frost nights (1, 3). Altering orchard climates by floor management could potentially modify bud hardiness and development due to radiative and convective heat transfer from the soil to the bud. However, information is unavailable to support this contention. This study was designed to investigate peach bud development and hardiness under two different orchard floor management systems.

Orchard floor management utilizing soil-applied coal dust for frost protection. Part I. Potential microclimate modification on radiation frost nights

Little is known of the microclimate differences in orchards posed by different floor management systems. Comparisons were made of microclimatic factors on eight radiation frost nights in the spring of 1986 between two adjacent 1.4 ha peach ( Prunus persica ( l.) Batsch) plots in the Shenandoah Valley of West Virginia. The two plots were under different floor management systems; one plot with a complete grass cover (grass plot) and the other plot consisted of alternating 3-m-wide soil, 3-m-wide grass strips with coal dust applied to the soil strip of the tree row (coal dust plot). The net radiative flux ( R n) on radiation frost nights from the coal dust plot was 10–15 W m −2 lower (greater radiative loss) than from the grass plot. Only 50% of this R n difference in the early morning hours at the beginning of this study was accounted for by the soil heat flux ( G) difference. However, G accounted for an increased percentage of the R n difference in the early morning hours as the study progressed, reaching 100% at approximately 30 days from the commencement of this study. Differences of 0.5 and 1°C were found in bud and air temperatures, respectively, between plots, with bud temperature differences predicted by the Landsberg et al. model agreeing well with measured differences. Because the differences in R n and G were nearly equal during radiation frost nights, it is apparent that little of the energy liberated by the soil was intercepted by the canopy. Provided a means of trapping the energy from the soil in the canopy can be devised, a potential 2–3°C difference in canopy temperature may be realized between these floor management systems for the site studied. These differences in canopy temperature, however, would be site-specific due to the effect of aspect, slope, relative position on slope, and vegetation on solar energy partitioning. A greater potential in utilizing soil management for frost protection may exist in other regions where orchard floors are devoid of vegetation and the soil treated area can be expanded.

Sunflower Meals in Pullet Developer Diets

Two experiments were conducted with egg strain replacement pullets from the ages of 12 weeks (Experiment 1) or 8 weeks (Experiment 2) to 20 weeks of age to evaluate the replacement value of sunflower meal for soybean meal. Sunflower meal with or without lysine, and with lysine and methionine completely replaced soybean meal.In Experiment 1, two sunflower meals (28 and 34% protein) were used. The addition of lysine to either of the two sunflower meals failed to improve growth or feed efficiency. When birds were housed in cages, the diets utilizing 28% protein meal produced pullets smaller and less efficient than did the other diets. This effect was not observed when the floor management system was used.In Experiment 2, only one sunflower meal (34% protein) was used. The additions of methionine, or lysine, or both to sunflower meal did not improve the weight gains. However, from 8 to 12 weeks, the addition of lysine alone and the combination of lysine and methionine to the sunflower diet did improve feed efficiency. For the period 12 to 20 weeks, the combination improved feed efficiency for the caged birds. In 11 of 14 weight comparisons the complete substitution of sunflower meal for soybean meal did not significantly reduce weight gain. Due to the weight gain and the feed efficiency data, the feed costs per pullet for either 12 to 20 weeks or 8 to 20 weeks were generally lower for the sunflower meal. The result was less cost because sunflower meal was about 30% cheaper than soybean meal.

Response of Young ‘Topred Delicious’ Apple Trees to Orchard Floor Management and Fertilization

Abstract Growth of ‘Topred Delicious’ (Malus domestica Borkh)/Malling Merton (MM) 111 apple trees during the first 5 years in the orchard was significantly affected by the orchard floor management system. Trees grown in a mowed sod were smaller and had a significantly lower yield efficiency (kg/cm2) than those grown under cultivation or a herbicide strip system. N source or rate did not influence growth or average yield/tree; fruit size and bitter pit development were significantly greater where a complete fertilizer (10N-4P-8K) was applied. N increased tree growth under sod but not under a cultivated or herbicide strip managment system. Growth response in the first year was increased when larger-sized trees were planted under a weed-free management system and trees were headed to 76 cm.

The Influence of Flock Uniformity on the Reproductive Performance of Broiler Breeder Hens Housed in Cages and Floor Pens

Two flocks of broiler breeder hens, differing in uniformity of body weight, were evaluated under cage and floor management systems over a 28-week period. Hens were housed singly in cages (N = 280) or in litter floor pens (N = 304). Caged hens were artificially inseminated with .05 ml of pooled semen once weekly. Floor birds were mated naturally. During the first 10 weeks of production, the more uniform flock exhibited significantly higher egg production than the less uniform flock. Uniformity did not influence cumulative egg production, egg weight, fertility, or mortality. Initial egg production was similar for caged and floor housed hens, but the caged birds attained significantly higher egg production during peak production. Caged females showed higher egg weights and body weights than did the floor females throughout the study. Naturally mated birds attained significantly higher fertility than artificially inseminated birds (94.9 vs. 90.6).Correlation coefficients for the weights of caged hens at 20 and 24 weeks with 24, 32, 40, and 50 week weights, total eggs per bird, and age at first egg indicated that body weight at 24 weeks was a better indicator of subsequent flock performance than was body weight at 20 weeks.

Bacterial Contamination of Hatching Eggs and Chicks Produced by Broiler Breeders Housed in Litter-Slat and Sloping Floor Management Systems

Bacterial flora of hatching eggs and chicks from broiler breeders housed under litter-slat and sloping floor management systems were compared. Gnotobiotic incubation, hatching and rearing methods were utilized. The numbers of bacteria on shells of eggs from breeders in the sloping floor system were significantly less than the numbers of bacteria on the egg shells of breeders in the litter-slat system. Bacterial contamination in day-old chicks was low with no marked difference between systems. When eggs were untreated or dipped in a quarternary ammonium, and chicks chill stressed, more types of enteric bacteria were isolated from chicks of breeders in litter-slat systems. When eggs were sterilized using a mercuric chloride solution, and chicks chill stressed, there were no differences in the number of types of enteric bacteria isolated from chicks of breeders in either the litter-slat or sloping floor systems.

Influence of Cage Versus Floor, Density and Dubbing on Laying House Performance

REPORTS to the present time have demonstrated some fairly consistent performance differences between cage and floor management systems. Caged birds handled according to commonly recommended levels of nutrition and management can be expected to lay fewer eggs of slightly more weight, attain larger adult body size, have more blood spots, utilize more feed to produce a unit of eggs and have less mortality than their counterparts on the floor.In a recent 7 year summary for the California Random Sample Egg Laying Test, Johnson (1964) demonstrated a 27 hen housed egg advantage for floor birds over their pen mates in cages. Caged birds had 1.3% higher mortality, and laid eggs containing 2.7% more blood spots and with larger weight by 0.2 ounce per dozen.Lowry et al. (1956), in an experiment that extended over four years, found that the survivor egg number for floor birds was 15 eggs superior to…