Understanding Current Labor Shortage and Mechanization in New Jersey Nursery Crop Operations

We conducted a survey of New Jersey’s nursery industry to understand the current levels of labor shortage, how this has affected specific tasks related to the production capacity of the industry, and the actual level of mechanization. Survey results identified priority areas needing mechanization. There is a need for greater mechanization in almost all areas of nursery production to reduce the reliance on labor and or improve the efficiency of labor. Other Implications related to Extension programming on nursery mechanization are also discussed

Forest Nursery Notes

Contents: Nursery Meetings Maintaining Stock Quality After Harvesting by Thomas D. Landis and Diane Haase Root Culturing in Bareroot Nurseries by Thomas D. Landis Mechanical Root Pruning in Container Nurseries by Thomas D. Landis and Don Willis Hot-planting Opens New Outplanting Windows at High Elevations and Latitudes by Thomas D. Landis and Douglass F. Jacobs Horticultural Humor New Nursery Literature: NEW PROCEDURE—ELECTRONIC COPIES ONLY Bareroot Production Container Production Business Management Diverse Species Fertilization and Nutrition General and Miscellaneous Nursery Structures And Equipment Genetics and Tree Improvement Mycorrhizae and Beneficial Microorganisms Outplanting Performance Pest Management Pesticides Seedling Physiology And Morphology Seeds Soil Management and Growing Media Tropical Forestry and Agroforestry Vegetative Propagation and Tissue Culture Water Management and Irrigation Weed Control Literature Order and Mailing List Update Form Winter 200

Root Zone Sensors for Irrigation Management in Intensive Agriculture

Crop irrigation uses more than 70% of the world’s water, and thus, improving irrigation efficiency is decisive to sustain the food demand from a fast-growing world population. This objective may be accomplished by cultivating more water-efficient crop species and/or through the application of efficient irrigation systems, which includes the implementation of a suitable method for precise scheduling. At the farm level, irrigation is generally scheduled based on the grower’s experience or on the determination of soil water balance (weather-based method). An alternative approach entails the measurement of soil water status. Expensive and sophisticated root zone sensors (RZS), such as neutron probes, are available for the use of soil and plant scientists, while cheap and practical devices are needed for irrigation management in commercial crops. The paper illustrates the main features of RZS’ (for both soil moisture and salinity) marketed for the irrigation industry and discusses how such sensors may be integrated in a wireless network for computer-controlled irrigation and used for innovative irrigation strategies, such as deficit or dual-water irrigation. The paper also consider the main results of recent or current research works conducted by the authors in Tuscany (Italy) on the irrigation management of container-grown ornamental plants, which is an important agricultural sector in Italy

Evaluation and Design of Potting Production Process Improvements for the Non-Profit Organization, Growing Grounds Farm

This report focuses on the potting production process for the non-profit organization (NPO) Growing Grounds Farm (GGF), and aims to promote a standardized workflow system to enhance the working experience for Transitions‐Mental Health Association employees and volunteers. This project takes careful consideration into the process improvements proposed so to support the double bottom line of economic and social objectives. To address the equally important objectives, the Human Centered Design toolkit created by IDEO, specifically for third sector organizations, was integrated with the traditional Industrial Engineering design process methodology. Feasible alternatives were developed and evaluated based on the objectives. The selected alternative was thoroughly assessed using facility evaluation and a simulation. The proposed improvements of the minimum viable alternative increased the total output by roughly five percent and increased facility space by ten percent. The minimum viable alternative met the objectives however; additional research and design must be conducted and tested to further minimize bottlenecks within the system before the implementation can be recommended

Cost analysis of seedling supply systems adapted for mechanized tree planting: a case study from southern Sweden

Because today's tree planting machines do a good job silviculturally, the Nordic forest sector is interested in finding ways to increase the planting machines' productivity. Faster seedling reloading increases machine productivity, but that solution might require investments in specially designed seedling packaging. The objective of our study was to compare the cost-efficiency of cardboard box concepts that increase the productivity of tree planting machines with that of today's two most common seedling packaging systems in southern Sweden. We modelled the total cost of these five different seedling packaging systems using data from numerous sources including manufacturers, nurseries, contractors, and forest companies. Under these southern Swedish con-ditions, the total cost of cardboard box concepts that increase the productivity of intermittently advancing tree planting machines was higher than the cost of the cultivation tray system (5-49% in the basic scenario). However, the conceptual packaging system named ManBox_fast did show promise, especially with increasing primary transport distances and increased planting machine productivities and hourly costs. Thus, our results show that high seedling packing density is of fundamental importance for cost-efficiency of cardboard box systems designed for mechanized tree planting. Our results also illustrate how different factors in the seedling supply chain affect the cost-efficiency of tree planting machines. Consequently, our results underscore that the key development factor for mechanized tree planting in the Nordic countries is the development of cost-efficient seedling handling systems between nurseries and planting machines

Quantifying the Effects of Crop-cultural Practices on Growth and Development of Herbaceous Annuals and Perennials in Novel Bioplastic Biocontainers

Most commercially produced plant containers are manufactured from petroleum-based plastics. Plant containers typically have a short useful lifespan and are discarded into the solid-waste stream when no longer needed. This generates millions of pounds of residual plastic waste, and ultimately that waste enters the environment. Biocontainers are plant containers manufactured from a variety of bio-based materials and offer a more sustainable alternative to conventional petroleum-plastic pots in commercial horticulture. However, researchers have identified functional deficiencies in commercially available biocontainers that make them less desirable to commercial container-crop producers. Bioplastics and biocomposites can have physical properties similar to petroleum plastics, and have demonstrated potential for replacing conventional plastic containers in research settings. This does not, however, reflect their performance in commercial crop production settings or commercial crop producers’ interest in using them. Additionally, it is not well understood how crop cultural factors such as substrate moisture management may affect quality of bioplastic containers or how containers affect the efficacy of cultural practices such as plant growth retardant (PGR) drenches. This thesis describes research conducted to address and discuss these objectives, as well as new potential gaps in knowledge regarding production of flowering ornamental plants in bioplastic-based biocontainers. It can be concluded that commercial producers in the upper Midwest U.S. can produce high-quality crops in these containers and are interested in using them. Plants grown in coconut coir and peat-based biocontainers require lower concentrations of PGR drenches compared to other container types, and lowering substrate water content during production reduces degradation of bioplastic biocontainers