Fruit Volume Research Articles

Effect of automated sensor-driven irrigation and fertigation on green pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) growth, phenology, quality and production

This research aimed to optimize green pepper cultivation with automated sensor-based irrigation and fertigation, supplemented by roof water harvesting under protected cultivation. The findings demonstrated that employing a sensor-based irrigation regimen at 75 % available soil moisture (ASM) coupled with 125 % of the recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) significantly improved both the growth and yield characteristics of pepper. This combination notably improved yield attributing parameters as well as total fruit yield (60,089 kg ha−1). Also, the resource use efficiency metrics viz., water use efficiency (16.75 kg m−3), energy productivity (0.80 kg MJ−1), nutrient use efficiency (79.5 kg kg−1) and benefit-cost ratio of 2.07, indicated superiority. Correlation between yield and variables viz., individual fruit weight (r = 0.98), number of fruits per plant (r = 0.96), total dry matter accumulation (r = 0.96), and fruit volume (r = 0.94) found positive at 1 % probability, displaying the strongest associations. Growth variables such as dry matter of leaves (R2=0.927), individual fruit weight (R2=0.922), and fruit volume (R2=0.847) at P ≤ 0.0001 contributed significantly to the yield. Remarkably, during the year 2020, the system collected 774 m3 of water, satisfying 100 % of the green pepper's water requirement for two seasons.

Optimization of Flowering and Fruit Development in Ber (Ziziphus mauritiana L.) cv. Umran using Fertilizers, Micronutrients, and Bioregulators

In order to investigate the effect of fertilizers, micronutrients and bioregulators on flowering and fruit growth and developments on ber (Ziziphus mauritiana L.) cv. Umran, an experiment was carried out during 2019/2020 cropping season at the Fruit Research Station, Imalia, Department of Horticulture JNKVV Jabalpur. The study used a factorial design using randomized complete block design (RCBD), with three replications and a total of twelve treatment combinations that included bioregulators, micronutrients, and fertilizers either separately or in various combinations. The application of treatment T4 [RDF (N:P:K)+Foliar spray of GA3 + NAA (50 ppm+50 ppm)] was found to be significantly superior as compared to other treatments for flowering parameter in respect to induce early flower bud formation, based on the results obtained in this study. It takes 22 days to induce the earliest flowering after spray, and it takes 8.67 days to achieve 50% flowering. The earliest date of flower bud initiation was found with the T11 [RDF (N:P:K)+ NPK -18:18:18 (1.0%) + ZnSO4 (0.5%) + Borax (0.3%)] which showed to be the best for fruit growth and development characteristics, including specific gravity (1.047), fruit weight (36.52 g), fruit volume (36.56 ml), fruit length (4.53 cm), and fruit diameter (3.50 cm).With regard to practically every fruit growth and development attribute, the treatment T10 was found to be the second best.

Comparison of the performance of two polar equations in describing the geometries of elliptical fruits

ABSTRACT In nature, the two-dimensional (2D) profiles of fruits from many plants often resemble ellipses. However, it remains unclear whether these profiles strictly adhere to the ellipse equation, as many natural shapes resembling ellipses are actually better described as superellipses. The superellipse equation, which includes an additional parameter n compared to the ellipse equation, can generate a broader range of shapes, with the ellipse being just a special case of the superellipse. To investigate whether the 2D profiles of fruits are better described by ellipses or superellipses, we collected a total of 751 mature and undamaged fruits from 31 naturally growing plants of Cucumis melo L. var. agrestis Naud. Our analysis revealed that most adjusted root-mean-square errors (> 92% of the 751 fruits) for fitting the superellipse equation to the fruit profiles were consistently less than 0.0165. Furthermore, there were 638 of the 751 fruits (ca. 85%) with the 95% confidence intervals of the estimated parameter n in the superellipse equation not including 2. These findings suggest that the profiles of C. melo var. agrestis fruits align more closely with the superellipse equation than with the ellipse equation. This study provides evidence for the existence of the superellipse in fruit profiles, which has significant implications for studying fruit geometries and estimating fruit volumes using the solid of revolution formula. Furthermore, this discovery may contribute to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms driving the evolution of fruit shapes.

