Crop & Scouting Update

Jul 19, 2023

Many fields are showing signs of drought stress, where beans have flipped over their leaves to reflect more sunlight and conserve moisture. Drought conditions can also results in plants moving through development stages more quickly and result in shorter plants with smaller leaves. Nodule growth and development may also be impacted, with fewer larger nodules observed on drought-stressed plants. These larger nodules are more resilient to drought stress, but N fixation may be reduced. Peak water uptake for soybeans is at flowering (R1-2), but the most critical time for water uptake is at pod initiation (R3-4) and seed fill (R5-6) stages. Water limitations may also impact nutrient movement into the plant, resulting in deficiency symptoms. Water limitations in pulse and soybean crops →
Several fields are also re-growing from previous hail damage. Now that the crop is at the R3-4 growth stages, hail damage at this time is expected to have a greater impact on yield and maturity than earlier storms. Yield loss estimates due to defoliation and node breakage from hail →

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.