Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering Commons^™

The Effect Of Water Management And Ratoon Rice Cropping On Methane Emissions And Harvest Yield In Arkansas, Marguerita Leavitt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sustainable intensification of rice farming is crucial to meeting human food needs while reducing environmental impacts. Rice produces 8% of all anthropogenic CH4, which is a potent greenhouse gas. CH4 emissions can potentially be reduced by cultivation practices that minimize the number of days the fields are saturated, such as dry-seeding instead of water-seeding and irrigation using the alternate wetting and drying (AWD) technique instead of delayed, continuous flooding (DF). Ratoon cropping, wherein a second crop of rice is grown from the harvested stubble of the first crop, can be used to produce additional yield with minimal labor, but may …

Land Use/ Land Cover Change Patterns And Trends In Two Dryland Regions, Omar Sulaiman Belhaj

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Development and climate change affect the environment in numerous ways and to varyingdegrees. This effect appears prominent and more influential in arid regions. Therefore, land use/ land cover in these regions experience profound changes such as plant cover decrease and extinction of some plant species. Also, land use/ land cover in these regions has critical impacts on the environment and its components, such as shrublands shrinking and losing the habitat of animal species. The degree of changes and effects reaches severe levels that become urgent to figure out the impacts and find solutions to stop or mitigate the negative consequences. …

An Engineering And Economic Analysis Of The Implementation Of The Carbo Rock-It, Lydia Huck

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The patented Carbo Rock-It system was developed to carbonate beverages for the craft brewing industry with the goal of reducing time, cost, and environmental impacts of the carbonation process. This research field tests, models, analyzes and optimizes the engineering and economic performance of a commercial-scale Carbo Rock-It placed in production at an operating brewery (Core Brewing and Distilling Co., Springdale, AR). Field tests indicated that the Carbo Rock-It was able to successfully carbonate twelve 120 BBL batches of Scarlet Letter Seltzer to 3.0 vol/vol while meeting all beverage quality and safety requirements. The Carbo Rock-It was able to reduce carbonation …

Inactivation Of Salmonella In Black Peppercorn By Fluidization With Hydrogen Peroxide Vapor, Edel Summers

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of hydrogen peroxide vapor (HPV) at inactivating Salmonella inoculated in whole black pepper when used as fluidizing gas media. HPV treatment was conducted at two different temperatures (45°C and 60°C) and two dwell times (30 min and 60 min). Microbial reduction and residual hydrogen peroxide were measured at three storage times: 0 h (immediately after treatment), 24 h and 48 h post-treatment. The effect of HPV on the quality of whole black peppercorn was evaluated 48 h post-treatment based on changes in piperine content, total phenolics, antioxidant activity, total …

Exploring The Effects Of Varied Land Use On Elemental Concentrations Within Streams, Logan Jennings

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

It is well documented that human activity influences the chemistry of surrounding waters. As such, it is possible that there is a link between land use within a watershed and the chemical composition of the stream. The objectives of this study are to determine if varied land use does affect the concentrations of macronutrients and trace elements present in the streams of Northwest Arkansas, and if so, to determine what extent urban and agricultural development are responsible for these changes. Water samples were collected across 19 streams in the Northwest Arkansas region between January and March of 2022. Water samples …

Potato Processing In The Home: Sustainability And Nutritional Impacts, Aubin Payne

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Potatoes are the world's fourth most consumed crop. Their versatility and long shelf-life make them a staple food for millions of people worldwide. Still, the increasing consumption of highly processed potato products in developed countries has damaged the public's appreciation of potatoes as a valuable source of essential nutrients. Additionally, as public awareness of environmental sustainability increases, the average consumer is more likely to value processing methods that mitigate environmental damage.