Preparing a Southern Highbush Blueberry Field for Machine Harvesting

Blueberries are grown commercially in Florida for the early-season fresh fruit market. The majority of Florida’s blueberry crop is currently harvested by hand to ensure high quality standards for fresh fruit production. However, hand harvesting is the single greatest annual production cost for Florida blueberry growers, and mechanization of berry harvests could greatly reduce production costs. This is particularly important when considering the volume of fruit imported into the United States from countries where labor rates are significantly lower. Also, at times the availability of harvest labor when needed may be an issue for Florida growers; mechanization could help address that issue. This publication provides information for commercial blueberry growers interested in adopting machine harvesting.

Comparative Evaluation of Secondary Metabolite Chemodiversity of Citrus Genebank Collection in Greece: Can the Peel be More than Waste?

Citrus fruits are among the most economically important crops in the world. In the global market, the Citrus peel is often considered a byproduct but substitutes an important phenotypic characteristic of the fruit and a valuable source of essential oils, flavonoids, carotenoids, and phenolic acids with variable concentrations. The Mediterranean basin is a particularly dense area of autochthonous genotypes of Citrus that are known for being a source of healthy foods, which can be repertoires of valuable genes for molecular breeding with the focus on plant resistance and quality improvement. The scope of this study was to characterize and compare the main phenotypic parameters (i.e., peel thickness, fruit volume, and area) and levels of bioactive compounds in the peel of fruits from the local germplasm of Citrus in Greece, to assess their chemodiversity regarding their polyphenolic, volatile, and carotenoid profiles. A targeted liquid chromatographic approach revealed hesperidin, tangeretin, narirutin, eriocitrin, and quercetin glycosides as the major polyphenolic compounds identified in orange, lemon, and mandarin peels. The content of tangeretin and narirutin followed the tendency mandarin > orange > lemon. Eriocitrin was a predominant metabolite of lemon peel, following its identification in lower amounts in mandarin and at least in the orange peel. For these citrus-specific metabolites, high intra- but also interspecies chemodiversity was monitored. Significant diversity was found in the essential oil content, which varied between 1.2 and 3% in orange, 0.2 and 1.4% in mandarin, and 0.9 and 1.9% in lemon peel. Limonene was the predominant compound in all Citrus species peel essential oils, ranging between 88 and 93% among the orange, 64 and 93% in mandarin, and 55 and 63% in lemon cultivars. Carotenoid analysis revealed different compositions among the Citrus species and accessions studied, with β-cryptoxanthin being the most predominant metabolite. This large-scale metabolic investigation will enhance the knowledge of Citrus peel secondary metabolite chemodiversity supported by the ample availability of Citrus genetic resources to further expand their exploitation in future breeding programs and potential applications in the global functional food and pharmaceutical industries.

Non-destructive detection method and experiment of pomelo volume and flesh content based on image fusion

Volume and flesh content are crucial factors in assessing the quality of pomelo fruits. However, the lack of accurate and efficient methods for measuring volume and flesh content hampers their application in fruit grading. To address the issue, this study proposes a non-destructive detection method for pomelo fruit volume and edible percent based on image fusion. This method combines the external appearance images and internal X-ray image to construct a three-dimensional model of the pomelo fruit using various slice contour fitting methods. This model enables the acquisition of pomelo volume and flesh thickness information. Subsequently, the flesh content is determined using the grayscale and thickness fitting method (GTFM), which combines the flesh model thickness with the grayscale information obtained from the X-ray image. Extensive experiments were conducted to validate the proposed method, demonstrating its effectiveness. The results indicate a high fitting coefficient (R2) of 0.989 and a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 1.87% for volume measurement, with a time consumption of 486.17 ms. The flesh content measurement yielded an R2 of 0.923, a root mean square error (RMSE) of 2.85%, and a time consumption of 306.71 ms. Compared with existing sorting technology and methods, the volume measurement error is reduced by approximately 1.2%; the flesh content R2 is increased by approximately 0.49 with a halving of the time consumption. The quality assessment of this study is more comprehensive and more accurate.

