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2019 cost estimates of establishing, producing, and packing Cripps Pink apples in Washington
No full textThe results presented in this WSU publication serve as a general guide for evaluating the feasibility of producing Cripps Pink apples in Washington State as of 2019. This publication is not intended to be a definitive guide to production practices, but it is helpful in estimating the physical and financial requirements of comparable plantings. To avoid drawing unwarranted conclusions for any particular orchard, readers must closely examine the assumptions made in this guide, and then adjust the costs, returns, or both as appropriate for their own orchard operation
Compost use for tree fruit
No full textCompost can help improve soil quality and nutrient, water, and pest regulation. High-quality soil holds water and nutrients like a sponge, slowly releasing them over time to meet tree needs. High-quality soil can also suppress pests and diseases that may attack plant roots. Proper consideration of compost quality and nutrient content are critical to achieving these benefits. This publication describes potential benefits from compost use as well as provides descriptions of compost quality and nutrient composition factors orchardists planning to use compost should consider
A grower's guide to the most common diseases of peony in the United States
No full textPeonies are hardy, long-lived perennials grown commercially and privately for their large, showy flowers. Peonies are typically considered relatively easy to grow; however, there are a number of pathogens and pests that affect peony health. Many of the disease issues on peonies can be mitigated with the implementation of general cultural management strategies while other diseases require more specific approaches. The purpose of this publication is to provide a basic introduction to plant diseases and plant disease management and also to familiarize growers and homeowners with the most common diseases of peony in the United States, including how to identify and manage them
Fracture-directed Waterjet Needle Steering: Design, Modeling, and Path Planning
No full textThis paper will be presented at Biomedical Robotics & Biomechatronics (BioRob) 2020 conference at New York, NY.Steerable needle technology has the promise of improving outcomes by enhancing the accuracy of different therapies and biopsies, as they can be steered to a target location around obstacles. Achieving small radius of curvature and being able to control both radius of curvature and tip travel are of paramount importance in steerable needles to accomplish the increase in efficacy of the medical procedures. In this paper, we present a new class of the steerable needles, which we call waterjet-directed steerable needles, where the underlying principle is to first control the direction of tissue fracture with waterjet, after which the needle will follow during subsequent insertion. In this paper, the direction of the tissue fracture is controlled by an angled waterjet nozzle and control of the water velocity, and then the flexible Nitinol needle follows. It is shown that by changing the velocity of waterjet and thus depth of cut, radius of curvature can be controlled. A discrete-step kinematic model is used to model the motion of the waterjet steerable needle. This model consist of two parts: (1) the mechanics- based model predicts the cut-depth of waterjet in soft tissue based on soft tissue properties, waterjet diameter, and water exit velocity, and (2) a discrete-step kinematic unicycle model of the steerable needle travel. Path planning is accomplished through a genetic algorithm, and the efficacy of waterjet steerable needle is tested for different paths. The key finding of the paper is that the radius of curvature of the waterjet steerable needle can be controlled by a fixed waterjet tip angle and varying water exit velocity to control the depth of cut
Online local food markets : choosing the right software
No full textOnline local food markets have proven effective by increasing access for customers and supporting farm and specialty food businesses. Starting an online market is a complex endeavor that requires time, planning, and many decisions. The engine for this type of market is the software, and, with so many options, it can be difficult to know how to get started. This publication is designed to help businesses, cooperatives, consultants, farmers, or any team to identify which software to choose. Using a three-step process outlined in this publication, anyone considering starting an online market can assess internal technological and business needs; evaluate technological considerations, functions, and categories; and evaluate and select the right software