Researchers simulated several home storage and processing conditions to find out how nutrition and environmental impact are affected by the home processing timeline. Then, a nutrient analysis, life cycle …

Vulnerable Vegetables And Efficient Fishers: A Study Of Primary Production Food Losses And Waste In Ireland, Tracey O'Connor, Rosanna Kleeman, Jennifer Attard

Publications

From 2022, the European Union Waste Framework Directive (WFD) requires member states to report annual food waste from each food supply chain stage. Comprehensive food losses and waste (FLW) data can be challenging to obtain for the primary production stage, i.e., farming and fishing. However, this information is vital in developing FLW mitigation actions appropriate to each country. This study describes the nature and extent of FLW from primary production in Ireland, using methods approved for WFD reporting. Causes of FLW and FLW as a proportion of total production were determined through interviews with Irish primary production stakeholders and using …

Impacts Of Temperature And Carbon Dioxide On Boro Rice Production, Sabiha Ferdous

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

There are different anticipated impacts of climate change (CC) on agriculture all over the world. Bangladesh as a developing country has potential vulnerability and negative impacts on CC. This change in meteorological parameters creates negative impacts on agricultural production which is a threat to food security and economic development. The country has recently achieved food security in rice which is mainly due to increased yields and area coverage of irrigated dry season (Boro) rice over the last decades. It is necessary to predict the future Boro rice production in accordance with CC as well as take supplementary actions to ensure …

Vision And Radar Steering Reduces Agricultural Sprayer Operator Stress Without Compromising Steering Performance, Travis A. Burgers, Kelly J. Vanderwerff

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Self-propelled agricultural sprayer operators work an average of 15 h d^-1 in peak season, and steering is the task that causes the operator the most stress because of the large number of stimuli involved. Automatic guidance systems help reduce stress and fatigue for operators by allowing them to focus on tasks other than steering. Physiological signals like skin conductance (electrodermal activity, EDA) change with stress and can be used to identify stressful events. The objective of this study was to determine if using a commercially available vision and radar guidance system (VSN®, Raven Industries) reduces agricultural sprayer operators’ stress …

Desired Properties Of Recycling-Derived Fertilisers From An End-User Perspective, Aoife Egan, Niamh Power

Grey Literature

The Interreg North-West (NW) Europe ReNu2Farm project aims to increase the recycling rates of the plant nutrients nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K). Currently, farmers predominantly use mineral fertilisers that are a finite resource and in the case of nitrogen are energy-intensive to produce. Then again, there are several regions in NW Europe with a nutrient surplus and there have been many advances in technology that can recover these nutrients. However, there has been very little up-take overall, with these recycling derived fertilisers (RDFs). To explore the reason behind the reluctance of farmers to use these sustainable recycled products, …

The Response Of Beef Cattle To Disturbances From Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Uavs), Gabriel Abdulai

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly becoming common in animal agriculture. However, research regarding the impact of UAV disturbance on animal wellbeing is lacking or limited. The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of UAV flights on beef cattle by measuring cattle heart and movement rate when introduced to single or multiple UAV flights. A total of 16 -18 crossbred beef heifers were introduced to different flights patterns at between 5 and 9 m above ground level (AGL) at approximately 1 to 2 m/s horizontal velocity for 4 weeks with flights repeated 3 days per week. Results …

Exploration Of Lignin-Based Superabsorbent Polymers (Hydrogels) For Soil Water Management And As A Carrier For Delivering Rhizobium Spp., Toby Adjuik

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Superabsorbent polymers (hydrogels) as soil amendments may improve soil hydraulic properties and act as carrier materials beneficial to soil microorganisms. Researchers have mostly explored synthetic hydrogels which may not be environmentally sustainable. This dissertation focused on the development and application of lignin-based hydrogels as sustainable soil amendments. This dissertation also explores the development of pedotransfer transfer functions (PTFs) for predicting saturated hydraulic conductivity using statistical and machine learning methods with a publicly available large data set. A lignin-based hydrogel was synthesized, and its impact on soil water retention was determined in silt loam and loamy fine sand soils. Hydrogel treatment …

