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This paper reflects on the concept of the Plantationocene through an analysis of sugarcane plantations in Guangxi province, China. It argues that although these plantations are owned and operated by local villagers, they are de facto controlled by corporations, and subject to state intervention through a 'zoning scheme'. They are constructed and operated according to the same logic as other plantations all over the world, namely, the logic of extraction based on cheap land and labor. By demonstrating that plantations are not necessarily large-scale and do not always entail the alienation of land and labor, this paper hopes to empirically broaden the concept of the Plantationocene and to highlight the extractive nature of and the power relations around plantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various uses have been made of Fernand Braudel's concept of the longue durée. But the concept does not appear to have ever been used to explain how former African slave populations have become ghettoized. In this paper, I propose to use the concept of the longue durée to make sense of the manner in which a former African slave population in the southwest region of Mauritius has become ghettoized. The most obvious benefit that comes from using the concept is the depth-in-time perspective it adds to studies of low-income housing areas in the region, which allows us to develop a better understanding of the various factors that have contributed to the ghettoization of this population. The other benefit that comes from using the concept of the longue durée is that in encouraging comparisons with different geographical areas, the concept can also help us to specify what is particular or unique to a region. As will become evident from this study, while there is compelling evidence of the increasing ghettoization of low-income housing areas in the southwest region of Mauritius, the paper underlines that the factors contributing to the ghettoization of former African slave populations both in Mauritius and other parts of the world need not be identical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Of the spectral vegetation indices, NDVI is one of the most suitable for tracking the dynamics of vegetable crop development. Its values are most accurate in the active phases of pepper growth. Due to the individual nature for the determination of vegetation indices, it is necessary to look for correlation with the analytical measurements of plants. The aim of this paper is to determine the relationship between NDVI and in situ data in pepper plantations, field production in the phases of active plant growth. In situ data collection was carried out in a production pepper plantation, cv. Slonsko uho, grown under field conditions in the village of Katunitsa, Plovdiv region, Bulgaria. Measurements were carried out in two phases - mass flowering (BBCH 59610) and technological maturity (BBCH 73703). Vegetative plants parameters were determined. NDVI was obtained from Sentinel-2 HR multispectral satellite imagery. The relationships between NDVI and in situ data were determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the cultivation of the oil-bearing rose, only the harvesting of the flowers in the rose plantations is completely manual. Research on the mechanization of the harvesting operation has been going on for the past few years. Partially improving the working conditions and speeding up the harvesting operation are provided by the developed technical means for transporting the hand-picking flowers pickers and their collected produce in the rows of the plantations with the oil-bearing culture. The attempt to fully mechanize the harvesting operation through the creation of a rose harvester that only picks off the petals was received skeptically by the specialists in the rose-producing branch both from the point of view of functional suitability and due to doubts about the economic inexpediency of the development. Preservation of the traditional hand-picking method of picking off the rose flower under the ovary, picking off the flowers to be harvested without injuring the adjacent undissolved buds and foliage, limiting to a minimum the contact with the thorns on the rose stems and stinging insects, etc., advantages provides a newly developed agricultural machine for pneumatic harvesting in oil-bearing rose plantations, field test results of which are presented in the paper. Experimentally established during the testing of two of its variants (one-row and two-row) are the advantages of machine picking over traditional manual picking -- better working conditions for the pickers, complete harvesting of the rose flowers to be picked for the day, higher productivity. The main factors (the condition of the rose plantation, the amount of blooming rose flowers, the qualification of the rose pickers) on which the efficiency of the pneumatic rose harvesting machine depends are determined. The ability to ensure the productivity of the tractor/implement combination formed on the basis of the two-row variant of the machine, with which, within the speci- fied time range to harvest the production from plantations with an area of 1.2 ha and more, has been proven. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: According to the seventh national population census in China, the proportion of people aged 65 and above in the population reached 13.5%. The aging trend is more pronounced in rural areas, indicating that China has entered an aging society. This article focuses on agricultural carbon emissions in the context of aging, studying the impact of rural population aging on agricultural carbon emissions. Study objectives: Under the background of deepening population aging, let us discuss how to maintain the green and sustainable development of agriculture in China. Methodology: Fixed effects and mediating effects models are used. Technical efficiency is used as a mediating variable to discuss the relationship between rural population ageing, technical efficiency and agricultural carbon emissions. Results: This paper adopts the classical carbon emission calculation theory of IPCC to measure agricultural carbon emissions from 2010 to 2019, and China's plantation carbon emissions show an "inverted U-shaped" trend, reaching a high level in 2015 and then starting to decline. In addition, the fixed-effects benchmark regression found that the aging of the rural population promotes agricultural carbon emissions, and the technical efficiency of agriculture suppresses agricultural carbon emissions. Finally, the mediating effect model is applied to explore the relationship between the three. Using technical efficiency as the mediating variable, it is found that under the masking effect, rural population aging will weaken agricultural carbon emissions through technical efficiency, thus achieving the suppression of agricultural carbon emissions. Policy recommendation: The formulation and modification of agricultural carbon-reducing policy row policies should take full account of the broader context of rural population ageing; increase the interconnectedness and