Pomological and Biochemical Characteristics of Local Pomegranate Genotypes of Kahta (Adıyaman) Region

In the study carried out to determine the pomological characteristics of local pomegranate genotypes grown in Kahta district center and Bostanli, Eceler, Balli, Kilisk, Sarica, and Narince villages of Adıyaman province, one orchard belonging to a grower in each region and 1 genotype in each orchard were determined. 10 fruits in each genotype were harvested, and pomological measurements and biochemical analyses were performed. The largest fruit was obtained with the Sarıca genotype and Narince was the genotype with the smallest fruit. In genotypes, the fruit weight was between 196.300-328.909 g, the fruit length 61.528-72.801 mm, and the fruit width between 73.047-86.613 mm. Total aril weight was between 94.144-203.567 g and the fruit volume was between 188.333-327.000. The Sarıca genotype had the highest juice volume and the lowest juice ratio was recorded in the Eceler genotype. Calyx length was longer in the Sarıca genotype and the highest values in terms of calyx radius were recorded with the Kilisk genotype. The Eceler genotype had thicker shells and the Narince genotype had thinner shells. The number of chambers in the genotypes was between 5 and 6. There were significant differences between genotypes in terms of fruit skin and aril color. The soluble solids content (SSC) in genotypes was determined between 12.011-17.267, pH was 3.583-4.073 and total acidity (TA) was 0.736-1.489%. Phenolic compounds such as protocatechuic acid, rutin, gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, epicatechin, ferulic acid, floridzin, vanillic acid, hydroxycinnamic acid, catechin, caffeic acid, syringic acid, and p-coumaric acid were detected in pomegranate fruit, and rutin was phenolic compound with the highest concentration.

Plant bioregulators induced manipulation in the yield attributes of mango cv. Langra

The present study was carried out in two successive years to evaluate the comparative efficacy of CPPU and NAA combination in improving the yield attributes of Langra mango. Higher fruit drop and low fruit retention are the most critical constraints for mango production under north Indian conditions. Fruit drop starts occurring just after fruit set and continues till harvest, leading to substantial economic loss to the growers. The foliar application of CPPU 10 ppm + NAA 20 ppm and CPPU 20 ppm + NAA 30 ppm immediately after the fruit set resulted in a significant reduction in fruit drop in comparison to the control (water spray). Various physical attributes like endocarp size (5.16 cm), pedicel length (1.20 cm), pedicel thickness (4.02 mm), fruit weight (248.12 g), fruit size (7.46 cm width and 9.83 cm length), fruit volume (243.52 cc), and specific gravity (1.02) got improved with CPPU 10 ppm + NAA 20 ppm followed by CPPU 20 ppm + NAA 30 ppm than the control. In conclusion, the spray of CPPU 10 ppm + NAA 20 ppm proved to be an effective treatment for managing fruit drop and improving yield attributes in Langra mango.

Investigation of the local pear genotypes grown in Malatya

This study was carried out between 2020 and 2021 on local pear genotypes grown in the Malatya region (Türkiye), especially in the yard of Apple-Pear Germplasm of Malatya Turgut Özal University. In the study, phenological, pomological, and phytochemical characteristics of nine pear genotypes were analyzed. The following dates were identified for the selected characteristics: the bud swell between March 9 and 27, the bud bursts between March 14 and April 1, the start of flowering between March 28 and April 7, full bloom between April 2 and 11, the end of flowering between April 6 and 15, harvest between August 10 and November 13, defoliation between December 3 and 17, and the number of days from full bloom to harvest ranged between 128 and 216 days. The following results were obtained: fruit weights were 46.3-202.6 g, fruit lengths were 44.8-91.2 mm, fruit diameters were 43.8-76.2 mm, fruit flesh firmness were 2.4-9.62 kg/cm2, fruit volume was 45.5-204.3 ml, and fruit color values were 21.3-77.1 as L value, -2.49-0.1 as a value, and -2.03-54 as b value. The water-soluble dry matter content of the genotypes ranged between 10.3-15.9, pH values ranged between ​​3.99-5.37, total phenolic content ranged between 167-992 mg GAE /1000g, and total antioxidant activities ranged from 284 to 1454 mg TEAC/1000 g. Aliseydi from the summer pear genotypes and Parlak and Armut1 genotypes from the autumn genotypes were important. It is thought that Biber, Dudunun and Efendi genotypes from winter genotypes may be important materials for future studies.

An Affordable and Sustainable Thrifty-Like Meal Plan, FoodRx, That Meets the Recommended Dietary Allowances.

