Table of Contents
Introduction
From the many types of oranges there are, navel oranges are one of the top two grown in California, along with valencias. California is responsible for more than half of the oranges harvested from fields in the United States. Then, 10% of these oranges are exported to Japan, South Korea, China, and Canada and 90% of them are left here in the United States for consumers. These oranges are sent to stores, in which they are located almost all year round. Several years in the past, oranges have been valued at about $716 million (seeCalifornia.com, 2018).
Therefore, oranges are valuable to farmers, so there needs to be a way with the help of a tractor to help tend to this valuable fruit. Over the years, navel oranges in California had been in mass production, especially in the years of 2010-11 and 2016-17 (Fresh Plaza, 2018). There was a massive amount of navel oranges that were being packaged and sold; the highest amount produced was about 93 million cartons of oranges in the years 2010-11. Farmers also need to be aware of the pests that could affect their crops, in the long run. Knowing and understanding the needs and how much the oranges are susceptible to pests, is essential to farmers so they have a success when growing their oranges. Without the orange trees’ soil being cultivated, there wouldn’t be much chance for the success of the growth of the seedless, navel oranges.
General Tractor Information
The John Deere 9620RX Tractor is a tractor that has everything a farmer could ever need. It has many features such as: a Cummins® QSX15 engine, a Standard CommandView™ III cab, JDLink™ services and Service ADVISOR™ diagnostic systems, a Power take-off (PTO) of 1-3/4 1000 rpm, a 3-point hitch, and CommandCenter™ controls boost productivity in the tractor (John Deere, 2018). The Cummins® QSX15 engine is a diesel, in-line, 6-cylinder, wet-sleeve cylinder liners with 4 valves-in-head engine (John Deere, 2018). The Standard CommandView™ III cab includes a ComfortCommand seat with fore-aft and lateral attenuation and lumbar support. The cab also has adjustable right-hand CommandARM armrest controls (that include remote radio and automatic temperature controls) with an integrated CommandCenter display.
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The seat is able to rotate 40 degrees to the right. The cab also has a front and rear windshield wiper and washer. It includes a slow-moving vehicle (SMV) sign for safety. It has a front pull down sunshade to protect the operator from the sun when working out in high heats. The transmission type is a standard: John Deere e18™ 18-speed PowerShift with Efficiency Manager™: 40 kilometers per hour (25 miles per hour) (John Deere, 2018). The rear power take-off (PTO) is an independent type that is 4 mm (1.75 in.) with 20-splines and is 1,000 rpm (John Deere, 2018). The price of the tractor alone (the base price) is $631, 173. The JDLink™ services and Service ADVISOR™ diagnostic systems is a system that helps diagnose and warn the operator if there is something wrong with the machine; they can then take it to the dealership, if they are having problems they cannot fix.
Crop Information
Navel oranges are one of many types of oranges in California. They are widely grown in the Central Valley. Navel oranges are propagated asexually, usually by grafting, if farmers want to grow trees that are fuller and so that the trees will produce even more fruit. These oranges self pollinate, so not much is needed to be done, and therefore bees are not needed. They use their own pollen to grow more fruit by themselves. Because they self-pollinate, farmers wait until it is the right time to pick these oranges; they bloom in the spring and are harvested in the winter (Lee, 2010). When the navels are picked, the field workers need to be careful to not harm the oranges because then they would be more susceptible to bacteria and would have a higher chance to rot.
Pests can be a hassle and to find trees with these pests can be a real downer. An example of a pest that can appear in navel oranges is the navel orangeworm. It is an exotic pest that feeds on a variety of fruit and nuts, including citrus such as navel oranges. This insect can be found on citrus fruit, which can leave surface scarring. This scarring allows organisms to enter the fruit that can cause the fruit to rot (Biosecurity Queensland, 2011). Not only will it require to fumigate the trees, but farmers will see a reduction of economic return, meaning that the farmer will lose money, because of the fruit lost and will also present the farmer with fruit of less quality; no sensible farmer would want this to happen to them, so it is in the farmer’s best interest to keep their trees clean and frequently checking up on them. Another pest that can be found in citrus is a thrip.
Thrips are pests that feed on tender leaves and fruit, especially under the sepals of young fruit (UC Pest Management Guidelines, 2017). Adult citrus thrips are small, orange-yellow insects with fringed wings (UC Pest Management Guidelines, 2017). Citrus thrips are of great importance economically on San Joaquin navel oranges and mandarins because they can do a lot of damage meaning a lot of money can be lost. On the fruit, citrus thrips puncture the outer layer of the fruit’s skin, leaving scars on the rind. Second-instar larvae do the most amount of damage because they feed mostly under the sepals of the young fruit and are bigger than first-instar larvae. As the fruit grows, the damaged rind tissue moves outward from beneath the sepals as a ring of scarred tissue (UC Pest Management Guidelines, 2017).
