Papers by Aaron K Hoshide, PhD
Land, 2024
Mitigating soil erosion‘s effects have been prioritized since the early 20th century. Rainfall si... more Mitigating soil erosion‘s effects have been prioritized since the early 20th century. Rainfall simulators and analytical prediction models are used to determine soil erosion susceptibility. This study used different methodologies to measure soil erodibility in two hydrographic sub-basins, the Renato and Caiabi, in the Middle and Upper Teles Pires River in Mato Grosso state, Brazil. The rainfall simulator showed a higher range of K-factor values for the Renato sub-basin of 0.0009 to 0.0086 Mg × h × (MJ × mm)−1 and a lower range of K-factor values for the Caiabi sub-basin of 0.0014 to 0.0031 Mg × h × (MJ × mm)−1. Soil loss equations similarly estimated a higher range of K-factor values for the Renato of 0.0008 to 0.0990 Mg × h × (MJ × mm)−1 and a lower range of K-factor values for the Caiabi of 0.0014 to 0.0846 Mg × h × (MJ × mm)−1. There was no significant difference at the 5% level for the K factor determined by the rainfall simulator for both sub-basins. Equations specified in Bouyoucos (1935) and Lombardi Neto and Bertoni (1975) showed significant correlation (5%) for farming systems in the Caiabi sub-basin. Indirect methodologies that performed well for correlation were equations 2 and 3 from Roloff and Denardin (1994), which use iron and aluminum as parameters. Soil erosion was most influenced by physical texture parameters of the region’s soil.
Biomass, 2024
Alternative biomass for energy can reduce fossil fuel use and environmental impacts, providing en... more Alternative biomass for energy can reduce fossil fuel use and environmental impacts, providing energy security in semi-arid areas with shallow soils that are not ideal for agro-forestry. The densification of sorghum biomass (SB) brings its energetic characteristics closer those of wood. Higher heating value (HHV) represents the heat produced by a given quantity of fuel. This Brazilian research tested different mixtures of SB, eucalyptus wood (W), and eucalyptus bio-oil (Bo) as briquettes for
HHV and least ash. Compressed mixtures of SB+B were compared to W+Bo and SB+W+Bo. The concentrations of bio-oil added to SB/W were 1%, 3%, 4%, and 5%. SB+W+Bo composites’ W content was 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%, with Bo as 3% of the weight. Sorghum biomass’ HHV is equivalent to W at 3%Bo. Bo doses of 4% and 5% had the same HHV as 3%. Eucalyptus wood did not have a significantly greater HHV with any amount of Bo. SB+W+3%Bo had the same HHV as W when W was at least 50% of the mixture. At greater than 36%W, the ash content was lower than 3%, meeting the EN-B international standard. The optimal composite mixture was 64%SB+36%W+3%Bo for HHV and ash content. SB briquettes can be more widely adopted given sorghum’s prevalence in semi-arid environments.
Sustainability, 2024
Lowbush blueberry is a mass-flowering plant species complex that grows in both unmanaged wild lan... more Lowbush blueberry is a mass-flowering plant species complex that grows in both unmanaged wild landscapes and managed agricultural fields in northeastern regions of both the USA and Canada. During pollination, more than 120 native bee species are associated with lowbush blueberry
ecosystems in Maine, USA, in addition to three commercially managed bees. Over a 29-year period, we sampled 209 lowbush blueberry fields using quadrat and transect sampling, recording both native bee and honey bee densities, honey bee hive stocking density, and native bees as a proportion of total bees. These data were used to simulate economic uncertainty in pollination. We developed a novel algorithm, the Economic Pollinator Level (EPL), to estimate bee densities that economically warrant pollination investments such as rented hives and planting bee pastures. Statistical modeling indicated both native bee and honey bee activity density predicted proportion fruit set in fields. Honey bee activity density was well predicted by hive stocking density. Proportion fruit set adequately predicted yield. EPL was most sensitive to fruit set/m2/bee and less dependent on berry weight, rented hive stocking density, hive rental cost, lowbush blueberry price, and the annual cost of planting/maintaining pollinator pastures. EPL can be used to sustainably balance economical pollination investments/decisions with bee conservation in lowbush blueberry crops and potentially other pollinator-dependent crops.