Above-Ground Biomass Estimation In Oat Breeding Nurseries Using Uav-Based Multispectral Data, Rakshya Dhakal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Conventional methods of phenotyping for above-ground biomass under field conditions are time consuming, costly, and labor intensive. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) offer a rapid and non-destructive approach for collecting high temporal and spatial resolution imagery of multiple field plots. Vegetation indices (VIs) can be derived from those imagery and have been used broadly for high-throughput biomass estimation, however, they suffer from spectrum saturation issues at high canopy density. In addition, VIs only reflect the canopy spectral information and fail to incorporate the 3-dimensional (3D) canopy structure and architecture information. It also ignores the spatial relationship of pixels to each other …

Managing Water Quantity And Quality With Subsurface Drainage In Eastern South Dakota, Morghan Hurst

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Moisture extremes (excess and deficit) impact crop loss and water quality. Due to excessively wet springs and dry summers, crop damage can occur within the same county or field within the same year. To determine the magnitude of this problem in eastern South Dakota, indemnified crop insurance data for drought and excessive moisture claims were assessed for the years 1991-2020 for the occurrence of both excess moisture and drought in four counties in eastern South Dakota. Results show that there is greater than a 70% chance of the moisture extremes happening in the same year, making subsurface drainage, controlled drainage, …

Ammonia Cycling And Emerging Particulate Matter Pollutants Under Arable Land-Use Management: A Modelling Approach, Vivien Pohl

Doctoral

Air quality monitoring in Ireland is under the jurisdiction of the Environmental Protection Agency in compliance with the Gothenburg Protocol, EU/national legislation, and the National Clean Air Strategy. Particulate Matter (PM) has been acknowledged as a key atmospheric pollutant, with serious public health impacts and no safe threshold of exposure in place to-date. Ammonia (NH3) emissions are linked to the secondary production of PM through atmospheric reactions occurring with acidic atmospheric components such as sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and hydrochloric acid. These reactions result in the formation of ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate and ammonium chloride, among others. More than 95% …

Sources Of Variability And Uncertainty In Food-Energy-Water Nexus Systems, Heydi Calderon-Ambelis, Deepak R. Keshwani

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

A nexus approach contributes to the strategic allocation of resources to secure food, energy, and water for the world population. Integrated models considering the complex interactions across food, energy, and water (FEW) enhance decision-making and strategic planning towards resilience. However, a significant number of the existing integrated models leave unaddressed the inherent variability and uncertainty present in the FEW sectors. Here, we review the importance of characterizing variability over spatial and temporal scales and the importance of decreasing the uncertainty present within a FEW nexus systems. The review also discusses existing modeling tools that address variability and uncertainty on single …

Recovering And Upgrading Kraft Lignin For Application In Flexible Polyurethane Foam, Peng Quan

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Lignin is the second abundant natural polymer and has been highlighted as a potential substitute for fossil-based raw materials. However, the inherent molecular heterogeneity and the complex recovery processes result in the challenge of controlling the molecular properties and value-added applications of lignin in large scale. To address those issues, a novel acid-liquefaction process was developed in this study to recover Kraft lignin with improved molecular homogeneity directly from black liquor.

In the first study, the liquefaction parameters were screened based on yield and molecular weight properties of the recovered lignin. Then, the recovered lignin samples were used to replace …

Nondestructive Detection Of Codling Moth Infestation In Apples Using Pixel-Based Nir Hyperspectral Imaging With Machine Learning And Feature Selection, Nader Ekramirad, Alfadhl Y. Khaled, Lauren E. Doyle, Julia R. Loeb, Kevin D. Donohue, Raul T. Villanueva, Akinbode A. Adedeji

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Codling moth (CM) (Cydia pomonella L.), a devastating pest, creates a serious issue for apple production and marketing in apple-producing countries. Therefore, effective nondestructive early detection of external and internal defects in CM-infested apples could remarkably prevent postharvest losses and improve the quality of the final product. In this study, near-infrared (NIR) hyperspectral reflectance imaging in the wavelength range of 900–1700 nm was applied to detect CM infestation at the pixel level for three organic apple cultivars, namely Gala, Fuji and Granny Smith. An effective region of interest (ROI) acquisition procedure along with different machine learning and data processing …