Thrips can do more damage on fruit located on the outside and tops of the trees where fruit is also susceptible to wind damage and sunburn and is the most easily accessible from the outside. Navel oranges are more susceptible than valencia oranges are to thrips. To manage these pests, the grower would need to spray pesticides on the trees. Thrips can reproduce at a higher probability where there is a heavy amount of pesticides. When there is a heavy amount of pesticides, instead of killing them, the pesticides help them reproduce. There is a higher chance of there being less thrips in a area where there is a minimal amount of pesticide spraying that target different kinds of insects instead of just one (broad-spectrum pesticides) and where it is controlled.
Additional Information
Every successful crop starts with a great foundation. In order to have a great foundation when planting navel orange trees, the soil needs to be correctly cultivated. The only way for this to happen is with the John Deere 9620RX Tractor and the John Deere 2230LL Level-Lift™ Field Cultivator. The 2230LL Level-Lift™ Field Cultivator is an implement that can be attached to the 9620RX Tractor. It is only the newest and best cultivator on the market. The need for this cultivator is that it provides a better mixture of the soil and herbicides the grower might have put into the ground. With the tractor, the grower will be able to work at a fast pace and pull the implement at about 8 or 9 mph.
The implement also pulls a lot easier than others, so growers can cover more acres in a less amount of time. The price alone for the 2230LL Level-Lift™ Field Cultivator is $38, 285. Altogether, the price for both the tractor and the cultivator will result in $667, 255. There is also a bonus when buying the tractor and implement: insurance will be included in the final price. Nationwide is an insurance company that can cover the tractor and implement as long as they are both the grower’s property and is in use. There are two options that are possible to cover them; one is list the tractor and implement individually or both under a blanket policy (Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and Affiliated Companies, 2018). The policies will come from AgriChoice farm insurance that is partnered with Nationwide.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the tractor being sold is the 9620RX Tractor with the 223OLL Level-Lift™ Field Cultivator and insurance that covers both. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity farmers are going to get, where John Deere has partnered with Nationwide to cover for tractors and implements. Getting land correctly cultivated has many advantages that are achievable when growers buy this bundle. This tractor and implement will not only make the grower’s life easier, it will make their work faster, thus being efficient and resourceful, because they will make the smart choice of buying the 9620RX Tractor with the 223OLL Level-Lift™ Field Cultivator.
Bibliography
- Biosecurity Queensland. “Navel Orangeworm.” Biosecurity Queensland, 2011, www.daf.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/71068/Citrus-Navel-orangeworm.pdf.
- Fresh Plaza. “California to Produce an Estimated 84m Cartons of Navel Oranges.” FreshPlaza: Global Fresh Produce and Banana News, 13 Sept. 2016, www.freshplaza.com/article/2005365/california-to-produce-an-estimated-m-cartons-of-navel-oranges/.
- John Deere. “2230LL Level-Lift™ Field Cultivator.” Founder John Deere | Past Leaders | John Deere US, 2018, www.deere.com/en/tillage/2230-level-lift-field-cultivator/.
- John Deere. “Options for 9620RX Tractor.” Configure.deere.com, 2018, configure.deere.com/cbyo/#/en_us/configure/54928870/options.
- John Deere. “Tillage Equipment.” Configure.deere.com, 2018, configure.deere.com/cbyo/#/en_us/products/agriculture/tillage_equipment.
- Lee, Ching. “The History of Citrus in California.” California Bountiful, 2010, www.californiacountry.org/features/article.aspx?arID=695.
- Nationwide. “What Does Tractor Insurance Cover?” Traffic Jams & Congestion – Nationwide, 2018, www.nationwide.com/tractor-insurance.jsp.
- SeeCalifornia. “California Oranges Statistics, Facts.” Seecalifornia.com, 2018, www.seecalifornia.com/farms/california-oranges.html.
- Scientific American. “How Do Seedless Fruits Arise and How Are They Propagated?” Scientific American, 2018, www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-seedless-fruits-ar/.
- UC Pest Management Guidelines. “How to Manage Pests.” UC IPM: UC Management Guidelines for Sudden Oak Death on Floriculture and Ornamental Nurseries, 2018, ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/r107301711.html.
