Effect of electric impulse on sporocarp formation of ectomycorrhizal fungusLaccaria laccata in Japanese red pine plantation
We examined the effect of electric impulses on sporocarp formations of ectomycorrhizal fungus in a Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora) plantation.Laccaria laccata was the dominant species in this study plantation. Spatial distribution concentrated in the electric impulse treatment zone, and recorded a markedly larger number of sporocarps compared with untreated control plots. The effect of electric impulses was also recognized onL. laccata fruiting with a mycorrhizal sapling in a pot. Sporocarp production ofL. laccata was strongly promoted by the electric impulse in experiments bothin vivo natural plantation stands andin vitro pot saplings. Our work indicates the possibility of enhancement of sporocarp production of the mycorrhizal fungi with electric impulses in the nursery and plantation.
Effect of Electrical Stimulation on Fruit Body Formation in Cultivating Mushrooms
The effect of high-voltage electrical stimulation on fruit body formation in cultivating mushrooms was evaluated using a compact pulsed power generator designed and based on an inductive energy storage system. An output voltage from 50 to 130 kV with a 100 ns pulse width was used as the electrical stimulation to determine the optimum amplitude. The pulsed high voltage was applied to a sawdust-based substrate of Lyophyllum decastes and natural logs hosting Lentinula edodes, Pholiota nameko, and Naematoloma sublateritium. The experimental results showed that the fruit body formation of mushrooms increased 1.3–2.0 times in terms of the total weight. The accumulated yield of Lentinula edodes for four cultivation seasons was improved from 160 to 320 g by applying voltages of 50 or 100 kV. However, the yield was decreased from 320 to 240 g upon increasing the applied voltage from 100 to 130 kV. The yield of the other types of mushrooms showed tendencies similar to those of Lentinula edodes when voltage was applied. An optimal voltage was confirmed for efficient fruit body induction. The hypha activity was evaluated by the amount of hydrophobin release, which was mainly observed before the fruit body formation. The hydrophobin release decreased for three hours after stimulation. However, the hydrophobin release from the vegetative hyphae increased 2.3 times one day after the stimulation.
Remotely-Piloted Helicopter Citrus Yield Map Estimation
A remotely-piloted Gas Xcell mini-helicopter with GPS, wireless Ethernet, and a machinevision system was flown over orange trees to take overhead images. The individual tree images were processed to estimate the number of orange pixels in the images. The fruit yield of individualtrees at harvest a month later had an r-squared value of 0.373 with the number of orange pixels onthe irrigated tree images. While it was demonstrated that a remotely-piloted mini-helicopter could beused to acquire useful overhead images of citrus trees, substantial further research is needed toimprove the accuracy of estimates of individual tree yields or health.