Effects Of The Inclusion Of Rice Hull Derived Bio-Oil On Wood Pellet Production, Tyler E. Lowe

Theses and Dissertations

Wood pellet production has become an advancing industry for the sake of reducing greenhouse emissions into the atmosphere especially, in European Union countries. Researchers and industry executives seek new methods and materials to improve the pelletization process. Rice hulls or husks has the potential to aid in wood pelletization as they possess high calorific values. This study focuses on using rice hull derived bio-oil from pyrolysis, which will also decrease ash content, as an additive to aid in the wood pelletization process. Using two groups of rice hull derived bio-oil as an additive in wood pelletization: Group 1 uses heavy …

Irrigation Systems Management, Dean E. Eisenhauer, Derrel L. Martin, Derek M. Heeren, Glenn J. Hoffman

Open Educational Resources: Textbooks

Like most textbooks, this book grew out of our desire to have written material that matches the educational needs of both the students and the instructor of a college course, in this case a course entitled Irrigation Systems Management. The book is the culmination of course notes which have been in development and use for nearly 30 years.

The emphasis of this book is on the management of irrigation systems that are used for agricultural crop production. There are two distinct components of the book, starting with the soil-water-plant-atmosphere system and how soil water should be managed to achieve the …

The Application Of Mathematical Optimization And Flavor-Detection Technologies For Modeling Aroma Of Hops, Yutong Liu

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In recent years, proprietary hops (Citra, Simcoe, and Mosaic) become the most sought-after hops among brewers due to their excellent aroma. However, they are restricted to the owners unless other growers purchase the costly licensing agreements. Many public hops are available to the growers without any additional costs, but their aroma is difficult to match to the proprietary hops. Although proprietary and public hop varieties are unique in their aroma profiles, all hops varieties contain similar volatile compounds, merely differ in the quantity of different individual compounds. The main objective of this thesis was to investigate the feasibility of matching …

Formation Of B Horizons In Engineered Putting Green Soils, Glen R. Obear

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Engineered turfgrass putting green soils are designed to drain quickly, while maintaining adequate water- and nutrient-holding capacity to sustain plant growth. These soils are designed to meet specific performance characteristics when they are constructed, but the process of soil formation changes these characteristics over time. Chapter 1 of this dissertation is a literature review of soil formation in engineered putting green soils. Pedogenesis of putting greens is such that A horizons form as organic matter accumulates near the surface, and B horizons form as particles and solutes are translocated to textural or pH boundaries in soil profiles. In the engineered …

Characterization Of Indoor Arenas Through An Anonymous Survey, Staci Mcgill, Morgan D. Hayes, Kimberly I. Tumlin, Robert Coleman

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Equine farms are building both stables for the horses to live in and additional facilities to train and work horses (Kidd et al., 1997). For many of these farms, an outdoor arena that has an all-weather footing is the first working facility built. During inclement weather the ability to train in the outdoor arenas is inhibited, which in turn means the trainers, riders, and farms lose income as money is only made when horses are working, training, and competing. Indoor arenas allow for horses to continue to be worked no matter the weather conditions. The equine industry contributes a total …

Novel Pilot Development Of A Closed-Loop Sustainable System Between Biogas Renewable Energy, Distilling, And Aquaculture By Vermiculture Of Stillage Wastes, Samuel C. Kessler

The Cardinal Edge

This study provides a mixed-methods approach in analyzing a potential closed-loop system between renewable biogas production from anaerobic digestion, vermiculture production, aquaculture production, and organic wastes with a particular focus on stillage wastes. Such system may hold significant promise for significantly reducing organic carbon and methane emissions from its components, and should be assessed for such. The 2021 IPCC report essentially identified methane reduction as the single fastest way to slow global warming (IPCC, 2021), making the study and implementation of methane-reducing systems and supportive policy for them critical. Knowledge gaps to implementing this system were qualitatively identified as disconnect …

Drift Reduction By Orienting Boom Sprayers’ Nozzles Against The Wind Direction, Medet Itmeç, Ali Bayat, Ömer Barış Özlüoymak