interaction between rural population ageing and agricultural production technology, and actively play a positive role in promoting the efficiency of agricultural technology as a result of rural population ageing; and, in accordance with the actual situation of agricultural research, appropriately increase the strength of financial support for agriculture to improve agricultural technology and promote low-carbon development in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of long-term research on different cultivation regimes for planted Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands in the experiment initiated by B. Gavrylov in 1932 in the Left-Bank Steppe in Ukraine. The aim of the study is to identify the optimal density of planted pine stands that provides the largest growing stock at the age of 95 years. The study shows that it is possible to form highly productive pine stands by regulating their density within certain limits through their thinning. The results suggest that the intensity of thinning in young pine plantations in the Left-Bank Steppe conditions in Ukraine can vary within a wide range (30–70% of the growing stock). With the increase in the intensity of thinning of pine plantations, the growing stocks do not change significantly, but other stand characteristics, such as average height and average diameter, increase significantly. In young stands, high-intensity thinning creates favourable conditions for the growth of the remaining trees. As the intensity of thinning increases, the number of tending operations in the stand decreases and the operation costs are reduced. Accordingly, the number of interventions in the forest ecosystem decreases. The efficiency of wood mass use increases by decreasing losses from natural decline. The impact of machinery on the environment in such pine stands during harvesting is significantly reduced. Such stands are more resistant to man-caused load as well as to forest pests and diseases. The most rational was the cultivation regime, under which about 1,000 stems·ha−1 were left to the age of 30 for further growth after thinning. At the age of 95, such stands had the largest growing stock and basal area as well as the best health condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on 14 months of ethnographic research, this paper analyzes soil management within the plantation model of farmingin order to understand the extent to which life on large-scale monocultural farms can be controlled and directed toward extractiveproduction. Transnational soy farmers in Western Bahia Brazil 'correct' soils in the region to make them productive and marshal thisagronomic work to claim that they have added value to the land by 'building it up'. Still, the permeability of the plantation keepstransnational farmers from achieving their dreams of control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carbon accumulation in forest ecosystems helps to mitigate climate changes, therefore the interest in finding strategies for adapted forest management is a major goal of our time. The artificial plantations of Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst) are part of the Bulgarian project to restore the regulatory functions of forest ecosystems. Due to their low resistance, intensive processes of deposition and degradation take place in them, which emphasizes the need to understand the condition of soils and the amount of accumulated carbon in them. This paper reports results from a study on the thinning in even-aged Norway spruce plantations (Picea abies Karst) and its effect on some soil properties. The study includes two thinned plots and an untinned control: 1) Control – an unmanaged spruce plantation, without any activities in it through the last 20 years; 2) Thinned – managed with regular felling over the years, the last of which was carried out 10 years ago with 25% intensity; and 3) Ice storm – plantation damaged from an ice storm in 2007 (when it was 33 years old), felling followed by removal of all affected trees – over 95%, and afforestation with spruce saplings. The soil was examined by layers from 10 cm to 30 cm depth. The main soil characteristics connected with the carbon stocks in soil are analyzed - bulk density, skeleton, and carbon content. The results of the experiment show that the performed forestry activities were conducted with abidance of the requirements for habitat protection and the ecosystem’s functionality in the studied sites. No significant changes in coarse fraction content and bulk density of soils were found. There is no statistical difference between the plots in the studied depths, but there is a trend of decrease in the organic carbon content in the managed sites. The differences in the soil carbon stocks are significant for the first two soil layers between the control and the managed trough thinning plot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maui residents are reckoning with tourism in the aftermath of the 2023 fires. Drawing from historical sources and popular media reports, we argue that beyond the island's strained relationship with the tourism industry, residents are contending with the slow emergency of plantation disaster capitalism. We draw from Naomi Klein and Kapua'ala Sproat's (2023) concept of plantation disaster capitalism which identifies the plantation industry's domination of resources as the basis of tourism's untethered control of land and water on the island. These crisis-driven industries perpetuate dependence through ongoing cycles of accumulation by dispossession. The concept of 'slow emergencies' further accounts for how, while the Maui fires rapidly destroyed lives, over a century and a half of settler colonial, racial, and capitalist relationships had already restructured landscapes and livelihoods and set the stage for the 2023 disaster. In critically addressing calls for tourism's resurgence, this conceptual paper contributes to emerging scholarship on plantation disaster capitalism in tourism destinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the history of contractual choice in coffee plantations of São Paulo, Brazil. It focuses on the consolidation of non‐captive labour markets in the early phases of the transition from slavery in the country, particularly in the 1840s–50s. Vis‐à‐vis the alternatives of fixed rents and fixed payments per time worked or piece rates, the paper examines the rationale for the adoption of sharecropping arrangements with European bonded labourers. New archival evidence suggests that sharecropping had no obvious productivity advantage over alternative labour–rental arrangements in this period, and that the adoption of sharecropping arrangements resulted from the positional advantage of its first proposers, who influenced later choices of contractual design. A credit‐labour tie‐up long outlived the original sharecropping arrangements, in turn allowing for the immigration of poor and credit‐constrained Europeans, paving the way to insert Brazil into the circuits of mass migration without promoting institutional reforms to attract non‐bonded immigrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying an integrated