There is considerable controversy as to whether a healthy diet is affordable given recent inflation. In order to determine whether a healthy, climate-friendly sustainable diet can be obtained within the allotments of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), we created and purchased 26weeks of meal plans designed to meet the EAT-Lancet sustainability guidelines and > 90% of the RDAs for 23 macro/micronutrients for households with at least 2 adults and 1-3 children. We compared the food quantities and cost of a healthy sustainable diet purchased in Los Angeles, 2023, to the Thrifty Food Plan, 2021. We compared the volume of food and cost of basic groceries to those recommended in the Thrifty Food Plan, 2021. The costs of the sustainable diet fell within the 2023 SNAP allotments as long as the average calories required per person did not exceed 2000. The volume of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds were considerably higher for the sustainable diet compared to the Thrifty Food Plan. Given that calorie needs are the determinants of food quantity and costs, the USDA may consider offering supplemental coverage for individuals with higher calorie needs to make healthy eating affordable.

A Comparative Study of Respiratory Activity of Tropical Products under Two Storage Conditions

This study aimed to investigate respiration process of Indonesian tropical products and its parameter to support the use of CAS. Shallot, dragon fruit and sneak fruit that are high-value and export-potential products in Indonesia were investigated. For respiration measurement, the fruits were kept in tightly closed jars. The ratio of fruit volume and free volume of jar (headspace) was determined to calculate the rate of fruit respiration. To observe the storage condition effects, the jars were stored in two different temperatures: low temperature (7±2°C) and room temperature (27±2°C). In cold temperature storage, changes in O2 and CO2 concentrations are slower than in room temperature storage. The rate of O2 consumption and CO2 production of products during storage decreased as the O2 concentration decreased for all conditions. Based on the dramatic increase of RQ value at low O2 concentrations, the low oxygen limits (LOLs) of shallot, sneak fruit and dragon fruit were estimated at around 7.5%, 4% and 2% O2 respectively, at the room temperature. However, the LOL was not detected yet at a cold temperature for 200 h of measurement due to a slow decrease of O2. The results showed that different products had different respiration activities so that the storage procedures should be different. A determination of model-based LOL and validation would be needed in the next research to be precisely applied on CAS. Keywords: Carbon dioxide, Dragon fruit, Shallot, Oxygen, Postharvest, Snake fruit.

Comparison of four performance models in quantifying the inequality of leaf and fruit size distribution.

The inequality in leaf and fruit size distribution per plant can be quantified using the Gini index, which is linked to the Lorenz curve depicting the cumulative proportion of leaf (or fruit) size against the cumulative proportion of the number of leaves (or fruits). Prior researches have predominantly employed empirical models-specifically the original performance equation (PE-1) and its generalized counterpart (GPE-1)-to fit rotated and right-shifted Lorenz curves. Notably, another potential performance equation (PE-2), capable of generating similar curves to PE-1, has been overlooked and not systematically compared with PE-1 and GPE-1. Furthermore, PE-2 has been extended into a generalized version (GPE-2). In the present study, we conducted a comparative analysis of these four performance equations, evaluating their applicability in describing Lorenz curves related to plant organ (leaf and fruit) size. Leaf area was measured on 240 culms of dwarf bamboo (Shibataea chinensis Nakai), and fruit volume was measured on 31 field muskmelon plants (Cucumis melo L. var. agrestis Naud.). Across both datasets, the root-mean-square errors of all four performance models were consistently smaller than 0.05. Paired t-tests indicated that GPE-1 exhibited the lowest root-mean-square error and Akaike information criterion value among the four performance equations. However, PE-2 gave the best close-to-linear behavior based on relative curvature measures. This study presents a valuable tool for assessing the inequality of plant organ size distribution.

