Intensive plum orchard with summer training and pruning

An intensive plum orchard model was created for two types of fruit harvesting: by hand and with a self-propelled straddle harvester working in continuous motion. Six plum cultivars grafted on semi dwarfing rootstock ‘Prune Wangenheim’ (Prunus domestica) were planted at three densities (1000, 1250 and 1666 trees/ha). A new training system - central leader spindle - was applied. The leader was not headed after planting and summer training treatments were performed. From the third year onward renewal pruning was done after fruit harvesting. The new training and pruning system resulted in very rapid tree growth, much young wood, fruit bud formation on young wood and early bearing. Trees appeared to be suitable for hand and mechanical harvesting within four years from planting

Perspectives and challenges for the use of radar in biological conservation

Radar is at the forefront for the study of broad-scale aerial movements of birds, bats and insects and related issues in biological conservation. Radar techniques are especially useful for investigating species which fly at high altitudes, in darkness, or which are too small for applying electronic tags. Here, we present an overview of radar applications in biological conservation and highlight its future possibilities. Depending on the type of radar, information can be gathered on local- to continental-scale movements of airborne organisms and their behaviour. Such data can quantify flyway usage, biomass and nutrient transport (bioflow), population sizes, dynamics and distributions, times and dimensions of movements, areas and times of mass emergence and swarming, habitat use and activity ranges. Radar also captures behavioural responses to anthropogenic disturbances, artificial light and man-made structures. Weather surveillance and other long-range radar networks allow spatially broad overviews of important stopover areas, songbird mass roosts and emergences from bat caves. Mobile radars, including repurposed marine radars and commercially dedicated ‘bird radars’, offer the ability to track and monitor the local movements of individuals or groups of flying animals. Harmonic radar techniques have been used for tracking short-range movements of insects and other small animals of conservation interest. However, a major challenge in aeroecology is determining the taxonomic identity of the targets, which often requires ancillary data obtained from other methods. Radar data have become a global source of information on ecosystem structure, composition, services and function and will play an increasing role in the monitoring and conservation of flying animals and threatened habitats worldwide

Search for natural and split supersymmetry in proton-proton collisions at s=13 \sqrt{s}=13 TeV in final states with jets and missing transverse momentum

A search for supersymmetry (SUSY) is performed in final states comprising one or more jets and missing transverse momentum using data from proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The data were recorded with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC in 2016 and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb−1. The number of signal events is found to agree with the expected background yields from standard model processes. The results are interpreted in the context of simplified models of SUSY that assume the production of gluino or squark pairs and their prompt decay to quarks and the lightest neutralino. The masses of bottom, top, and mass-degenerate light-flavour squarks are probed up to 1050, 1000, and 1325 GeV, respectively. The gluino mass is probed up to 1900, 1650, and 1650 GeV when the gluino decays via virtual states of the aforementioned squarks. The strongest mass bounds on the neutralinos from gluino and squark decays are 1150 and 575 GeV, respectively. The search also provides sensitivity to simplified models inspired by split SUSY that involve the production and decay of long-lived gluinos. Values of the proper decay length cτ0 from 10−3 to 105 mm are considered, as well as a metastable gluino scenario. Gluino masses up to 1750 and 900 GeV are probed for cτ0 = 1 mm and for the metastable state, respectively. The sensitivity is moderately dependent on model assumptions for cτ0 ≳ 1 m. The search provides coverage of the cτ0 parameter space for models involving long-lived gluinos that is complementary to existing techniques at the LHC

Comparison of the effectiveness of mechanical thinning of flowers to chemical and manual thinning of fruitlets of apple trees ‘Gala Must’ and ‘Red Jonaprince’

Eight-year-old abundantly blooming apple trees ‘Gala Must’ and ‘Red Jonaprince’ grafted on a dwarf rootstock M.9, spaced 3.5 × 1.5 m and 3.5 × 1.8 m, were subjected to bloom and fruit thinning. This included 7 types of treatments: 1. (M) mechanical flower thinning in the full bloom stage with the German produced BAUM appliance; 2. (C) chemical thinning of fruitlets with cytokinins (Globaryll product); 3. (R) hand fruit thinning in June; 4. (M+C) mechanical thinning of flowersin full bloom, followed by chemical thinning of fruitlets in June as in point 3; 5. (M+R) mechanical thinning of flowers in full bloom stage, followed by hand fruit thinning in June; 6. (C+R) chemical thinning of fruitlets, followed by hand fruit thinning in June; 7. (K) control – no thinning. All thinning treatments decreased yield but increased the size of the fruit, the mean fruit weight, and the growth of the shoots. Among the treatments applied to ‘Gala Must’ trees, the best results were obtained with the M and M+R treatments. Most of the fruit had a favorable marketing size, in the range of 7.5–8.5 cm. The M+C and C+R treatments resulted in too many overgrown apples, which are prone to physiological disorders during storage. Among the treatments applied to ‘Red Jonaprince’, the best results were obtained with M and M+R. The other treatments resulted in an excessively large drop in yield and a very high share of overgrown fruit over 9.0 cm in diameter, unacceptable on the market. The thinning treatments increased the solubility of the solids in the fruit of both cultivars with no clear effect on their firmness