management of the risks that young entrepreneurs face in trying to establish and maintain a lavender crop has become of real interest, as the competition has become fiercer. The present article focuses on some of the results obtained from our own research, carried out in Cornatelu commune, Dambovita county, in a family holding of 7,500 sqm, in the period 2017-2019. The total area was divided into three equal parts, 2,500 sqm each, the first being classically (control), the second intensively, and the third ecologically managed. During the three years, all the technological stages were followed, making correlations between the applied agrotechnics, the health status of the lavender crop, the yields obtained and the ways of its valorization for each of the tested variants. Results of the research refer both to the risks arising during the vegetation period, as well as to those from the time of harvesting, processing, packaging and delivery of the products for commercialization. The average of the testing period indicated that the classic system brings yield increases of 5-9%, the quality being also superior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Black and Third World Marxist tradition have demonstrated that colonialism is inseparable from historical accounts of global capitalism. This paper contributes to that project through an account of heterochronic capitalist time by indexing both its uneven incorporation of socio-ecological temporalities and its disciplining of enslaved people. To illustrate this, I examine how Western industrial temporal relations are generative of, and imposed through, its conflictual relations with Indigenous Taíno and enslaved West African socio-ecological forms of time within the Caribbean sugar complex. In addition, I emphasize that despite colonial capitalism seeking to merge African and Indigenous socio-ecological temporal knowledge into abstract labour, it is never a totalizing process. In effect, while colonial capitalism wields various techniques to incorporate Indigenous and African life worlds, there are always phenomenological remainders of cultural temporal difference that do not reproduce the logic of capital. Highlighting two contrasting postcolonial readings of Marx's notion of subsumption, I argue that we can index the existence of a multiplicity of non-linear and cyclical forms of eternal time that comingle and link past, present and futurity. Inscribing their own emergent dialectics, however, I caution that preserved forms of temporal difference can potentially be taken up in service to reactionary political projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ganoderma boninense (G. boninense) is a soil-borne fungus threatening oil palm at the present. It causes basal stem rot disease on oil palm. Within six months, this fungus can cause an oil palm plantation to suffer a significant 43% economic loss. The high persistence and nature of spread of G. boninense in soil make control of the disease challenging. Therefore, controlling the pathogen requires a thorough understanding of the mechanisms that underlie pathogenicity as well as its interactions with host plants. In this paper, we present the general characteristics, the pathogenic mechanisms, and the host's defensive system of G. boninense. We also review upcoming and most promising techniques for disease management that will have the least negative effects on the environment and natural resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pentatomid bug, Degonetus serratus (Distant) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) was found infesting on teak plants during a field visit to forest areas of Tapi district, South Gujarat, The infestation was found sporadic along the river side teak plantation. This paper presents the first report of the occurrence of D. serratus and its sporadic infestation on teak from Gujarat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to highlight some interspecific relationships existing in epigeic invertebrate communities in natural forest ecosystems and plantations in the Western Romanian Plain. Nine sites were studied: 2 natural forests and 7 plantations. The material was collected with Barber traps during the summer season. The fauna was identified at the higher level of the species and Coleoptera: Carabidae - at species level, using specific identification keys. The following aspects were analysed: taxonomic composition, status of the taxa in the local coenoses from the point of view of their constancy classes in the samples, as well as the linear correlation coefficient (r) between the predatory taxa but also between the predators and their food sources. The results of this study highlight the importance of the coenotic heterogeneity in ensuring complex and long-lasting interspecific relationships along the path of ecological succession, resulting in a quality supply of environmental services provided by forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugar plantations have fundamentally shaped water use in Maui, Hawai'i for over 100 years, with tremendous resulting impacts on ecosystems and Native Hawaiian communities. In this paper, we build on literature on the plantationocene and the political lives of infrastructure to examine plantation irrigation infrastructure. We center Maui's vast water conveyance ditch system as a means of understanding how infrastructure continues plantation logics into the present, considering both the physical ditches themselves as well as the laws and politics which support continued water extraction. We also consider infrastructural futures, highlighting ongoing efforts of communities seeking water justice via infrastructural control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cacao swollen shoot disease (CSSD) caused by complexes of cacao swollen shoot badnaviruses (family Caulimoviridae, genus Badnavirus) remains highly prevalent and devastating in West Africa. The disease continues to impact substantially on cacao yield loss, cacao tree mortality, and decline in foreign exchange income from cacao bean sales. Currently, the disease is estimated to have a prevalence rate of over 30% in Ghana, as assessed in the ongoing third country-wide surveillance program. Although achievements from past research interventions have greatly elucidated the etiology, biology, epidemiology, diagnostics, and management of the disease, there are some outstanding knowledge gaps. The role of these information gaps and their effect on CSSD epidemiology and prevalence remain unanswered. This paper summarizes existing scientific knowledge from past research achievements that have provided elucidation on CSSD epidemiology, management options, and guided future research. The discussion highlights the need for multidisciplinary research with modern tools and institutional collaborators to holistically bring clarity on knowledge gaps on pathogen biology, virus–host-–vector interactions, role of environmental and soil nutrient effects on CSSD severity, evolution pattern, role of alternative hosts on virus species diversity, vector population dynamics, and their overall impact on CSSD prevalence and integrated