Frontiers Research Topics, 2023
Sustainable agricultural systems are pivotal to future agriculture’s capacity to support the proj... more Sustainable agricultural systems are pivotal to future agriculture’s capacity to support the projected global population of 9 billion people by 2050. Future agricultural food systems must effectively tackle pressing sustainability challenges that adversely affect both food production and the environment. These challenges encompass heightened land demand, sustainable use of synthetic nitrogen, declining soil carbon pool, and biodiversity loss. This Research Topic collection highlights different approaches to improving the environmental sustainability of agricultural systems around the world. Changes in climate require regional to farm-level approaches to climate change adaptation. From 2009 to 2018, maize production in China has been impacted by changes in climate but this is regionally dependent (Zhang et al.). Strategies to reduce agriculture’s environmental impact also depend on the region evaluated and the farm or agricultural stakeholder group involved. Within this context, the concepts of sustainable intensification (SI) and ecological intensification (EI) play important roles (Figure 1). SI of agricultural systems involves more efficiently using resources in order to spare future degradation of natural habitat. Meanwhile, EI diversifies farming systems which can not only improve agricultural production, but also enhance agro-ecosystems.
Soil Systems, 2023
Changes in land use can cause degradation of soil physical quality with negative effects on the e... more Changes in land use can cause degradation of soil physical quality with negative effects on the environment and agricultural production. The effects of different land uses on soil physical-hydric attributes were studied in the Renato River and Caiabi River watersheds in the southern Brazilian Amazon. Three conditions of land use were evaluated: native forest, crops, and pasture in the headwater, middle, and mouth of each watershed. Particle size, particle density, bulk density, total porosity, macroporosity, microporosity, water contents at field capacity and permanent wilting point, and available water capacity in soil were evaluated in three soil layers down to 0.4 m. Data collected were subjected to the Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test and Pearson's correlations. Multivariate analyses were also performed using the principal component method. In the Renato watershed, in comparison with native forest, conventional management of pasture and crops caused soil physical degradation, increasing soil density in the surface layer and reducing macroporosity and total porosity. In the Caiabi watershed, converting native forest areas into pasture and crops altered water quality, influencing the water dynamics in the soil, by reducing soil water conductivity. Soil attributes varied by watershed, with texture variations between the headwater and mouth, indicating that changes in soil properties result from both management and the granulometric composition of the soil in different regions of the same watershed. Adoption of crop and pasture conservation practices can improve soil physical attributes in regions bordering agricultural areas in the southern Amazon.
Sustainability, Apr 10, 2023
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
This research would not have been possible without the patience, advice, and willingness to provi... more This research would not have been possible without the patience, advice, and willingness to provide detailed production and financial information of all cooperating farms participating in this project. Cooperating producers in Aroostook, Franklin, Lincoln, Oxford, Penobscot, and York counties in Maine spent countless hours collaborating with and educating University of Maine researchers. Their breadth and depth of knowledge about their operations and industry as well as their commitment to making this project a success cannot be emphasized enough. It has been a pleasure working with and learning from all of them.
Agriculture, Jan 24, 2022
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Sustainability, May 9, 2023
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Sustainability, Dec 1, 2022
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Human Ecology Review, Sep 6, 2018
Increasing use of functional agrobiodiversity, organisms that help farmers, is crucial to improvi... more Increasing use of functional agrobiodiversity, organisms that help farmers, is crucial to improving resilience of conventional agriculture in industrial countries. Literature suggests acquiring local ecological knowledge on these species is a formidable barrier. The present study uses interview data to explore farmers' acquisition of local ecological knowledge concerning wild bees, as well as farmers' use and conservation of wild bees. Wild bees are important crop pollinators and an alternative or supplement to declining commercial honeybees. We found that high uncertainty over wild bees prompts risk aversion, slowing use and conservation. However, to acquire local ecological knowledge, farmers eschew time-consuming assessment and instead develop rules of thumb that mesh with and draw on their use of honeybees. These findings illustrate the complex way in which farmers adapt to the challenge of acquiring local ecological knowledge of functional agrobiodiversity in a conventional agricultural system.
Sustainability, Jun 21, 2023
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
American Journal of Potato Research, Oct 6, 2012
Maine consistently ranks in the top ten potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) production areas though yie... more Maine consistently ranks in the top ten potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) production areas though yields are substantially lower than the mid-and western USA. Geospatial frameworks help resolve patterns and trends in production environments (at multiple scales) that may enable improvements in adaptive management strategies which enhance yield, increase whole-farm profitability, and foster sustainable land use. Results from geospatial integration of remotely-sensed cropland (2008-2010) and soil datasets for Maine indicate an estimated 61,900 ha in potato production with 62 % and 27 % on prime farmland (PF) and farmland of statewide importance (FSI), respectively. Geospatial analyses of other agri-environmental indicators indicate close to 85 % of these potato production soils are classified as either "potentially highly erodible" (PHEL) or "highly erodible" (HEL). Therefore, at least 52,300 ha require the highest standards in soil conservation practices. Crop rotation patterns for potato, derived from the time-series geo-referenced datasets, help resolve actual cropping practices and facilitated evaluation of the benefits and economic impacts for select alternate crops.
