Abstract
This transdisciplinary study has a three-fold systems approach in evaluating a horticultural technology: 1) horticultural evaluations, 2) economic and resource analyses, and 3) systems engineering analyses, using low temperature storage as an example technology. Vegetable grafting is a technique to produce value-added seedlings but requires labor intensive nursery operations. Low temperature storage of seedlings for a short period of time can reduce peak production, but has not been evaluated at the extent demonstrated in this paper. Seedlings of 22 genotypes of Cucurbitaceae (cucurbit family) and Solanaceae (nightshade family) were evaluated for storability under selected temperatures and photosynthetic photon flux. Storability of Cucurbitaceous seedlings varied between 2 to 4 weeks at 12°C and 13 μmol m-2 s-1. Solanaceous seedlings were generally storable for 4 weeks at 12°C and 13 μmol m-2 s-1, but tomato seedlings could be stored for 4 weeks at 10°C and 5 μmol m-2 s-1. Capital and weekly operational costs of a low temperature storage system with a design that meets environmental requirements were estimated as $671 to $708 per m2 footprint and $0.79 to $2.21 per m2 footprint per week, respectively. Electricity costs per plant was less than 0.1 cents for 2 to 4 weeks of storage. Using a schedule-optimization heuristic and a logistics simulator previously developed for grafting nursery operations, six production scenarios consisting of two crops (tomato or watermelon) and three production peak patterns were examined to evaluate the impact of including low temperature storage. While the overall average costs of grafting labor were not significantly different, maximum labor demand and grafting labor cost during the peak production week were reduced by 31% to 50% and 14% to 30% by using storage, respectively. Therefore, low temperature storage can be an effective means to address the issue of labor management in grafting nurseries.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Cucurbitaceous seedlings were storable for 2 to 4 weeks at 12°C and 13 μmol m-2 s-1.
- Taxon
- CucurbitaceaeCucurbitaceaee1
- Treatment
- 12°C and 13 μmol m-2 s-1e2
- Outcome
- Storabilitye2
- Value
- 2 to 4 weekse2
Verbatim
e1“Seedlings of 22 genotypes of Cucurbitaceae (cucurbit family) and Solanaceae (nightshade family) were evaluated for storability under selected temperatures and photosynthetic photon flux”
e2“Storability of Cucurbitaceous seedlings varied between 2 to 4 weeks at 12°C and 13 μmol m-2 s-1”
Claim · model-written summary
Solanaceous seedlings were generally storable for 4 weeks at 12°C and 13 μmol m-2 s-1.
Verbatim
e1“Seedlings of 22 genotypes of Cucurbitaceae (cucurbit family) and Solanaceae (nightshade family) were evaluated for storability under selected temperatures and photosynthetic photon flux”
e2“Solanaceous seedlings were generally storable for 4 weeks at 12°C and 13 μmol m-2 s-1”
Claim · model-written summary
Tomato seedlings could be stored for 4 weeks at 10°C and 5 μmol m-2 s-1.
- Taxon
- tomato
Solanum lycopersicume1 - Treatment
- 10°C and 5 μmol m-2 s-1e1
- Outcome
- storede1
- Value
- 4 weekse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“tomato seedlings could be stored for 4 weeks at 10°C and 5 μmol m-2 s-1”
Claim · model-written summary
Estimated capital cost of the low temperature storage system was $671 to $708 per m2 footprint.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e1“Capital and weekly operational costs of a low temperature storage system with a design that meets environmental requirements were estimated as $671 to $708 per m2 footprint and $0.79 to $2.21 per m2 footprint per week, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
Estimated weekly operational cost of the low temperature storage system was $0.79 to $2.21 per m2 footprint per week.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e1“Capital and weekly operational costs of a low temperature storage system with a design that meets environmental requirements were estimated as $671 to $708 per m2 footprint and $0.79 to $2.21 per m2 footprint per week, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
Electricity cost per plant was less than 0.1 cents for 2 to 4 weeks of storage.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e1“Electricity costs per plant was less than 0.1 cents for 2 to 4 weeks of storage”
Claim · model-written summary
Storage did not significantly change the overall average grafting labour cost across production scenarios.
- Taxon
- tomato or watermelon
Citrullus lanatusSolanum lycopersicume1 - Treatment
- low temperature storagee1
- Outcome
- overall average costs of grafting labore2
- Direction
- no_changeinferrede2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Using a schedule-optimization heuristic and a logistics simulator previously developed for grafting nursery operations, six production scenarios consisting of two crops (tomato or watermelon) and three production peak patterns were examined to evaluate the impact of including low temperature storage”
e2“While the overall average costs of grafting labor were not significantly different”
Claim · model-written summary
Low temperature storage reduced maximum labour demand during the peak production week by 31% to 50%.
- Taxon
- tomato or watermelonCitrullus lanatusSolanum lycopersicume1
- Treatment
- using storagee2
- Outcome
- maximum labor demande2
- Direction
- reducede2
- Value
- 31% to 50%e2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Using a schedule-optimization heuristic and a logistics simulator previously developed for grafting nursery operations, six production scenarios consisting of two crops (tomato or watermelon) and three production peak patterns were examined to evaluate the impact of including low temperature storage”
e2“maximum labor demand and grafting labor cost during the peak production week were reduced by 31% to 50% and 14% to 30% by using storage, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
Low temperature storage reduced grafting labour cost during the peak production week by 14% to 30%.
- Taxon
- tomato or watermelonCitrullus lanatusSolanum lycopersicume1
- Treatment
- using storagee2
- Outcome
- grafting labor cost during the peak production weeke2
- Direction
- reducede2
- Value
- 14% to 30%e2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Using a schedule-optimization heuristic and a logistics simulator previously developed for grafting nursery operations, six production scenarios consisting of two crops (tomato or watermelon) and three production peak patterns were examined to evaluate the impact of including low temperature storage”
e2“maximum labor demand and grafting labor cost during the peak production week were reduced by 31% to 50% and 14% to 30% by using storage, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
Low temperature storage can be an effective means to address labour management in grafting nurseries.
- Taxon
- CucurbitaceaeCucurbitaceaee2
- Outcome
- labor management in grafting nurseriese1
Verbatim
e1“low temperature storage can be an effective means to address the issue of labor management in grafting nurseries”
e2“Seedlings of 22 genotypes of Cucurbitaceae (cucurbit family) and Solanaceae (nightshade family) were evaluated for storability under selected temperatures and photosynthetic photon flux”
The same questions in other papers
cold · yield · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Results differ
13 papers in the same direction as this paper · 2 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- no effect
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See all 16 papers →storage · yield · Citrullus lanatus (watermelon)Positive and negative results
2 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- positive
- positive
storage · yield · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Positive and negative results
14 papers in the same direction as this paper · 4 in the opposite direction · 1 reporting no difference from an alternative
- no effect
- negative
- no effect
16 papers more in this group
See all 20 papers →cold · yield · Citrullus lanatus (watermelon)Results agree
2 papers in the same direction as this paper
- negative
- negative
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.