management in cacao plantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether environmental conditions under exotic tree plantations abandoned in the Western Ghats of India can facilitate the natural regeneration of tropical montane forest (Shola forest) tree species is being debated. In many cases, the exotic tree plantations are being cleared to allow for the restoration of native ecosystems. In this paper, we examined whether exotic tree plantations have indeed a negative effect on the regeneration of Shola forest tree species. For this, we assessed the abundance, diversity, and composition of the regeneration of Shola forest tree species in plantations, each with different dominant tree species (Acacia mearnsii , Pinus sp. and Eucalyptus sp.). We tested the abundance of regenerating native tree species against the main plantation canopy species (plantation type) as well as other environmental factors (aspect, distance to nearest Shola forest, structural diversity, slope, elevation, presence of herbivores, and canopy closure). We found that the number of native tree species regenerating in all plantation types was at an acceptable level: 1960, 1773, and 462 individuals ha−1 for Acacia , Eucalyptus , and Pinus plantations, respectively. A rare fraction analysis showed that the highest number of Shola tree species were regenerating under Acacia mearnsii (25) followed by Eucalyptus (19) and Pinus (8) plantations. The density and diversity of regenerating Shola trees was greatest under Acacia plantations and northern aspects but declined with increasing elevation. The presence of herbivores also reduced the density and diversity of Shola tree regeneration. We concluded that the restoration of Shola forest in the Western Ghats is possible in existing stands of exotic tree species and this process can be accelerated with appropriate silvicultural methods. We additionally recommend that studies involving long-term exclosures can provide valuable insights into the effects of browsing on regeneration and species composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The land in the South Tasikmalaya Regency is dominated by dry land with a steep and hilly land contour. In addition, the area has a shallow soil solum, so it has a high potential for erosion and landslides. Therefore, it is necessary to innovate an integrated cultivation system that is economically feasible, but still maintains environmental sustainability. In this research, the aim is to formulate a model for the development of integrated plantation polyculture farming (IPPF) for the welfare of farmers. The method in this study uses a mixed method design. The location of the research carried out is in the Tasikmalaya Regency. The data used are the results of interviews and questionnaires to 250 IPPF farmers. The data used were obtained by multistage cluster random sampling. The sustainable IPPF development model was analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). This analysis is used to determine the various potential capital factors for agricultural development on the sustainable development of the IPPF and farmers' welfare. The results of the study show that the potential development capital [natural resources (SDA) capital, economic capital, socio-cultural capital, physical capital, and multifunctional IPPF], jointly or partially affect the IPPF sustainability. Human resource capital has no effect on the sustainable IPPF development, while the sustainable IPPF development affects the farmers' welfare levels, and the potential agricultural development capital and its multifunctionality affect the sustainable IPPF development and farmers' welfare. The IPPF development model that improves the welfare of farmers is carried out through the development of specific local superior commodities, increasing the added value and cooperation, developing access to credit, regenerating farmers, sustainable assistance and infrastructure improvements. The results of this study are expected to be a reference for the government in improving IPPF sustainability to achieve the welfare of its farmers. Apart from that, the model that has been developed can make a contribution to science in the form of a comprehensive analysis of the factors that influence the sustainability of IPPF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay investigates the sexual violence against Indian indentured women during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries on colonial plantations around the world through the lens of intimacy and labour. Beginning in the 1830s, Indian men, women, and children were brought to various overseas plantations by colonial planters under the indenture system, which was designed to fill the labour shortage that resulted from the 1833 abolition of slavery in the British Empire. This essay uses the petitions, depositions and letters of indentured women---available in colonial archives in both their native Indian languages and in English translation---to argue that the violence against women was not only perpetuated by plantation authorities but equally by Indian male indentured workers. The paper identifies two forms of violence on the plantations: colonial violence related to racial hierarchy and control over the subjugated subject and patriarchal violence related to Indian social control and domination. Each type of violence was related to intimacy, i.e. closeness of people on plantations. While colonial violence was enacted through power relations, the Indian male violence was enacted through imposition of the patriarchal norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tea cultivation holds significant economic value, yet the leaves of tea plants are frequently susceptible to various pest and disease infestations. Consequently, there is a critical need for research focused on precisely and efficiently detecting these threats to tea crops. The investigation of a model capable of effectively identifying pests and diseases in tea plants is often hindered by challenges, such as limited datasets of pest and disease samples and the small size of detection targets. To address these issues, this study has chosen TLB, a common pest and disease in tea plants, as the primary research subject. The approach involves the application of transfer learning in conjunction with data augmentation as a fundamental methodology. This technique entails transferring knowledge acquired from a comprehensive source data domain to the model, aiming to mitigate the constraints of limited sample sizes. Additionally, to tackle the challenge of detecting small targets, this study incorporates the decoupling detection head TSCODE and integrates the Triplet Attention mechanism into the E-ELAN structure within the backbone to enhance the model's focus on the TLB's small targets and optimize detection accuracy. Furthermore, the model's loss function is optimized based on the Wasserstein distance measure to mitigate issues related to sensitivity in localizing small targets. Experimental results demonstrate that, in comparison to the conventional YOLOv7 tiny model, the proposed model exhibits superior performance on the TLB small sample