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Second tie on the specialty crops at RAREC begins in southern New Jersey

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The specialty crops are quickly establishing themselves at RAREC this summer. The fresh-market tomatoes, eggplant, and bell peppers are ready for their second tie of the season. Tying specialty crops has numerous benefits to each crop. First, it helps keep developing fruit from touching the surface of the plastic mulch and soil surface. Fruit with direct contact with the soil surface are more prone to soil-borne pathogens which can cause them the rot. Secondly, the strings also help to support plant growth and developing fruit by providing a bracing support system for the plants. Third, tying the plants up also helps protect the fruit from developing sunscald by keeping the foliage in place within the canopy.  Finally, it helps with making the harvesting of the fruit much easier.

Pete Nitzsche speaking with workers about tying crops to keep plants from falling.
Pete Nitzsche tying crops to keep plants from falling.

Figure 1. Peter Nitzsche, Morris County Agricultural Agent and member of the Rutgers RAPS Team, demonstrating how to tie fresh-market tomatoes to undergraduate students working at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center (RAREC) near Bridgeton, New Jersey located in southern New Jersey.

Student worker at RRAREC
Student worker at RAREC

Figure 2. Undergraduate students tying fresh-market tomatoes at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center near Bridgeton, New Jersey.

Articles and images can be used by Permission from the Rutgers RAPS Team only – For Permission contact RAPS at shawn.sorrels@rutgers.edu.

Spraying for disease and insect pest control on the specialty crops at RAREC

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On July 15th, the weekly fungicide + insecticide spray program for common disease and insect pest control were initiated at RAREC. An air blast sprayer commonly used in orchards and vineyards for the same purposes was used to apply the pesticides across all whole plots. Since the panel post rows run north-south. The spray application was done to the east-west on the northern and southern end of the whole plots (Figure 1). The application was done in the morning at approximately 8:30 AM when the panels were facing east. The use of an air blast sprayer has its few advantages as well as many disadvantages. In small plot research such as this where the rows are ~75 ft long the distance that the spray volume has to travel is minimal. Spraying into the plot from both ends (south and north) will still provide adequate spray coverage to the foliage. By not entering the plot area will help reduce soil compaction and ruts and not predispose the panels to equipment accidents. Additionally, spray applications from outside of the panel area can be done at anytime of the day. The disadvantages include excessive drift of the pesticide application outside the plot area (compared to an application using traditional over the top boom sprayer), poorer spray coverage (especially on windier days), and pesticide deposition on the solar panels.

Figure 1. Applying pesticides for insect pest and disease control at RAREC.

There are important considerations for stakeholders to consider when designing dual-use solar arrays for their own farming operation. Field-design decisions must be made around the size and type of equipment that going to be used. At RAREC, we lack a high boy boom sprayer that would allow us to drive over the staked beds in our field plots, thus our use of the air blast sprayer.

Articles and images can be used by Permission from the Rutgers RAPS Team only – For Permission contact RAPS at shawn.sorrels@rutgers.edu.

Agrivoltaic panels and rainfall at RAREC

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Agrivoltaic panels (AV) can have a dramatic effect on the displacement of rainfall as well as soil moisture levels in the field. Based on the time of day, the direction and angle of the AV panels, and the amount of rainfall or snow during that time the movement of water off the AV will dramatically differ.

Figure 1. Differences in soil moisture following a light rain (0.20″) that occurred overnight after the AV panels tracked back to face the morning sun in the East (on left). It is apparent the rain came directly from the west leaving part of the soil on the east side of the double array panel much drier. Note the wet spots in the soil where rainfall from the panel accumulated as it sat in in the same position during the light rain (on left). In the center and on the right, note the lack of snow accumulation beneath the double panels (center) and single panels (right) after a light snow in southern New Jersey this past winter. In this case the snow front would have come from the east.

Figure 2. Note the soil moisture on the east side of the raised bed closest to the panel following the same light overnight rainfall. Since the panel, in this case, rotates directly over the raised bed to face east in the early morning, water from the panel was displaced unevenly over the first bed. Note how much drier the west side of the same bed is (on left). A light rain occurring in the early morning as the AV panels face east. Note the wet spots developing further from the panel from an earlier, lighter rain the previous morning and the drip line currently forming at the soil line directly at the edge of the AV panels (on right).

Figure 3. Rain water accumulating in row middles in the single panel AV block during a heavy rainfall at RAREC in southern New Jersey.

Figure 4. Rainfall accumulating in the row middles in the double AV array block during a heavy rainfall occurring in the mid morning. Note how rainfall is being displaced to the east side (left side) of the raised bed closest to the AV panel verses the west side (right side) of the same raised bed where the AV panel is redirecting the rainfall.

Figure 5. The double panel AV arrays at RAREC are gapped on center with the panel post rows. Because of this gap, rainfall, regardless of panel position, will drain the the center of the panel row which will help to promote weed growth in the panel post rows if a proper herbicide program, or some other barrier, is not placed in the panel post rows (see Figure 4).

In the future the RAPS Team will be looking at the effects of the AV panels on numerous environment factors. These include rainfall, soil moisture and temperature, relative humidity, air temperature, and light.

Articles and images can be used by Permission from the Rutgers RAPS Team only – For Permission contact RAPS at shawn.sorrels@rutgers.edu.