Be Aware Of Potential Problems With Fall Tillage

Nov 10, 2015

By Mahdi Al-Kaisi Professor of Soil Management/Environment

The current harvest season has provided excellent soil moisture conditions for harvesting with minimum impact on soil compaction if traffic control is practiced during harvest. Also, the dry soil condition offers good condition for applying anhydrous (if the soil temperature is right below 50oF), where soil closing after injecting the fertilizer is much more efficient to reduce ammonia losses and a good soil condition for storing water from precipitation.

Tillage

However, these benefits can be reduced if fields are tilled. Soil tillage increases the potential for soil erosion and reduces water infiltration and subsoil recharge. Keeping crop residue on the soil surface this fall along with cover crops can increase water infiltration, reduce soil erosion, sediment and nutrient loss, contribute to soil organic matter, and improve soil quality. The uncertainty of weather conditions and the need for next season moisture requirements should be kept in mind when planning for the choice of tillage practice this fall.

Source: iastate.edu

Video: Designing a Robotic Berry Picker

Since blackberries must be harvested by hand, the process is time-consuming and labor-intensive. To support a growing blackberry industry in Arkansas, food science associate professor Renee Threlfall is collaborating with mechanical engineering assistant professor Anthony Gunderman to develop a mechanical harvesting system. Most recently, the team designed a device to measure the force needed to pick a blackberry without damaging it. The data from this device will help inform the next stage of development and move the team closer to the goal of a fully autonomous robotic berry picker. The device was developed by Gunderman, with Yue Chen, a former U of A professor now at Georgia Tech, and Jeremy Collins, then a U of A undergraduate engineering student. To determine the force needed to pick blackberries without damage, the engineers worked with Threlfall and Andrea Myers, then a graduate student.