Engineering Commons^™

One-Tier Plastic-Covered Tobacco Curing Structure—Tier Rail Design, George A. Duncan

Agricultural Engineering Extension Publications

A tobacco grower occasionally has insufficient barn space to house his crop. This problem is especially severe when a barn is damaged or destroyed and cannot be repaired or replaced before harvest. Also, those leasing or having extra poundage may need short-term, low-cost housing.

Kentucky weather conditions are suited for curing in conventional barns as well as in other special structures with adequate covering and crop protection.

Swine Responses To Constant And Modified Diurnal Cyclic Temperatures, Hongwei Xin, James A. Deshazer

Hongwei Xin

Ad libitum fed and individually penned crossbred gilts (39 ± 2 kg) were exposed to a constant air temperature of 30.8*" C (CON) and equal-mean diurnal cyclic temperatures cycling from 26° to 33*^ C (RPK) and from 23.4° to 40° C (RNT). Fluorescent lighting with an intensity of 800 to 1100 L/m/m2 was provided from 0600 h to 2100 h. Measurements of feed intake, heat loss rates, water usage, growth, and ingestion behavior were made for a five-day period and replicated six times. Daily average heat loss rates, water usage, and feed conversion of the RPK and RNT pigs could …

Estimation Of Crop Evapotranspiration By Means Of The Penman-Monteith Equation, Paul J. Vanderkimpen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study evaluated the potential of using simple, semi-empirical resistance models for the direct estimation of crop evapotranspiration as an alternative to the traditional approach involving a reference equation and a crop coefficient. It consisted of three major parts.

The first part originally aimed at the development of simple expressions for the aerodynamic and surface resistance terms in the Penman-Monteith equation. This goal could not be achieved because of two reasons: First, the determination of aerodynamic resistance was rendered impossible because of problems with the measurements, and, secondly, the values of surface resistance, back-calculated from the Penman-Monteith equation, turned out …

Calculating Farm Machinery Field Capacities, J. N. Hancock, Larry D. Swetnam, F. J. Benson

Agricultural Engineering Extension Publications

Calculating field capacities is just part of the overall concept of farm machinery management. Successful farm machinery management does not guarantee a profit, but machinery costs are a major expense and they must be monitored and managed. Therefore, the efficient use of farm machinery starts with determining working capacity in conjunction with the amount of work to be accomplished in a timely manner.

Curling Burley Tobacco From An Automated Harvesting System, Linus R. Walton, Larry G. Wells, James H. Casada

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

If burley tobacco can be successfully cured at high density under waterproof covers in the field, a producer can expand production without the necessity of building new curing barns and can thereby more easily justify investment in the automated burley tobacco harvesting system (Wells et al., 1990a, b). Curing under waterproof covers in the field and curing on frames in the barn were evaluated over three curing seasons using two varieties (KY 14 and TN 86), two plant densities (32 and 43 plants/m², 3 and 4 plants/ft²), position of tobacco on the frame (four levels ranging …

Electronic Controls For Swine Buildings, Douglas G. Overhults, R. S. Gates

Agricultural Engineering Extension Updates

This fact sheet discusses the use of electronic controllers to maintain the environment within swine barns. There are some special considerations when using electronic controllers to replace traditional control systems. Three main items are addressed in this fact sheet: 1) the selection of a controller, 2) installation considerations, and 3) protection against controller failure.

Tailwater Recovery Demonstration Program Study, Doug Welch, Tim O'Halloran, Stuart Styles

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Full-Wall Ventilation For Dairy Free Stall Barns, Larry M. Turner, John P. Chastain

Agricultural Engineering Extension Updates

Heat stress should be a greater concern than winter cold for dairymen in Kentucky. Heat stress can cause drops in milk production and breeding efficiency, which result in lower profits for the dairyman. The use of an open sidewall free stall barn can help relieve heat stress by allowing improved ventilation of the barn in summer. The benefits of full-wall ventilation include both improved air movement and some potential increase in evaporative cooling. The increased airflow through the barn increases convective cooling of the cows and carries off a greater amount of excess heat and moisture than conventional barns with …

Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa L.) Water Use Efficiency As Affected By Harvest Traffic And Soil Compaction In A Sandy Loam Soil, Eric A. Rechel, William R. Detar, Burl D. Meek, Lyle M. Carter

William R DeTar

Traffic during alfalfa harvest operations can cause soil compaction and damage to newly growing stems. Root exploration for soil water and nutrients, forage growth dynamics, and final yield can all be affected. The objectives of this study were to determine the long-term effects of harvest traffic and soil compaction on water-use efficiency (WUE) of alfalfa grown in a Wasco sandy loam (coarse-loamy, mixed, nonacid, thermic Typic Torriorthents). Alfalfa was planted into tilled soil and managed with or without harvest traffic. Plants subjected to traffic during harvest had a significantly lower WUE two out of the three years studied compared to …

Alfalfa Yield As Affected By Harvest Traffic And Soil Compaction In A Sandy Loam Soil, Eric A. Rechel, Burl D. Meek, William R. Detar, Lyle M. Carter

William R DeTar

Harvesting alfalfa (Medicago saliva L.) results in plants being subjected to traffic at different times during the growth cycle with equipment having different wheel sizes and loads. The affect of this traffic could have important ramifications on yield. The objectives of this study were to determine the long-term effects of harvest traffic and soil compaction on alfalfa yield. In the first experiment, two conventional traffic systems were compared to alfalfa production with no traffic. A single traffic event, that covered 100% of the plot area 3 to 5 d after each swathing, compared to no traffic significantly decreased yield by …

Transformation Of 1-Aminonapththalene At The Surface Of Smectite Clays, Calvin C. Ainsworth, Bruce D. Mcveety, Steven C. Smith, John M. Zachara

US Department of Energy Publications

One-aminonaphthalene is sorbed onto the Na-saturated smectite clays, montmorillonite and hectorite, by cation exchange. In the presence of Fe³⁺ either in the clay structure or on the clay surface, sorption is followed by the formation of a blue-colored complex, with the continuous disappearance of aminonaphthalene from solution and the clay surface. The rate of aminonaphthalene disappearance decreases as pH increases. With time, four major products that appear to be structural isomers of N(4- aminonaphthyl)-1-naphthylamine are produced. A simplified model of this transformation is suggested to be the oxidation by Fe³⁺ of sorbed aminonaphthalene forming a radical cation-clay complex. …

Cadmium Adsorption On Iron Oxides In The Presence Of Alkaline-Earth Elements, Christina Cowan, John M. Zachara, Charles T. Resch

US Department of Energy Publications

Cadmium sorption on Fe₂O₃ • H₂O(am) in the presence of alkaline-earth cations was investigated with emphasis on the Cd-Ca binary system. In binary-element sorption experiments with Ca, Mg, Sr, and Ba, competition was observed primarily in Cd-Ca binary mixtures, which were studied at three ionic strengths (0.5, 0.1, and 0.005 M). The extent of competition increased with increasing Ca concentration. In single-element experiments changes in ionic strength (between 0.005 and 0.5 M) did not influence Cd sorption but did affect Ca sorption, implying that a portion of the Ca surface complexes were outer sphere. The …