dataset, with precision increasing by 6.5% to 92.2%, recall by 4.5% to 86.6%, and average precision by 5.8% to 91.5%. This research offers an effective solution for identifying tea pests and diseases, presenting a novel approach to developing a model for detecting such threats in tea cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This review aimed to evaluate the impacts of oil palm-cattle integration systems on food security and environmental sustainability. We reviewed more than 100 papers and selected those that reported the advantages of these systems. Oil palm-cattle integration has been implemented in some Southeast Asian countries, especially in Malaysia and Indonesia, but it is not widely adopted by oil palm plantations. These systems are mainly driven by policies to enhance food security and reduce environmental impacts. Oil palm-cattle integration can contribute to several Sustainable Development Goals, such as (SDG 1 and 2) no poverty and zero hunger, because it allows for more and diverse food production on the same land, and it increases the income per hectare by up to 15% due to higher oil palm yield (up to 4 t FFB/ha) and lower weed control costs (up to 60%) with rotational grazing. It can also support (SDG 6, 12, 13) responsible production and consumption, clean water and sanitation, and climate action, because it can decrease herbicide use, enhance biodiversity (understory and beneficial species), and improve soil quality. Moreover, it can mitigate the risk of indirect land use change associated with deforestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the effects of COVID-19-induced pandemic on tea plantation workers during lockdown phases in India. The tea industry, being a labour-intensive, employs around 1.2 million permanent workers who usually reside within the plantations along with their families, making the largest employer in the formal private sector. Drawing from secondary data and narratives from in-depth telephonic interviews with various key informants during and post-lockdown, this study shows that plantation workers faced livelihood crisis due to subsequent lockdowns during both the waves of COVID-19 health crisis. Poor health infrastructure in the tea estates, weak trade union and existing wage determination methods are responsible for livelihood crisis for plantation workers during pandemic. Except state-assisted social assistance benefits in terms of ration, unlike permanent workers of other sectors and industries, regular plantation workers did not even receive compensated wages from the employer during lockdown, following 'no-wage for no-work' clause. Ineffective labour market institutions and rigid managementality failed to protect tea plantation workers during the crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An accurate speed measurement method is a prerequisite for an electric-drive precision planter. However, the influence of speed measurement methods on planting quality under different field conditions is unclear. In this paper, an electric-drive precision planter compatible with different speed measurement methods was built. Then, an experimental study was conducted to compare the influence of real-time kinematic positioning global navigation satellite system, global navigation satellite system, rotary encoder, and Doppler radar on the planting quality under different field conditions (tillage and no-tillage fields) and operational speeds (4, 6, 8, 10 km h−1). The results indicated that the speed measurement method had a significant effect (p < 0.05) on quality of feed index and multiples index, but it had no significant effect (p > 0.05) on missing index and coefficient of variation. The real-time kinematic positioning global navigation satellite system is the best for the electric-drive precision planter under typical working conditions (tillage and no-tillage fields); the average quality of feed index was 98.4 %, and was 86.8 %, respectively in the tillage and no-tillage field. The rotary encoder is an alternative in tillage fields, and the global navigation satellite system is an alternative in no-tillage fields. The results of the study quantify the influence of speed measurement methods on planting quality under different field conditions, which can help promote the development and application of electric-drive planting technology to safeguard maize yields. • An electric-drive maize precision planting system was built. • The system was compatible with different speed measurement methods. • The influence of speed measurement methods on planting quality was assessed. • A selection procedure for speed measurement methods under different field conditions was provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the clearance of native forests and native vegetation for plantation establishment, otherwise known as forest conversion, in the state-owned plantations of New South Wales, Australia. It begins by describing Australia's forests, plantations, and forest conversion, continues with an outline of the history of public hardwood plantations in New South Wales, and explores the regulatory frameworks that allow this practice to happen, and the responses adopted by non-state environmental governance systems, notably forest certification, to address this problem. The paper presents a case study analysis of conversion in the hardwood plantations of northern NSW, and concludes that the current regulatory environment facilitates deforestation, with cumulative impacts at the landscape level, and that without government intervention, efforts to prevent this by non-state action will only be partially successful, leading to ongoing habitat and species loss. The failure of existing legislative and regulatory frameworks to adequately acknowledge, define, and prohibit conversion will remain an impediment to sustainable forest management, as the entry of such timber into the market contaminates supply chains, resulting in considerable reputation risk. Reform is needed in both public and private governance systems to ensure strong governance, effective planning, and ecosystem integrity at the landscape level. Recommendations are provided for policymakers. • A new methodology to identify original forest inside plantation areas via historical aerial imagery. • A detailed evaluation of a range of spatial datasets demonstrating the increase of plantation cover, potentially at the expense of native forest. • A case study identifying that forest conversion has occurred in public hardwood plantations managed by the Forestry Corporation of New South Wales. • There is an urgent need to undertake reform to ensure New South Wales does not fall foul of the EUDR, or the Glasgow Declaration. • More research is needed to determine how significant these conversion events are , and the impacts on flora and fauna, notably the koala. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Questions on power exercise by natural resource actors and inherent conflicts have gained traction in scientific and policy circles in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), although there is virtual neglect of harmful convictions embedded in the exercise of power. To bridge this gap, this paper explores power and convictions around land and linked natural resources in Cameroon. Data was generated through focus group discussions (N = 14), key informant (N = 44) and expert interviews (N = 19). The analysis drew from the actor-centered power lens employing thematic and content analysis. The results indicate the following: First, while gender-based and elitism-based harmful convictions significantly shape land and linked natural resource access, region/ethnic-based and religion-based convictions were less significant. Second, actors championing gender-based convictions employ more coercive approaches, while elitist and political actors make use of incentives. This study informs the actor-centered power (ACP) approach, with emphasis on the convictions embedded in the exercise of power during natural resource acquisition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing severity of global warming, the goal of carbon sequestration and emission reduction in various industries has become an important responsibility for sustainable development. As an important part of carbon sink, the improvement of net carbon efficiency in the plantations industry will make a great contribution to the realization of the "double carbon" target in agriculture. However, there are large spatial and temporal differences in the net carbon efficiency of the plantations sector in various provinces, and there is still a large scope for increasing carbon sink and reducing carbon emission. In this paper, we have analyzed spatial and temporal trends in the net carbon sink efficiency of the plantations' production processes in 31 provinces in China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) from 2000 to 2020. On this basis, we have analyzed the influencing factors of net carbon efficiency in the plantations' production process through an extended Kaya constant equation. Through the geographically and temporally weighted regression model, we explore the spatio-temporal heterogeneity of the influencing factors, and further analyze the driving and restraining factors of net carbon efficiency in plantations' production process, in order to propose appropriate countermeasures. The study shows that: (1) The net carbon efficiency of plantations sector in China increase between 2000 and 2020, and the development of net carbon efficiency is uneven across regions. (2) The geographic center of net carbon efficiency of China's plantations industry shift from the northeast to the southwest and is consistent with the migration direction of agricultural inputs. (3) The influencing factors of net carbon efficiency in the plantations sector show large regional differences, and can be specifically divided into four major types of zones. In this regard, this paper provides more appropriate countermeasure suggestions for increasing carbon sink and reducing carbon emission in each zone, with a view to achieving the goal of double carbon in agriculture with practical significance. • Net carbon efficiency is a new objective indicator to measure the carbon sink level of cropland. • Cultivated land carbon sink capacity is closely related to agricultural inputs. • Regional differences in the factors influencing net carbon efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The stereo visual-inertial odometry using point-line features can be used for precise positioning in orchards. • The proposed line feature and the keyframe criteria strategy can enhance the positioning accuracy in orchards. • Built an orchard dataset for localization experiments with scenes from banana, mango, and wampee orchards, yielding precise results. • The low-cost hardware, and the positioning system demonstrates good performance. The vision-based localization of orchard mobile robots is an indispensable component of orchard intelligent management, applicable to scenarios such as navigation and harvesting. Due to the rugged terrain and lack of texture features in orchard environments, the accuracy of Visual-Inertial Odometry (VIO) based on feature point is compromised, making it challenging to meet practical application requirements. Addressing these issues, this paper proposes an algorithm for stereo visual-inertial localization based on point-line features, by enhancing VINS-Fusion. The algorithm incorporates the line feature detector algorithm (LSD) into the odometry front-end to detect line features, addressing the insufficient effective feature points and low-quality feature matching issues in orchard environments. Simultaneously, strategies for length filtering and feature matching are introduced for line features, eliminating poor-quality line features and matches caused by rugged terrain, thereby reducing adverse impacts on localization accuracy. To prevent keyframe redundancy due to a scarcity of stable feature points in areas with missing textures, such as tree trunks and leaves, a keyframe criteria optimization method based on point-line features is designed. Back-end optimization minimizes the cost function containing residuals of point-line features, prior information, and IMU, ultimately improving the localization accuracy of mobile robots. To validate the effectiveness and practicality of the proposed algorithm, a self-built dataset was created in real orchard environments, including scenes from banana plantation, mango orchard, and wampee orchard. Localization experiments were conducted using Rosario, EuRoC public datasets and self-built orchard dataset. Results indicate that the proposed algorithm consistently achieves lower ATE-RMSE than VINS-Fusion, with a maximum reduction of 79.2 % in the Rosario dataset sequence, 23.3 % in the EuRoC dataset sequence, and ATE-RMSE values of 0.091 m, 0.107 m, and 0.093 m in banana plantation, mango orchard, and wampee orchard, respectively. These represent reductions of 22.9 %, 7.6 %, and 27.3 % compared to VINS-Fusion. In the self-built orchard dataset, the average frame processing times for the algorithm front-end is 56.3 ms, while for the back-end is 31 ms, meeting the practical localization requirements. The proposed algorithm effectively enhances the localization accuracy of orchard mobile robots, offering a viable solution for autonomous navigation in orchard robot systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eucalyptus species are one of the most suitable sources of raw materials for pulp and paper industries in India as well as worldwide. Rational management of Eucalyptus plantations is therefore imperative to ensure sustained production and supply of raw materials to the business. Thus, sustainable and integrated disease management necessitates significant knowledge of plant pathogens that occur on Eucalyptus. Heavy blighting of young Eucalyptus plantations infected by Pestalotiopsis microspora was observed in E. camaldulensis for the first time in Khammam province, Telangana State, India. The associated fungus was isolated by following the standard tissue isolation technique and its pathogenic ability was confirmed. Based on the morphological and cultural characterization, the associated fungus was identified as P. microspora , and