Evaluating system of rice intensification using a modified transplanter:A smart farming solution toward sustainability of paddy fields in Malaysia

This paper presents the study reports on evaluating a new transplanting operation by taking into accounts the interactions between soil,plant,and machine in line with the System of Rice Intensification(SRI)practices.The objective was to modify planting claw(kuku-kambing)of a paddy transplanter in compliance with SRI guidelines to determine the best planting spacing(S),seed rate(G)and planting pattern that results in a maximum number of seedling,tillers per hill,and yield.Two separate experiments were carried out in two different paddy fields,one to determine the best planting spacing(S=4 levels:s_(1)=0.16 m×0.3 m,s_(2)=0.18 m×0.3 m,s_(3)=0.21 m×0.3 m,and s_(4)=0.24 m×0.3 m)for a specific planting pattern(row mat or scattered planting pattern),and the other to determine the best combination of spacing with seed rate treatments(G=2 levels:g1=75 g/tray,and g2=240 g/tray).Main SRI management practices such as soil characteristics of the sites,planting depth,missing hill,hill population,the number of seedling per hill,and yield components were evaluated.Results of two-way analysis of variance with three replications showed that spacing,planting pattern and seed rate affected the number of one-seedling in all experiment.It was also observed that the increase in spacing resulted in more tillers and more panicle per plant,however hill population and sterility ratio increased with the decrease in spacing.While the maximum number of panicles were resulted from scattered planting at s_(4)=0.24 m×0.3 m spacing with the seed rate of g1=75 g/tray,the maximum number of one seedling were observed at s_(4)=0.16 m×0.3 m.The highest and lowest yields were obtained from 75 g seeds per tray scattered and 70 g seeds per tray scattered treatment respectively.For all treatments,the result clearly indicates an increase in yield with an increase in spacing.

Advances in greenhouse automation and controlled environment agriculture:A transition to plant factories and urban agriculture

Greenhouse cultivation has evolved from simple covered rows of open-fields crops to highly sophisticated controlled environment agriculture(CEA)facilities that projected the image of plant factories for urban agriculture.The advances and improvements in CEA have promoted the scientific solutions for the efficient production of plants in populated cities and multi-story buildings.Successful deployment of CEA for urban agriculture requires many components and subsystems,as well as the understanding of the external influencing factors that should be systematically considered and integrated.This review is an attempt to highlight some of the most recent advances in greenhouse technology and CEA in order to raise the awareness for technology transfer and adaptation,which is necessary for a successful transition to urban agriculture.This study reviewed several aspects of a high-tech CEA system including improvements in the frame and covering materials,environment perception and data sharing,and advanced microclimate control and energy optimization models.This research highlighted urban agriculture and its derivatives,including vertical farming,rooftop greenhouses and plant factories which are the extensions of CEA and have emerged as a response to the growing population,environmental degradation,and urbanization that are threatening food security.Finally,several opportunities and challenges have been identified in implementing the integrated CEA and vertical farming for urban agriculture.