Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering Commons^™

50 Years Of Irrigation District Modernization In The Usa -- Then And Now, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Irrigation district modernization in the USA has seen changes in management attitudes, hardware, software, and the shouldering of responsibilities for environmental issues that were never envisioned fifty years ago. The pace of modernization is quite variable depending upon the state and location within the state. This paper provides some insights into the evolution of several aspects of modernization over that fifty year time span.

Plasma-Generated Ozone For Odor Removal, Jordan Marot

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Ozone (O₃) is gaining popularity for its use in industrial and environmental applications, including water treatment, air purification, disinfection, and odor remediation. As a powerful oxidizing agent, ozone is highly effective in destroying harmful bacteria and degrading hazardous gas pollutants such as hydrogen sulfide (H₂S). Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactors are widely used for commercial ozone production under atmospheric-pressure conditions. However, ozone yield and selectivity are strongly influenced by operating parameters, particularly gas flow rate, which affects residence time, energy transfer, and competing byproduct chemistry.

This study explores the influence of the air flow rate on …

Effects Of Ab Mix Hydroponic Solution And Ameliorant Mixtures On Cayenne Pepper Growth And Yield In An Inceptisols, Tien Turmuktini, Betty Natalie Fitriatin, Tualar Simarmata, Firda Widayanti, Nuryanti, Lia Amalia, Elly Roosma Ria, Linlin Parlinah

Jurnal Kultivasi

Cayenne pepper (Capsicum frustescens L.) cultivation faces several problems, including acidic pH and inadequate nutrient management. These problems can be addressed by using a mixture of various ameliorants and AB mix nutrient solutions. This study aimed to determine the effect of ameliorant mixture dosage and AB mix solution concentration on soil chemical properties, growth, and yield of cayenne pepper. The experiment used a randomized block design, consisting of two factors: nutrient solution concentration and ameliorant dosage. The factor of nutrient solution concentration consisted of four levels, i.e., 700, 1000, 1300, and 1600 ppm, while the factor of ameliorant dosage also …

Future Meteorological Droughts In The Southeastern Us, Kunal Bhardwaj, C. Prakash Khedun, Abdul A. Khan

Journal of South Carolina Water Resources

The Southeastern U.S., despite its humid climate, experiences recurrent meteorological droughts which impact agricultural, water resources, ecological systems, and the economy and society. Knowledge of future drought conditions can guide adaptation efforts. Here, we evaluate historical and projected droughts using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) computed from an ensemble of eight bias-corrected Global Climate Models (GCMs) from the Climate Model Intercomparison Phase-6 (CMIP6). The historical performance (1950–2014) of the GCM’s mean was benchmarked against gridded observations from the Climate Research Unit (CRU). Future changes were assessed under 1.5°C, 2.0°C, and 3.0°C global warming levels.We …

Towards 2035: Future Forms And Strategic Path Of Chinese Agriculture, Liu Tao, Zeyu Yang, Zhaohui Dong

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Agricultural modernization is an integral component of the national modernization. Toward 2035, China’s agricultural system confronts multiple challenges, including increasing resource and environmental pressures, rapid upgrading of residents’ consumption structure, and in-depth adjustments in the international supply chain pattern. Meanwhile, it also embraces a series of opportunities brought by transformations in agricultural production technologies and models driven by artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and engineering technology. Based on the perspective of national medium and long-term development strategy, this study sorts out the internal constraints, external opportunities, and development drivers faced by China’s agriculture. It explores six major strategic trends—ecological, intelligent, customized, facility-based, …

Nebraska And The Midwest Agtech Ecosystem: Benchmarking Innovation Investment And Translation Gaps, Ankit Chandra, Ishani Lal, Brennan Costello

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

Agricultural innovation is central to the sustainable transformation of food systems, yet the capital that finances it is unevenly distributed relative to where food is produced. This paper develops a diagnostic framework for measuring this mismatch and applies it across the U.S. Midwest from 2021 to 2025, with particular emphasis on Nebraska's structural position within this landscape. Drawing on venture capital deal-flow data, 17 stakeholder interviews, and a novel strength-weakness-opportunity-gap (SWOG) ecosystem mapping methodology, we document $736 million in tracked Midwest AgTech funding across eight states (Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota). We introduce three …

Flow Conditioning And Vortex Reduction For Vertical Pump Inlets, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

There are 3 general hydraulic problems for vertical pump inlets. All can cause problems with pump impeller cavitation, reduced flow rates, lower pump efficiencies, and vibrations.

Evaluation Of A Vortex Flow Device On A Center Pivot Irrigation System, Ankit Chandra, Derek M. Heeren, Tyler Smith

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

This study presents the first independent field evaluation of a passive vortex flow device designed to reduce hydraulic friction in pressurized irrigation systems. Experiments were conducted on a full-scale, groundwater-fed center pivot irrigation system at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension, and Education Center (ENREEC). A paired comparison approach was used to quantify differences in flow rate, energy consumption, and pressure distribution along the pivot lateral under baseline (no device) and treatment (device installed) conditions. Results showed negligible change in system flow rate (621 vs. 618 gpm) and energy consumption (~1.2% difference), consistent with expectations for pressure-regulated irrigation systems. However, the …

Thermodynamic Modeling Of Ph Impacts On Subsurface Microbial Consortia, Jackfin K C

