Ground vehicles equipped with monocular vision systems are a valuable source of high resolution image data for precision agriculture applications in orchards. This paper presents an image processing framework for fruit detection and counting using orchard image data. A general purpose image segmentation approach is used, including two feature learning algorithms; multi-scale Multi-Layered Perce...

Nest boxes for predators in agricultural regions are an easily implemented tool to improve local habitat quality with potential benefits for both conservation and agriculture. The potential for nest boxes to increase raptor populations in agricultural regions is of particular interest given their positions as top predators. This study examined the effects of cherry orchard nest boxes on the loc...

In recent years there has been a growing interest in the application of geographic information systems (GIS) for the development of spatial decision support systems (SDSS). The current paper presents the development of a GISbased SDSS for precision management of tree crops. The SDSS is being developed within the framework of the '3D-Mosaic' project which aims at optimizing water consumption in ...

This paper assesses the impact of Siam’s 1901 Land Title Deed Act on land markets and land use in Bangkok. Using a sample of orchard title deeds issued in the 1880s, this study investigates the incidence of land transfers and subsequent land use patterns both before and after the transition from usufruct to full private ownership rights as a result of the 1901 Act. Survival analysis shows that ...

Glyphosate formulations that are used as a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide have been widely applied in agriculture, causing increasing concerns about residues in soils. In this study, the degradation dynamics of glyphosate in different types of citrus orchard soils in China were evaluated under field conditions. Glyphosate soluble powder and aqueous solution were applied at 3000 and 5040 g ac...

The main goal of this research was to estimate the actual evapotranspiration (ETc) of a drip-irrigated apple orchard located in the semi-arid region of Talca Valley (Chile) using a remote sensing-based soil water balance model. The methodology to estimate ETc is a modified version of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) dual crop coefficient approach, in which the b...

On April 10, 2014 the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) was notified by a local newspaper of a suspected pesticide poisoning incident in Douglas County involving pesticides not previously reported in the published literature to be associated with human illness. On that same day, WSDA notified the Washington State Department of Health, which investigated this incident by conducti...

Scattered trees support high levels of farmland biodiversity and ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes, but they are threatened by agricultural intensification, urbanization, and land abandonment. This study aimed to map and quantify the decline of orchard meadows (scattered fruit trees of high nature conservation value) for a region in Southwestern Germany for the 1968 2009 period and ...

Functional diversity is crucial to ecosystem functioning in agricultural landscapes. Intensive agriculture has led habitat homogeneity and thus a decrease biodiversity the disappearance of useful epigeic fauna. This study investigated how local types an landscape affect assemblage parameters (abundance, species richness Shannon–Wiener index) life history traits ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carab...

Mapping is a significant issue in mobile robot applications. Mobile robots can build a map or a model of the environment using different sensors. An orchard is a suitable agricultural environment for mobile robot applications since it is a semi-structured environment, where trees are planted in nominally straight rows. This paper presents a new method to extract features from the orchard enviro...