PMID- 38370082
OWN - NLM
STAT- PubMed-not-MEDLINE
LR  - 20240220
IS  - 2048-7177 (Print)
IS  - 2048-7177 (Electronic)
IS  - 2048-7177 (Linking)
VI  - 12
IP  - 2
DP  - 2024 Feb
TI  - Determination of the most appropriate fertilizing method for apple trees using 
      multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approaches.
PG  - 1158-1169
LID - 10.1002/fsn3.3831 [doi]
AB  - Appropriate tree fertilization with essential nutrients is considered as one of 
      the major factors in enhancing the quality and quantity of horticultural crops. 
      The most efficient way to fertilize trees is to dig holes around the trunks and 
      fill them with appropriate chemical and organic fertilizer. Doing this operation 
      with mechanized methods reduces costs and increases productivity compared to 
      traditional methods. In the present study, multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) 
      methods, including deterministic analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy 
      analytical hierarchy process (FAHP), technique for order of preference by 
      similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), fuzzy TOPSIS (FTOPSIS), and analytic 
      network process (ANP), were used to score and select the appropriate fertilizing 
      method for apple trees based on the growers and expert's perspectives. The 
      criteria, including fertilizing operation cost, crop yield, the percentage of 
      tree damages, ease of entering and moving fertilizing equipment in tree rows, 
      field capacity (with or without machinery), comfort and safety of fertilizing 
      operations, after-sales service, access to the required machinery and implements, 
      crop selling price, and crop quality, were used in the above-mentioned methods. 
      The fertilization methods (Hole digging) considered in the present study were 
      traditional fertilization (Shovel), orchard Trencher, motor hole digger, fixed 
      centerline tractor-mounted hole digger, and off-set tractor-mounted hole digger. 
      Based on the results, the priority of mechanized fertilizing methods was 
      determined as tractor-mounted hole diggers (AHP weight of 0.286, FAHP weight of 
      0.285, TOPSIS relative proximity of 0.65, and FTOPSIS relative proximity of 
      0.64), fixed centerline tractor-mounted hole diggers (AHP weight of 0.219, FAHP 
      weight of 0.158, TOPSIS relative proximity of 0.56, and FTOPSIS relative 
      proximity of 0.62), motor hole diggers (AHP weight of 0.171, FAHP weight of 
      0.079, TOPSIS relative proximity of 0.46, and FTOPSIS relative proximity of 
      0.31), and orchard trenchers (AHP weight of 0.12, FAHP weight of 0.057, TOPSIS 
      relative proximity of 0.19, and FTOPSIS relative proximity of 0.20), 
      respectively. Based on the ANP method, off-set and fixed centerline 
      tractor-mounted hole diggers had the highest priority (weights of 0.43 and 0.27), 
      followed by trencher (weight of 0.16), motor hole diggers (weight of 0.09), and 
      the traditional method (weight of 0.04). Results showed that applying orchard 
      tractors equipped with mounted diggers, especially off-set types, can play an 
      important role in enhancing the quantity and quality of apples produced, as well 
      as reducing the costs of fertilizing operations.
CI  - (c) 2023 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
FAU - Heidarisoltanabadi, Mohsen
AU  - Heidarisoltanabadi M
AD  - Agricultural Engineering Research Department Isfahan Agricultural and Natural 
      Resources Research and Education Center AREEO Isfahan Iran.
FAU - Elhami, Behzad
AU  - Elhami B
AD  - Department of Agricultural Machinery and Mechanization Engineering Agricultural 
      Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan Mollasani Iran.
FAU - Imanmehr, Abdollah
AU  - Imanmehr A
AD  - Agricultural Engineering Research Department Isfahan Agricultural and Natural 
      Resources Research and Education Center AREEO Isfahan Iran.
FAU - Khadivi, Ali
AU  - Khadivi A
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0001-6354-445X
AD  - Department of Horticultural Sciences Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources 
      Arak University Arak Iran.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
DEP - 20231120
PL  - United States
TA  - Food Sci Nutr
JT  - Food science & nutrition
JID - 101605473
PMC - PMC10867507
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - AHP
OT  - ANP
OT  - Semirom region
OT  - TOPSIS
OT  - fertilizing operation
OT  - mechanization
COIS- None.
EDAT- 2024/02/19 06:44
MHDA- 2024/02/19 06:45
PMCR- 2023/11/20
CRDT- 2024/02/19 04:06
PHST- 2023/07/30 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2023/10/31 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2024/02/19 06:45 [medline]
PHST- 2024/02/19 06:44 [pubmed]
PHST- 2024/02/19 04:06 [entrez]
PHST- 2023/11/20 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - FSN33831 [pii]
AID - 10.1002/fsn3.3831 [doi]
PST - epublish
SO  - Food Sci Nutr. 2023 Nov 20;12(2):1158-1169. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.3831. eCollection 
      2024 Feb.