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Wind drift is a very critical issue in pesticide applications. In recent experiments, the application of pesticides is focus on precision farming. In this study, a spraying system that could manipulate trajectories of droplets to decrease drift was tested in a wind tunnel. Three nozzles (XR11002, AIXR11002 and TTJ6011002) were used at three operating pressures (200 kPa, 300 kPa, 400 kPa), with four orientation angles of nozzles against wind direction (0°, 5°, 10°, 15°), and three wind velocities (1.5, 2, and 2.5 m s^-1) with three repetitions. A statistical factorial CRD was used with Tukey Post Hoc Test …

Degumming Of Hemp Fibers Using Combined Microwave Energy And Deep Eutectic Solvent, Bulbul Ahmed

LSU Master's Theses

Hemp is considered as one of the sustainable agricultural fiber materials. Degumming or surface modification of hemp bast is needed to produce single fibers for ensuing textile and industrial applications. The traditional degumming process necessitates a high amount of alkali, which causes detrimental environmental pollution. This study offers a new method to degum hemp fibers with reduced use of harmful alkali and precious water resources. In this work, hemp bast fibers were degummed by using combined microwave energy and deep eutectic solvent (DES). The properties of hemp fibers manufactured by this method were investigated and compared with the traditional alkali …

Lessons To Be Learned In Adoption Of Autonomous Equipment For Field Crops, James Lowenberg-Deboer, Karl Behrendt, Melf-Hinrich Ehlers, Carl R. Dillon, Andreas Gabriel, Iona Yuelu Huang, Ian Kumwenda, Tyler Mark, Andreas Meyer-Aurich, Gabor Milics, Kehinde Oluseyi Olagunju, Søren Marcus Pedersen, Jordan M. Shockley, David Rose

Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Autonomous equipment for crop production is on the verge of technical and economic feasibility, but government regulation may slow its adoption. Key regulatory issues include requirements for on-site human supervision, liability for autonomous machine error, and intellectual property in robotic learning. As an example of the impact of regulation on the economic benefits of autonomous crop equipment, analysis from the United Kingdom suggests that requiring 100% on-site human supervision almost wipes out the economic benefits of autonomous crop equipment for small and medium farms and increases the economies-of-scale advantage of larger farms.

Sensor-Based Irrigation Of Maize And Soybean In East-Central Nebraska Under A Sub-Humid Climate, Jasreman Singh, Derek M. Heeren, Yufeng Ge, Geng Bai, Christopher M.U. Neale, Mitchell S. Maguire, Sandeep Bhatti

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The ever increasing pressure on the water resources in Nebraska and other irrigated agricultural areas require innovations and solutions for the governance of water allocation. This study proposes the use of sensor-based method for irrigation which has the potential to improve irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE). Practical methods and algorithms for creating irrigation prescriptions have become vital for the adoption of precision irrigation. A decision support system (DSS) for uniform irrigation was evaluated during 2020 growing season in a sub-humid region. The DSS was managed using soil water and plant feedback. In field practice, a sensor node station comprising of …

Developing A Lab-Scale Fluidized Bed Dryer System To Enhance Rough Rice Drying Process, Kaushik Luthra

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For more than half of the world's population, rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a staple meal. However, rice growers encounter difficulties supplying this demand, particularly in developing nations, where rice is susceptible to spoilage if the moisture content is not lowered to a safe level soon after harvest. As a result, traditional drying methods, such as sun drying and natural air drying, are commonly used by rice growers, particularly in underdeveloped nations. However, these procedures are time-consuming and can lead to rice spoilage. On the other hand, fluidized bed drying is a well-established technology that might give rice growers a …

Computational Prediction Of Mutagenesis In Glycine Max Rubisco Activase Monomer For Increased Thermal Stability, Catherine B. Emanuel, Hamza Haq '21, Vasanth Ramesh '21, Jaden Wang '21, Angela Ahrendt, Sarah Stainbrook

Student Publications & Research

No abstract provided.