Evaluation of Kokum [Garcinia indica (Thouars) Choisy] Genotypes for Growth, Yield and Quality Parameters under the Humid Tropical Conditions of Central Kerala

A study was conducted at the Department of Fruit Science, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, to assess morphological, yield, and biochemical parameters of 29 kokum genotypes. Observations regarding growth, yield, and quality parameters were recorded for all the genotypes. The results showed that genotype IC136687-1 exhibited the highest height (15.60 m), while genotype IC552513 had the lowest height (5.20 m). The highest plant girth was observed in ACC.FSC-1 (156.88 cm), whereas the lowest girth was recorded in IC552522 (25.10 cm). The canopy spread of trees varied from 3.20 m (IC552513) to 8.10 m (ACC.FSC-4) in the East to West direction, and from 3.30 m (IC552513) to 9.42 m (ACC.FSC-9) in the North to South direction. The maximum canopy volume was found in ACC.FSC-9 (1030.01 m3), whereas the minimum volume was observed in IC552513 (57.12 m3). Leaf length ranged from 7.5 cm to 10.24 cm, leaf breadth varied from 3.18 cm to 4.78 cm and leaf area varied from 19.87 cm2 to 34.53 cm2 among different genotypes. Significant difference was recorded with respect to fruit characters among the yielding genotypes. Genotype ACC.FSC-6 exhibited significantly higher fruit weight (40.14 g), fruit volume (45.60 cm³), fresh weight of rind (21.01 g), and dry weight of rind (3.07 g). Conversely, genotype ACC.FSC-3 displayed significantly lower fruit weight (12.17 g), fruit volume (15.10 cm³), fresh weight of rind (7.15 g), and dry weight of rind (1.09 g). The rind to seed ratio ranged from 0.81 to 1.77, while rind thickness varied between 2.46 mm and 3.41 mm. Genotype ACC.FSC-9 exhibited the highest number of fruits per tree (2258) and the highest fruit yield per tree (60.64 kg). On the other hand, genotype ACC.FSC-3 recorded the lowest number of fruits per tree (252) and the lowest fruit yield per tree (3.07 kg). The moisture content varied from 82.91 % to 90.34 %, titratable acidity ranged from 2.30 % to 4.47 %, total sugars ranged from 4.32 % to 10.60 %, TSS ranged from 5.65 °B to 14.15 °B, and anthocyanin content ranged from 11.13 to 25.01 mg per 100 g. Genotypes IC552528-3 and IC336687-3 had significantly high TSS and low acidity were ranked as superior quality genotypes and these genotypes can be utilized for value addition.

Effect of organic manures and bio-fertilizers on growth and yield of papaya (Carica papaya L.) cv. Red Lady

An experiment was conducted at Experimental unit (Pilikothi) Department of Horticulture, Tilak Dhari Post Graduate College, Jaunpur during 2019-20 to assess the effect of organic manures and bio-fertilizers on growth and yield of papaya (Carica papaya L.) cv. Red Lady. The saplings of papaya were transplanted on 15th October with a spacing of 1.8 m×1.8 m. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with eleven treatments replicated thrice. Result indicated that the maximum plant height (260.48 cm), stem girth (46.52 cm), petiole length (80.38 cm), leaf area (1406.15 cm2) and plant spread (193.32 cm) was recorded with T9 (Neem cake + Azotobacter + PSB) application followed by plant height (255.28 cm), stem girth (42.24 cm), petiole length (76.15 cm), leaf area (1388.22 cm2), plant spread (189.49 cm) with T7 (Vermicompost + Azotobacter + PSB) and minimum in control. Observations recorded on yield and yield contributing characters revealed that the fruit length (35.48 cm), fruit diameter (16.22 cm), fruit volume (1272.45 cc), fruit weight (1274.82 gm), fruit yield per plant (58.4 kg), fruit yield per plot (467.2 kg), fruit yield per hectare (72.6 q) was recorded maximum with T10 (Farm yard manure + Vermicompost +Poultry manure + Neem Cake + Azotobacter + PSB) and the minimum values of these characters were recorded T11 under control.

Isohydric stomatal behaviour alters fruit vascular flows and minimizes fruit size reductions in drought-stressed 'Hass' avocado (Persea americana Mill.).