Organic agriculture, Feb 14, 2018
Weed management strategies likely provide trade-offs in economic implications. Farmers may priori... more Weed management strategies likely provide trade-offs in economic implications. Farmers may prioritize weed control during the Bcritical period^of the crop and ignore subsequent weeds; they may focus on the long term by eliminating additions to the weed seedbank with a Bzero seed rain^approach; or they may suppress weed emergence with polyethylene (PE) or hay mulch. We aimed to compare the economic tradeoffs of these approaches by implementing each system in a test crop of yellow onion (Allium cepa L.). We found that the zero seed rain system required the most weeding labor and the most evenly spread workload, while the hay mulch system required the most concentrated workload, due to the task of mulching. Despite the labor costs of the zero seed rain and hay mulch systems, net farm income (NFI) was most sensitive to onion yield and these systems resulted in the greatest NFI. The hay mulch system represented the least economic risk, followed by the zero seed rain, PE mulch, and critical period systems, respectively. In a subsequent crop of sweet corn, NFI was decreased 2524 USD ha −1 in plots where the critical period system had been implemented the previous year, likely due to increased weed competition. Overall, despite the long-term focus of the zero seed rain and hay mulch systems related to the weed seedbank and soil quality, respectively, these systems were most profitable in this short-term study.
Sustainability, Jun 18, 2023
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Sustainability, Apr 23, 2023
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
This study estimates blueberry consumer reaction to a potential honey bee Colony Collapse Disorde... more This study estimates blueberry consumer reaction to a potential honey bee Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) management strategy; increased reliance upon native pollinators like the common Eastern Bumble bee (Bombus impatiens). A survey of 498 consumers was conducted using Amazon's Mechanical Turk. Respondents were asked to rate on a scale of 1 to 5, four different blueberry "packages" each containing five attributes; price, pollination method (native bee, commercial honey bee), fresh or frozen, produced in or out of state and variety (wild, cultivated). Statistical analysis suggests that the average consumer surveyed was willing to pay between $0.51 and $0.74 extra per dry liter for native pollination. Consumer willingness to pay of $0.51 extra per dry liter for an average hectare of blueberries was conservatively 1.75 times the annual cost per hectare for producers to plant wildflower pastures for native bees. Consequently, native pollination may be an economically viable alternative for blueberry producers facing the consequences of CCD and other causes of increased honey bee colony losses.
Sustainability, Mar 7, 2023
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Sustainability, Nov 29, 2022
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
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Papers by Aaron K Hoshide, PhD
HHV and least ash. Compressed mixtures of SB+B were compared to W+Bo and SB+W+Bo. The concentrations of bio-oil added to SB/W were 1%, 3%, 4%, and 5%. SB+W+Bo composites’ W content was 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%, with Bo as 3% of the weight. Sorghum biomass’ HHV is equivalent to W at 3%Bo. Bo doses of 4% and 5% had the same HHV as 3%. Eucalyptus wood did not have a significantly greater HHV with any amount of Bo. SB+W+3%Bo had the same HHV as W when W was at least 50% of the mixture. At greater than 36%W, the ash content was lower than 3%, meeting the EN-B international standard. The optimal composite mixture was 64%SB+36%W+3%Bo for HHV and ash content. SB briquettes can be more widely adopted given sorghum’s prevalence in semi-arid environments.
ecosystems in Maine, USA, in addition to three commercially managed bees. Over a 29-year period, we sampled 209 lowbush blueberry fields using quadrat and transect sampling, recording both native bee and honey bee densities, honey bee hive stocking density, and native bees as a proportion of total bees. These data were used to simulate economic uncertainty in pollination. We developed a novel algorithm, the Economic Pollinator Level (EPL), to estimate bee densities that economically warrant pollination investments such as rented hives and planting bee pastures. Statistical modeling indicated both native bee and honey bee activity density predicted proportion fruit set in fields. Honey bee activity density was well predicted by hive stocking density. Proportion fruit set adequately predicted yield. EPL was most sensitive to fruit set/m2/bee and less dependent on berry weight, rented hive stocking density, hive rental cost, lowbush blueberry price, and the annual cost of planting/maintaining pollinator pastures. EPL can be used to sustainably balance economical pollination investments/decisions with bee conservation in lowbush blueberry crops and potentially other pollinator-dependent crops.