Modyfikacja korony wrzecionowej jabłoni w celu poprawienia jakości owoców

Dwarf and semidwarf apple trees planted at high density orchard are poorly illuminated when they come into full bearing. Insufficient illumination has adverse effect on apple red blush. Studies were carried out in years 2009–2013 in the Institute of Horticulture at Skierniewice. The object of the study were 12-year-old apple trees of ‘Jonagold’ and ‘Gala’. Trees were grafted on semi-dwarf M.26 rootstock, planted at 4 × 2 m, trained to the spindle system, had been pruned until the spring of 2009 by the renewal method. Prior to the trial the trees were 3 m of height and 2.5 m in spread. To improve fruit quality, additional four pruning treatments were applied in 2009–2013. They were: 1. Removing the lowest branches up to 1 m above the ground; 2. Heading annual shoots at the tree top and the base of the canopy; 3. Cutting out a slim waist in the middle part of the canopy; 4. Slimming the tree top; 5. Trees in the standard spindle form treated with renewal pruning served as the control. All the pruning systems ensured high yields. Only the pruning to a slim waist and slimming the tree top improved light penetration to the interior part of the tree canopy, fruit size and color. Pruning treatments slimming tree silhouette can solve the problem of poor quality apples in densely planted orchards.Karłowe i półkarłowe jabłonie posadzone w dużym zagęszczeniu są słabo nasłonecznione po wejściu w okres pełnego owocowania, co ma ujemny wpływ na wybarwianie się jabłek. W celu rozwiązania tego problemu w Instytucie Ogrodnictwa w Skierniewicach w latach 2009–2013 podjęto badania. 12-letnie jabłonie ‘Jonagold’ i ‘Gala” szczepione na półkarłowej podkładce M.26, posadzone w rozstawie 4 × 2 m i prowadzone w formie wrzecionowej cięto do roku 2009 standardowo, metodą odnawiającą. Przed rozpoczęciem doświadczenia drzewa miały 3 m wysokości i 2,5 m rozpiętości. W celu poprawy jakości jabłek w latach 2009–2013 zastosowano 4 sposoby dodatkowego cięcia: 1. Wycięcie dolnych gałęzi do wysokości 1 m; 2. Skracanie rocznych przyrostów u podstawy korony i u wierzchołka; 3. Wycinanie talii w połowie wysokości korony; 4. Wyszczuplanie wierzchołka drzewa; 5. Kontrola, drzewa cięte standardowo. Wszystkie sposoby cięcia zapewniły wysoki plon. Wycinanie talii i wyszczuplanie wierzchołka drzewa istotnie poprawiło nasłonecznienie w koronach, rumieniec i wielkość owoców. Cięcie wyszczuplające koronę i wycinanie talii może poprawić jakość jabłek w sadach gęsto sadzonych

Wpływ siatek przeciwgradowych na mikroklimat swietlny sadu, wzrost drzew oraz plonowanie i jakość owoców jabłoni

Hail nets are necessary protection in some fruit growing regions. Several trials showed that the net color may influence tree growth and fruiting. The influence of hail nets on orchard light microclimate, growth, flowering and fruiting of apple trees was examined in field experiment in the years 2004–2010. ‘Šampion’ and ‘Rubinstar’ apple trees grafted on M.9, were planted in spring 2004. After planting, half of the experimental plot was covered with three kinds of hail nets: white, gray and black. The other half was kept uncovered as the control. Tree growth, fruit bud formation, fruiting and fruit quality were recorded. Solar radiation was measured above and below the nets and within tree canopy. Black and gray nets stimulated tree growth and yield of ‘Šampion’ tree, but had no positive influence on ‘Rubinstar’ trees. Covering the trees with gray and black nets caused poor red blush development and reduced soluble solids content in apples of both cultivars. Fruit firmness was unaffected by netting.W niektórych regionach sadowniczych siatki przeciwgradowe są niezbędną ochroną dla rozwijających się owoców. Badania naukowe wykazały, że kolor siatek przeciwgradowych może wpływać na wzrost drzew i ich owocowanie. W latach 2004–2010 badano wpływ siatek przeciwgradowych na mikroklimat świetlny sadu, wzrost, kwitnienie, owocowanie oraz jakość owoców jabłoni. Wiosną 2004 r. posadzono dwie odmiany jabłoni: ‘Šampion’ i ‘Rubinstar’ na podkładce M.9. Po posadzeniu drzew połowę poletka doświadczalnego przykryto siatkami przeciwgradowymi w trzech kolorach: białym, szarym i czarnym. Druga połowa poletka traktowana była jako kontrola. Wykonano pomiar nasłonecznienia nad siatkami i pod siatkami oraz wewnątrz koron drzew. Czarne i szare siatki poprawiały wzrost i plonowanie drzew odmiany ‘Šampion’, ale nie wpływały dodatnio na drzewa odmiany ‘Rubinstar’. Drzewa obu odmian rosnące pod szarą i czarną siatką miały słabiej wybarwione owoce, które zawierały mniej cukru. Jędrność owoców nie zależała od rodzaju siatki