Plant water status is important for fruit development, because many fleshy fruits contain large amounts of water. However, there is no information on vascular flows of Persea americana 'Hass' avocado. The aims of this research were to explore the impact of drought stress on the water relationships of the 'Hass' avocado plant and its fruit growth. Well-watered and water-stressed 'Hass' avocado plants were compared. Over 4 weeks, water flows through the shoot and fruit pedicel were monitored using external sap flow gauges. Fruit diameter was monitored using linear transducers, and stomatal conductance (gs), photosynthesis (A) and leaf and stem water potentials (Ѱleaf and Ѱstem) were measured to assess the response of the plants to water supply. In well-watered conditions, the average water inflow to the shoot was 72 g day-1. Fruit water inflow was 2.72 g day-1, but there was water loss of 0.37 g day-1 caused by the outflow (loss back into the tree) through the vascular tissues and 1.06 g day-1 from the fruit skin. Overall, fruit volume increased by 1.4 cm3 day-1. In contrast, water flow into fruit of water-stressed plants decreased to 1.88 g day-1, with the outflow increasing to 0.61 g day-1. As a result, increases in fruit volume were reduced to 0.4 cm3 day-1. The values of A, gs and sap flow to shoots were also reduced during drought conditions. Changes in the hourly time-courses of pedicel sap flow, fruit volume and stem water potential during drought suggest that the stomatal response prevented larger increases in outflow from the fruit. Following re-watering, a substantial recovery in growth rate was observed. In summary, a reduction in growth of avocado fruit was observed with induced water deficit, but the isohydric stomatal behaviour of the leaves helped to minimize negative changes in water balance. Also, there was substantial recovery after re-watering, hence the short-term water stress did not decrease avocado fruit size. Negative impacts might appear if the drought treatment were prolonged.

Geographical location influence ‘Cabernet Franc’ fruit quality in Shandong province

Grape quality is a key factor in determining wine quality, and it depends not only on management skills, but also on the geographic location of the producing area. In China, Shandong is the province with the largest wine production, and ‘Cabernet Franc’ is widely planted. This study evaluated the ‘Cabernet Franc’ fruit quality in relation to geographical conditions in five ‘Cabernet Franc’ producing districts of Shandong province, China, including Dezhou Aodeman Winery (DZ), Tai’an Zhongqingsongshi Winery (TA), Penglai Longhu Winery (PL), Rushan Taiyihu Winery (RS), and Rizhao Taiyangcheng Winery (RZ). At the time of veraison and maturity, fruit was harvested from five areas, and compared for cosmetic and internal fruit quality. The soluble sugar content in the Rizhao area was rich, and the weight and volume of single fruit were relatively large. The titratable acid of the berries in Tai'an area was high. RNA-seq analysis showed that the number of genes in the véraison stage was 19,571–20,750, and the number of genes in the mature stage was 19,176–20,735. The analysis found that areas with multiple high-quality characteristics tended to have more DEGs (differential expressed genes). And the DEGs in different areas were mainly distributed on chromosome 7, and at least on chromosome 15. DEGs in 5 areas were enriched on 855 GO terms and 116 KEGG pathways during berries development. Among them, it was found that the up/down-regulation of DEGs was related to the formation of berry quality, which helps to explain the impact of environment on grape quality components. In summary, this study is helpful to understand the influence of cultivation location on the quality of 'Cabernet Franc' in different production areas in Shandong province, and further provide a reference for the production of high-quality wine grapes and winemaking.

Pengaruh Intensitas dan Konsentrasi GA3 untuk Peningkatan Kualitas Buah Jeruk Siam (Citrus nobilis) Jember

This study aims to determine the best intensity and concentration of ZPT GA3 to improve the quality of Siamese oranges. This research was conducted from November 2022 to April 2023, in Pancakarya Village, Ajung District, Jember Regency, East Java Province. This study used a randomized block design (RBD) with a factorial pattern, the first factor was 3 concentration treatments (K) and the second factor 3 intensity treatments (I), repeated 3 times. So that the total experiment is 27 plants. The treatment used was I1 = 1 spraying; I2 = 2 times spraying; I3 = 3 sprays and K1 = 20 ppm concentration; K2 = Concentration 40 ppm; K3 = Concentration 60 ppm. The test was carried out with the F-test with analysis of variance (ANOVA), if there is a significant difference (F-count value > F-table) then proceed with the 5% DMRT test. The results showed that the combination of using intensity 1 time per 2 weeks (I1) with a concentration of 40 ppm GA3 (K2) showed a significant interaction on fruit volume parameters. However, the difference was not significant in fruit weight.

NeRF-based 3D reconstruction pipeline for acquisition and analysis of tomato crop morphology.