further, its identity was confirmed by comparing the sequences of internal transcribed space (ITS), partial translation elongation factor-1α (TEF1), and partial β – tubulin (TUB2). Pathogenicity assay confirmed that P. microspora could infect E. camaldulensis , which produced similar symptoms when artificially inoculated as those found on naturally infected plants under field conditions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of P. microspora causing leaf blight in Eucalyptus plantations from India. These findings will be the key to building appropriate disease management strategies for newly emerging pathogens on Eucalyptus trees under field conditions. • Leaf blight is a destructive disease resulting in 30–80% of damage to the Eucalyptus plantations. • Pestalotiopsis microspora was identified by isolation, morphological and molecular methods, and Koch's postulate. • This is an important addition to the molecular taxonomy of the Pestalotiopsis family affecting Eucalyptus in India. • This study warrants screening Eucalyptus genotypes/clones to identify disease-resistant clones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study explored the impact of land use changes on soil biodiversity, focussing on soil invertebrates in a converted natural forest. Using parallel transects 1 km in length positioned 200 m apart across cocoa, coffee, and cashew farms and natural forest areas, we sampled soil invertebrates with pitfall traps. The findings reveal a significant decline in soil invertebrate populations in cocoa, coffee, and cashew farmlands compared to natural forest. The number of soil invertebrates recorded in the wet season was generally less than the number found in the dry season. Mean soil invertebrate count in the natural forest was approximately double that of the count in cashew farms. Soil invertebrate density was highest in the dry season in the natural forest and lowest in the cashew farms. The study contributes a holistic understanding of the intricate relationships between land use changes and soil biodiversity, emphasizing the urgency of adopting conservation measures and policy interventions to safeguard the rich diversity of soil ecosystems for future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nutria (Myocastor coypus), also known as coypu or 'river rats', are big semi-aquatic rodents that originate from South America and were shipped to Europe for fur production in the late 1800s. Today, the animals live in wild populations in many places around the globe. One of these places is the Eastern German city of Halle is where they have been able to establish themselves in large populations along the river Saale. This article situates the history and presence of nutria in Eastern Germany in the Plantationocene. The Plantationocene concept regards the plantation as a structuring feature of our present. In the plantation, humans and nonhumans are separated, hierarchically ordered and exploited along different power axes, so that standardised, scalable production becomes possible. In this sense, we argue that the nutria farms of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) followed plantation logics that resembled that of 'actual' plantations and that exploited their forced animal labour for fur production. With German reunification, however, nutria lost their economic value and, in many cases, were simply released to save on 'disposal costs'. Outside the nutria farms, they developed plantation afterlives, where similar logics continued to exert violence on their bodies, such as in their recent classification as 'invasive alien species', but were also challenged in a number of ways. Taking cue from recent discussions on the Plantationocene, this article can be considered as an intervention and invitation to move beyond the plantation in the literal sense of the term, so as to study how the Plantationocene works across different species, spaces and times, while being attentive to its limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high growth height and substantial weight of bananas present challenges for robots to harvest autonomously. To address the issues of high labor costs and low efficiency in manual banana harvesting, a highly autonomous and integrated banana-picking robot is proposed to achieve autonomous harvesting of banana bunches. A prototype of the banana-picking robot was developed, featuring an integrated end-effector capable of clamping and cutting tasks on the banana stalks continuously. To enhance the rapid and accurate identification of banana stalks, a target detection vision system based on the YOLOv5s deep learning network was developed. Modules for detection, positioning, communication, and execution were integrated to successfully develop a banana-picking robot system, which has been tested and optimized in multiple banana plantations. Experimental results show that this robot can continuously harvest banana bunches. The average precision of detection is 99.23%, and the location accuracy is less than 6 mm. The robot picking success rate is 91.69%, and the average time from identification to harvesting completion is 33.28 s. These results lay the foundation for the future application of banana-picking robots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest vegetation is an important component of forest ecosystems, contributing to terrestrial plant diversity while also providing a variety of ecological services. In managed landscapes, plantations emerge as dominant kinds after stand-replacing disturbances. However, the dynamics of vegetation cover, diversity, and composition in plantation forests remains poorly understood in the subtropical region. Our study recorded a rich floral diversity with 173 angiosperm species, characterized by varying life forms and distinct flowering phenology. The uneven distribution of species across families demonstrated the complexity of the ecosystem, with Poaceae being dominant. Diversity patterns among different plantation types varied, with Dalbergia sissoo and Populus nigra plantations exhibiting higher species richness and diversity. Conversely, Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Morus alba plantations displayed lower diversity, emphasizing the influence of plantation type on biodiversity. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) and PERMANOVA analyses revealed significant dissimilarity patterns of vegetation composition. Indicator species analysis identified unique compositions within each plantation type, emphasizing the importance of conserving specific types to protect indicator species and maintained ecological distinctiveness. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) demonstrated that road accessibility, stem cutting, and fire significantly influenced plant distribution patterns. The present research underscored the importance of considering plantation type in forest management for biodiversity conservation and highlighted the environmental variables' influence on the formation of plant communities. These results provided major implications for sustainable forest management and conservation efforts in tropical regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the bending properties of tropical tree species rich in organic extracts, the effects of temperature and time on the bending performance of hydrothermal treatment were investigated. The effects of power and time on bending performance under microwave heating conditions were investigated. It is found that the chemical composition does not undergo obvious degradation at 80°C-100°C, and the bending performance gradually becomes better with the increase in heating time; when the hydrothermal time exceeds 4 h, the bending performance varies with heating time. The growth is better than the difference, reaching the maximum at 4 h. When the water temperature is 140°C, the bending performance is negatively correlated with the heating time. When the hydrothermal treatment time is the same, the bending property becomes better as the temperature increases. The most reasonable process for microwave softening heating is with a power of 480 W and a heating time of 4 min. A softening treatment method combining water heat and microwave can achieve a better softening effect. When the final moisture content is controlled to 8%, the bending setting effect is the best. The optimum drying time is 6 h, and the optimum drying temperature is 50℃. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The productivity of forests in sub-Saharan Africa is often summarized into large compartments or site classes. However, the classification of forest productivity levels based on the original site index model in Tanzania and the techniques applied to generate the model did not include the micro-toposequence variations within compartments. This may create false expectations of wood supply and hinder the estimation of sustainable harvesting processes. This study analyzed variations in forest productivity and the site index in P. patula stands in two forest plantations of Tanzania to assess the applicability and generality of the present site classification system. We used dominant height as a proxy for forest productivity in 48 plots at the Sao Hill forest plantation (SHFP) and 24 plots at the Shume forest plantation (SFP). We stratified the sampling plots in each site class along the soil catena and recorded the elevation, slope, and slope positions (summit, mid, and lower). Our results showed that the site classes did not generally match the previously assigned site classes and the productivity of a given site class varied between the two plantations. We found a consistently higher productivity than that implied by the original site index in SFP, while in SHFP, the productivity was both higher and lower than estimated in different compartments. Both elevations and slope significantly contributed to predicting the productivity variations within site classes. Overall, the results indicate that physiographic factors affect variations in forest productivity within the assigned site classes. We recommend a more comprehensive site productivity assessment that takes into account physiographic variations and hence provides more accurate information for sustainable forest plantation management in Tanzania and in the region at large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pinus koraiensis is one of the important tree species in Northeast China. Due to its high pine-needle-oil content and the density of human activities in its habitat, the forest-fire prevention situation is severe in the context of climate change. The rate of surface-fire spread is one of the key indicators for scientifically advancing early fire prevention and is crucial for guiding forest firefighting operations. In this study, we investigated how moisture content, load, and slope impact the surface-fire spread rate using indoor-simulated fire-spread experiments. Furthermore, we analyzed the limitations in the Rothermel model for predicting the surface-fire spread rate in P. koraiensis plantations and proposed modifications to the model by the modification method of priority to no-wind or slope conditions and slope conditions. Additionally, we evaluated the prediction accuracy of the original Rothermel model and two other modified models on the surface-fire spread rate. A high moisture content and low slope demonstrated an absolute inhibitory effect on the rate of surface-fire spread, whereas the promotional effect of a low moisture content and high slope was easily disturbed by the other factors. Under high-slope conditions, an overestimation situation was observed in the Rothermel model. Both of the modification methods involving priority to no-wind or slope conditions and slope conditions could improve this situation. Furthermore, the modification method demonstrated a better improvement effect on the prediction accuracy. Our findings provide valuable insights for refining the Rothermel model and offer guidance for improving the accuracy of predicting fire spread rates and behavior for Pinus koraiensis. This bears immense significance for advancing the understanding and calculation of the ROS of forest fires in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We measured light‐related patterns of primary productivity within a topographically complex Oregon watershed over a 30‐year period. Second‐growth conifer densities were experimentally altered in 1981. Plots receiving at least 3434 MJ m−2 over a 6‐month growing season averaged 40% greater aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) than those receiving less light (p = 0.000). Unthinned stands potentially built enough LAI to compensate for low light, but risked mortality that exceeded resilience. The two light levels acted as basins of attraction for other physiological and ecological processes, including size–density relationships and limiting foliar nutrients. Initial (1981) LAI and the irradiation step (above or below 3434 MJ m−2) explained 60% of variation in a 30‐year ANPP. Irradiation within each light group did not affect ANPP. At high irradiation, foliar N/Ca and slope steepness (both negative) explained 58% of the variation in residuals from the initial models, while at low irradiation on north, east, and west aspects, 83% of residual variation was explained by foliar Mg (+), understory cover (+), and 30‐year mortality (−). Light use efficiency (LUE) of fully stocked stands correlated with LAI and foliar N/K. Results suggest that understory influence on tree foliar N (+ or −) enhances ANPP by regulating critical nutrient ratios. Mortality reduced or eliminated differences among thinning levels, which did not vary at low light and only between unthinned and heavily thinned at high light. Values associated with relatively open forests (biodiversity, resilience) may be attained without large sacrifice of long‐term carbon sinks. In our study, light interacts with topography to produce nonlinear dynamics in which small changes in irradiation can have large consequences. Reduced sunlight has been suggested as a geoengineering option to combat global warming. Ecological changes out of proportion to lowered irradiation are a distinct possibility, including sharp reductions in terrestrial carbon sinks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]