Maize (Zea mays L.) is a critical staple crop globally, integral to human consumption, food security, and agricultural product stability. The quality and purity of maize seeds, essential for hybrid seed production, are contingent upon effective detasseling. This study investigates the evolution of detasseling technologies and their application in Chinese maize hybrid seed production, with a comparative analysis against the United States. A comprehensive examination of the development and utilization of detasseling technology in Chinese maize hybrid seed production was undertaken, with a specific focus on key milestones. Data from the United States were included for comparative purposes. The analysis encompassed various detasseling methods, including manual, semi-mechanized, and cytoplasmic male sterility, as well as more recent innovations such as detasseling machines, and the emerging field of intelligent detasseling driven by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), computer vision, and mechanical arms. Mechanized detasseling methods were predominantly employed by America. Despite the challenges of inflexible and occasionally overlooked, applying detasseling machines is efficient and reliable. At present, China’s detasseling operations in hybrid maize seed production are mainly carried out by manual work, which is labor-intensive and inefficient. In order to address this issue, China is dedicated to developing intelligent detasseling technology. This study emphasizes the critical role of detasseling in hybrid maize seed production. The United States has embraced mechanized detasseling. The application and development of manual and mechanized detasseling were applied later than those in the United States, but latest intelligent detasseling technologies first appeared in China. Intelligent detasseling is expected to be the future direction, ensuring the quality and efficiency of hybrid maize seed production, with implications for global food security.
- Article type
- Year
- Co-author
Open Access
Issue
Soil stands as the fundamental pillar of agricultural production, with its quality being intrinsically linked to the efficiency and sustainability of farming practices. Historically, the intensive cultivation and soil erosion have led to a marked deterioration in some arable lands, characterized by a sharp decrease in soil organic matter, diminished fertility, and a decline in soil’s structural integrity and ecological functions. In the strategic framework of safeguarding national food security and advancing the frontiers of smart and precision agriculture, the march towards agricultural modernization continues apace, intensifying the imperative for meticulous soil quality management. Consequently, there is an urgent need for the rrapid acquisition of soil’s physical and chemical parameters.Interdisciplinary scholars have delved into soil monitoring research, achieving notable advancements that promise to revolutionize the way we understand and manage soil resource.
Utilizing the the Web of Science platform, a comprehensive literature search was conducted on the topic of "soil," further refined with supplementary keywords such as "electrochemistry", "spectroscopy", "electromagnetic", "ground-penetrating radar", and "satellite". The resulting literature was screened, synthesized, and imported into the CiteSpace visualization tool. A keyword emergence map was yielded, which delineates the trajectory of research in soil physical and chemical parameter detection technology. Analysis of the keyword emergence map reveals a paradigm shift in the acquisition of soil physical and chemical parameters, transitioning from conventional indoor chemical and spectrometry analyses to outdoor, real-time detection methods. Notably, soil sensors integrated into drones and satellites have garnered considerable interest. Additionally, emerging monitoring technologies, including biosensing and terahertz spectroscopy, have made their mark in recent years. Drawing from this analysis, the prevailing technologies for soil physical and chemical parameter information acquisition in agricultural fields have been categorized and summarized. These include:1. Rapid Laboratory Testing Techniques: Primarily hinged on electrochemical and spectrometry analysis, these methods offer the dual benefits of time and resource efficiency alongside high precision; 2. Rapid Near-Ground Sensing Techniques: Leveraging electromagnetic induction, ground-penetrating radar, and various spectral sensors(multispectral, hyperspectral, and thermal infrared), these techniques are characterized by their high detection accuracy and swift operation. 3. Satellite Remote Sensing Techniques: Employing direct inversion, indirect inversion, and combined analysis methods, these approaches are prized for their efficiency and extensive coverage. 4. Innovative Rapid Acquisition Technologies: Stemming from interdisciplinary research, these include biosensing, environmental magnetism, terahertz spectroscopy, and gamma spectroscopy, each offering novel avenues for soil parameter detection. An in-depth examination and synthesis of the principles, applications, merits, and limitations of each technology have been provided. Moreover, a forward-looking perspective on the future trajectory of soil physical and chemical parameter acquisition technology has been offered,taking into account current research trends and hotspots.
Current advancements in the technology for rapaid acquiring soil physical and chemical parameters in agricultural fields have been commendable, yet certain challenges persist. The development of near-ground monitoring sensors is constrained by cost, and their reliability, adaptability, and specialization require enhancement to effectively contend with the intricate and varied conditions of farmland environments. Additionally, remote sensing inversion techniques are confronted with existing limitations in data acquisition, processing, and application. To further develop the soil physical and chemical parameter acquisition technology and foster the evolution of smart agriculture, future research could beneficially delve into the following four areas: Designing portable, intelligent, and cost-effective near-ground soil information acquisition systems and equipment to facilitate rapid on-site soil information detection; Enhancing the performance of low-altitude soil information acquisition platforms and refine the methods for data interpretation to ensure more accurate insights; Integrating multifactorial considerations to construct robust satellite remote sensing inversion models, leveraging diverse and open cloud computing platforms for in-depth data analysis and mining; Engaging in thorough research on the fusion of multi-source data in the acquisition of soil physical and chemical parameter information, developing soil information sensing algorithms and models with strong generalizability and high reliability to achieve rapaid, precise, and intelligent acquisition of soil parameters.
京公网安备11010802044758号