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EMERGING MECHANICAL TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PLANT INDUSTRIES

Many technological developments are occurring in the plant industry. Space does
not permit an explanation of each, but short introductory comments are included
here on several mechanical technological developments.

• A device has been developed that helps farmers in the early detection of
insect pests.

• A computerized apple has been developed that helps shippers pinpoint


problem areas where major fruit damage is occurring.

• Someday in the future, crop dusters may be flying planes by remote control.

• A high-tech microphone can tell grain operators when insects are the most
active inside stored grain.

• An underground plow originally designed to pulverize hard, thin planes of


soil in dryland wheat-growing regions.

• A robot that does monotonous, backbreaking chores could one day help to
automate the labor-intensive work of raising, shipping, and transplanting
vegetables.

• In agriculture, lasers are used to alter the land to improve irrigation.

• Scientists are researching weather modification analysis.

• Sodar (for "sound detection and ranging" - device looks like a rocket shaped
weather vane and is mounted on a pole

• Basic cone trap baited with a pheromone

Tissue Culture

- A procedure developed in biotechnology, permits the production of thousands of


new plants identical to one, superior plant.

Bacsal, Jefferson; Ortiz, Mary Princess; Palmario, Haydee; Santos, Carl; Ting, Mykhaellah;

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EMERGING MECHANICAL TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PLANT INDUSTRIES

Advantages of Tissue Culture

- The major advantage of tissue culture is that one leaf-tip cutting can produce
4,096 plants in a year.

Disadvantages of Tissue Culture

- The largest disadvantage of tissue culture is the chance of introducing a


contaminant into the laboratory.

EMERGING PLANT TECHNOLOGIES

• Frozen-Protected Plants

- Freezing temperatures may radically affect the productivity of certain fruit and
vegetable plant species. The amount of damage plants sustain depends on how
long temperatures remain below freezing, how far the temperatures are below
freezing, and the type of plant in question.

• Plant Growth Regulators

- Plant growth hormones cause plants to produce and activate certain genes. They
also help regulate the growth of roots, stems, and leaves, and control the
development of seeds and fruit.

• Salt-Tolerant Plants

- Through genetic engineering, salt-tolerant genes have been successfully


transferred into various types of forage crops.

• Integrated Pest Management

- Uses many methods to control pests rather than depending on a single


approach. It uses and array of cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical
methods to keep pest damage below economic levels.

• Rationale for IPM

Bacsal, Jefferson; Ortiz, Mary Princess; Palmario, Haydee; Santos, Carl; Ting, Mykhaellah;

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EMERGING MECHANICAL TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PLANT INDUSTRIES

The use of IPM is being promoted heavily for two major reasons:

a) First, consumers increasingly oppose the use of chemical insecticides


on food, animals and crops.
b) Second, many insects are becoming genetically immune to the effects
of certain insecticides.

• Cultural Control of Pests

- Cultural practices make the environment less favourable for the survival,
growth, and reproduction of pests.

• Mechanical Control of Pests

- Mechanical methods use machines and equipment to remove or destroy pests


outright.

• Biological Control of Pests

- In biological control, we depend on the action of parasites, predators, and


pathogens on a host.

• Pesticide Control of Pests

- Pesticides often have a primary role in pest management. The potential dangers
of pesticide chemicals to humans, food products, animals, and the environment
make them least desirable.

Bacsal, Jefferson; Ortiz, Mary Princess; Palmario, Haydee; Santos, Carl; Ting, Mykhaellah;

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