Engineering Commons^™

Measurement Of Flow Components On Upland Areas Using Dye Dilution Techniques, S. C. Finkner, John E. Gilley

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Dye dilution techniques can be used to measure rill and interrill-to-rill flow rates on upland areas. Procedures and equations for making flow measurements are described along with equations for estimating interrill length and width. If measurements of interrill length and rill width are available, use of simplified flow equations is possible.

Water and dye continuity concepts were utilized to develop generalized interrill-to-rill flow relationships. Measurement of flow from interrill-to-rill areas requires information on the concentration and rate of dye injection, and flow rate and dye concentration on both rill and interrill areas at a downslope sampling location. Dye dilution techniques …

Comparison Of Bulk Density Beneath A Belt Track And Tire, Leonard L. Bashford, A. J. Jones, L. N. Mielke

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Wheel traffic is considered a major cause of soil compaction in production agriculture. Soil compaction depends on initial conditions, load, contact area and tire type and shape at the soil surface. The use of tractors equipped with tracks instead of tires has the potential of reducing soil compaction because of reduced surface contact pressure and difference in load distribution over a relatively long-narrow track. The introduction of a new agricultural tractor equipped with a rubber belt track permits a crawler tractor to compete with a large four-wheel drive tractor in both speed and mobility.
Soil bulk density was measured as …

Surface Cover From Corn Residue On Sandy Soils, R. Todd, Norman L. Klocke, Elbert C. Dickey, Dennis Bauer

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Corn residue left as surface cover after land preparation and planting by various combinations of tillage implements and surface planters, respectively, was measured on four research/ demonstration sites with sandy soils in Nebraska. Surface cover ranged from 51 to 80% for the no-till treatments to 14 to 53% for the twice-disked treatments. The wide range in cover was due to the amount of antecedent residues from the previous crop and the soil type which ranged from sandy loam to tine sands. Other tillage implements included a rolling cultivator, sweep-plow, and mulch-treader.

Correlation Of Starch Recovery With Assorted Quality Factors Of Four Corn Hybrids, Curtis L. Weller, Marvin R. Paulsen, Marvin P. Steinberg

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

A laboratory wet-milling process was developed for use in determining starch recovery of yellow dent corn. The effects of harvest moisture and drying air temperature on starch recovery were investigated for four hybrids. A split split-plot experimental design was used to evaluate the effects. Starch recovery was not significantly different among the hybrids; however, it did decreases both harvest moisture and drying air temperature increased. Starch recovery was correlated with quantitative measures of assorted quality factors. Regression analysis found starch recovery to be a function of starch content, test weight, and ethanol-soluble protein.

Monitoring Natural Air Corn Drying—A Demonstration Project, Richard O. Pierce, Gary L. Zoubek

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

A demonstration project is described where natural air corn drying performance was monitored weekly and drying results were printed in a local newspaper. The newspaper articles also gave management recommendations for the upcoming week. Similar demonstration projects can be conducted using the procedures described in this paper.

Calibration Accuracy Of Pesticide Application Equipment, Robert Grisso, E. J. Hewett, Elbert C. Dickey, R. D. Schnieder, E. W. Nelson

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Afield survey of 140 private and commercial pesticide applicators was conducted during the spring of 1986 in 12 counties of central and eastern Nebraska. The results showed that one out of every three cooperators was applying pesticides within ± 5% of their intended application rate. Results indicated that applicators have reduced application errors from that of a similar survey conducted in 1979. However, most errors still can be traced to incorrect calibration. Ninety-four percent of the cooperators used some type of calibration method. Two-thirds used the "Known Area" method. Those using a calibration method more than once a year had …

Electronic Image Analysis Of Crop Residue Cover On Soil, George E. Meyer, Anthony Stepanek, David P. Shelton, Elbert C. Dickey

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Classification procedures for using both black and white and color imaging systems were developed and tested for determination of percent residue cover on the soil surface from video and slide images. A spectral analysis of the image components was used for determining applicable wavelengths and filters. Color imagery provided an acceptable replacement for manual visual procedures. Black-and-white imagery also worked when appropriate blocking filters were used.