Recent advancements in digital phenotypic analysis have revolutionized the morphological analysis of crops, offering new insights into genetic trait expressions. This manuscript presents a novel 3D phenotyping pipeline utilizing the cutting-edge Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF) technology, aimed at overcoming the limitations of traditional 2D imaging methods. Our approach incorporates automated RGB image acquisition through unmanned greenhouse robots, coupled with NeRF technology for dense Point Cloud generation. This facilitates non-destructive, accurate measurements of crop parameters such as node length, leaf area, and fruit volume. Our results, derived from applying this methodology to tomato crops in greenhouse conditions, demonstrate a high correlation with traditional human growth surveys. The manuscript highlights the system's ability to achieve detailed morphological analysis from limited viewpoint of camera, proving its suitability and practicality for greenhouse environments. The results displayed an R-squared value of 0.973 and a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 0.089 for inter-node length measurements, while segmented leaf point cloud and reconstructed meshes showed an R-squared value of 0.953 and a MAPE of 0.090 for leaf area measurements. Additionally, segmented tomato fruit analysis yielded an R-squared value of 0.96 and a MAPE of 0.135 for fruit volume measurements. These metrics underscore the precision and reliability of our 3D phenotyping pipeline, making it a highly promising tool for modern agriculture.

Comparison of five equations in describing the variation of leaf area distributions of Alangium chinense (Lour.) Harms.

Previous studies have validated a performance equation (PE) and its generalized version (GPE) in describing the rotated and right-shifted Lorenz curves of organ size (e.g., leaf area and fruit volume) distributions of herbaceous plants. Nevertheless, there are still two questions that have not been adequately addressed by prior work: (i) whether the PE and GPE apply to woody plant species and (ii) how do the PE and GPE perform in comparison with other Lorenz equations when fitting data. To address these deficiencies, we measured the lamina length and width of each leaf on 60 Alangium chinense saplings to compare the performance of the PE and GPE with three other Lorenz equations in quantifying the inequality of leaf area distributions across individual trees. Leaf area is shown to be the product of a proportionality coefficient (k) and leaf length and width. To determine the numerical value of k, we scanned 540 leaves to obtain the leaf area empirically. Using the estimated k, the leaf areas of 60A. chinense saplings were calculated. Using these data, the two performance equations and three other Lorenz equations were then compared and assessed using the root-mean-square error (RMSE) and Akaike information criterion (AIC). The PE and GPE were found to be valid in describing the rotated and right-shifted Lorenz curves of the A. chinense leaf area distributions, and GPE has the lowest RMSE and AIC values. This work validates the GPE as the best model in gauging variations in leaf area of the woody species.

Soilless culture of tomato in naturally ventilated polyhouse under Assam conditions, India

In 2022, an experiment was conducted at the Experiment Farm, Department of Horticulture, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, to explore tomato cultivation possibilities using soilless media in a naturally ventilated polyhouse. Employing a randomized block design with 5 treatments and 4 replications, various media compositions, including cocopeat, vermiculite, perlite, sand, and loam soil in different ratios, were tested. The study uncovered that optimal tomato growth occurred in Loam soil: Sand: Vermicompost (1:1:1), showing maximum plant height (140.68 cm), primary branches (6.19), plant fresh weight (177.90 g), fruit weight (70.80 g), and a shorter time to flowering (42.5 days). This medium also resulted in higher residual N, P, K contents (2.58%, 2.51%, 2.64%, respectively) in the spent growing medium. Cocopeat: Sand: Vermicompost (5:2:3) yielded the highest plant dry weight (25.80 g), fruit set (48.24%), fruits/cluster (8.36), fruits/plant (71.74), yield/plant (4.88 kg), total yield (66.26 q/500sqm), and harvesting latitude (48.31 days). Meanwhile, Cocopeat: Vermiculite: Perlite (3:1:1) recorded the longest days to first harvest (83.75 days). Sand: Vermicompost (1:1) exhibited the highest chlorophyll content (2.50 mg/100 g), and fruit volume (73.10 cc), while Cocopeat: Vermicompost (1:1) had the maximum flowers per cluster (3.91). Economically, the analysis favored Loam soil: Sand: Vermicompost (1:1:1) with a maximum benefit-cost ratio of 2.20. In conclusion, while Cocopeat: Sand: Vermicompost (5:2:3) seems optimal for growth and yield, the economic advantage lies with Loam soil: Sand: Vermicompost (1:1:1).