Question: What is the effect of gap size on the seedling emergence, growth and survival of four common tree species in wooded pastures? Location: A pasture in the Jura mountains, Switzerland. Methods: Seeds were sown in a complete three-way factorial design with eight blocks in May 2003. Each block consisted of a competition treatment (four gap sizes including zero) and a mowing treatment (mown...

The responses of tallgrass prairie plant communities and ecosystem processes to fire and grazing are well characterized. However, responses of invertebrate consumer groups, and particularly soil-dwelling organisms, to these disturbances are not well known. At Konza Prairie Biological Station, we sampled soil macroinvertebrates in 1994 and 1999 as part of a long-term experiment designed to exami...

To improve the efficiency of chromium (Cr) phytoextraction by Leersia hexandra Swartz, effects mowing on Cr accumulation in L. were investigated using hydroponic experiments. Mowing heights (0, 5, and 10 cm), interval (30, 60, 90 120 days), frequencies (1, 2, 3 times) optimized. at cm above roots significantly increased shoot biomass (32.9 g/pot). The days achieved highest (62.8 with thrice (67...

Increasing management intensity of grassland through increased grazing intensity, mowing frequency and fertilizer input have attracted more attention to the consequences practices on reduced soil quality yield. Given importance attributes in generating resilience soil-vegetation-livestock systems, a better insight dynamic these complex systems is warranted. The maintenance proper physical, chem...

Field dry hay needs to be reduced from near 80% moisture to 20% or less to prevent spoilage during storage. Drying hay to safe baling moistures often takes several days. Sources of loss during forage harvest include mechanical losses such as mowing, conditioning, chopping, raking, packaging and handling as well as respiration and leaching. The general relationship between forage moisture concen...

Robotic lawnmowers currently available in the market cover their assigned area using a random reflection navigation strategy. While this strategy has been widely accepted for autonomous vacuum cleaning systems, it poses quality problems in outdoor applications since a randomic crossing of the garden can lead to an uneven mowing. In this paper we propose a localization algorithm based on a modif...

Working on new equipments to increase agricultural productivity and safety, reducing human action hardness , Cemagref and Lasmea have developed an help guidance system for agricultural vehicles. The aim of this system is to help the operator to guide the machine in order to give more attention to the order task. To reach this goal, we use a visual perception of the environment because this sens...

Companies are used to bringing in customers to participate in focus groups, usability laboratories, and market research surveys in order to help in the development of new products and services. And for improving products that customers know well, those tools are highly sophisticated. For example, knowledgeable customers are adept at identifying the specific scent of leather they expect in a lux...

Vineyards are amongst the most intensive forms of agriculture often resulting in simplified landscapes where semi-natural vegetation is restricted to small scattered patches. However, a tendency toward a more sustainable management is stimulating research on biodiversity in these poorly investigated agro-ecosystems. The main aim of this study was to test the effect on plant diversity of managem...

BACKGROUND Feral populations of cultivated crops can pose challenges to novel trait confinement within agricultural landscapes. Simulation models can be helpful in investigating the underlying dynamics of feral populations and determining suitable management options. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We developed a stage-structured matrix population model for roadside feral alfalfa populations o...