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

Underground hydrogen storage is affected by microbial consumption, and the different minerals present in the subsurface. However, most studies consider either biotic or abiotic factors in isolation and hence, the conditions that drive a self-sustaining storage remain poorly understood. This thesis uses a genome-informed thermodynamic model developed by Kharel et al. (2026) in which pH is the central variable coupling hydrogenotrophic microbial metabolism, inter-species competition, and carbonate mineral buffering. The model includes four hydrogen-consuming species: methanogen (Methanobacterium), acetogen (Acetoanaerobium), aerobic acetate oxidizer (Pseudomonas stutzeri), and sulfate reducer (Nitratidesulfovibrio) by conditioning each organism's …

Can Generative Ai Make Farming Decisions? Current Status And Future Pathways: A Case Study In Row Crop Production With Chatgpt, Nipuna Chamara, Yufeng Ge, Joe Luck, Yu Pan, Saleh Taghvaeian, Cory Walters, Christopher Proctor, Daran Rudnick, Daren Redfearn

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The agricultural decision-making process is experience-based, knowledge-dependent, time-sensitive, complex, and driven by historical data. Planting, fertilization, irrigation, and chemigation are key categories in farm decision-making, and currently there is no one-shot decision-support tool that covers all these activities. Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) models are more advanced than traditional machine learning and deep learning models. These models have been trained on vast amounts of data from the internet, allowing them to accept unstructured data in various forms and generate human-like text, solutions to problems, and scenario predictions. Given this capability, we became interested in exploring the potential of generative AI in …

High-Throughput Robotic Ethanol Inhibition Assays For Engineered Thermophilic Biofuel Strains, Kevin He, Daniel Olson, Marybeth Maloney, Anthony Lanahan

Wetterhahn Science Symposium Posters

Ethanol stress assays are commonly used to evaluate microbial tolerance, metabolic adaptation, and fermentation performance. However, manual liquid handling introduces variability across replicate wells and small-volume pipetting steps, limiting reproducibility and throughput. This study developed an automated OT-2 robotic workflow to generate replicated ethanol concentration gradients for high-throughput inhibition assays in engineered thermophilic biofuel strains. Kinetic plate-reader measurements were used to quantify ethanol-dependent growth responses under anaerobic fermentation conditions. The reasearch question is: How do engineered thermophilic biofuel strains differ in ethanol-dependent growth inhibition under anaerobic fermentation conditions, and can automated robotic assays improve the reproducibility of these measurements? Can …

Developing Transparent Sustainability Data Systems In A Poultry And Pet Food Company: An Internship Case Study, Catherine L. Warren

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

My honors thesis examined my internship experiences and its implications on sustainability data gathering and reporting in poultry and pet food companies. It highlighted my internship projects, the skills I developed, and the connections to sustainability data transparency and reliability in a corporate environment.

In my thesis, I shared details about my internship. I described what projects I worked on, the places I visited, the hands-on experience I gained, and the different teams I worked with throughout the internship duration. I discussed the analytic and professional skills I developed through conducting a waste audit, developing Tableau dashboards, and helping to …

Design And Performance Overview Of The Inaugural University Of Arkansas Beng Fountain Wars Team, Autumn Jones

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This honors thesis describes the engineering design process for the first ASABE Fountain Wars submission by a student team at the University of Arkansas in over a decade. Fountain Wars has a technical and aesthetic task, and the focus of this thesis is the design of the technical task. In 2025, this task was the “shoot out.” The objective was to get objects from a small pool into two 5-gallon buckets 10-15 feet away. The power for initiating the launch had to be provided by the pump. The objects were required to start at the surface of the water.

The …

Dried Water Treatment Residuals Might Be An Option To Reduce Soluble Reactive Phosphorus Release From Soils, Katie B. Mckay

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Nonpoint source pollution from agricultural landscapes contributes to freshwater eutrophication, with legacy phosphorus (P) in soils potentially driving soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) losses to surface waters. The objectives of this study were to evaluate SRP adsorption by dried water treatment residuals (WTRs) produced by Beaver Water District, quantify reductions in soil SRP release across increasing WTR application rates, and compare dried WTR performance to prior WTR studies.

Dried WTRs (~98% solids) were assessed using batch sorption experiments and soil core incubations. Phosphorus sorption was measured by mixing WTRs with CaCl₂ solutions containing increasing SRP concentrations and fitting results to …

Cross-Facility Reliable Deep Learning Based Beef Marbling Assessment Via Unsupervised Domain Adaptation Regression, Samuel Vinson

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Inconsistent quality grading in beef production leads to inefficiencies, economic disparity, and consumer mistrust. While USDA meat grading traditionally relies on skilled visual inspectors, these human evaluations suffer from cross-facility variability and subjectivity. This paper introduces the first known application of unsupervised domain adaptation regression for cross-facility beef marbling score prediction—an innovation that improves generalization across diverse environments in the beef supply chain. Utilizing numerical scores ranging from 100-900, the research employed convolutional neural networks (CNNs), including ResNet, VGG, and AlexNet architectures. The study specifically introduced and validated a unified unsupervised domain adaptation regression method using the ResNet-50 architecture to …

Uav-Based Sensor Integration For In-Situ Lake Water Quality Monitoring, Alec R. Campbell

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Surface water monitoring is often constrained by limited spatial and temporal coverage due to the labor-intensive nature of traditional sampling methods, particularly in environments that are difficult to access or pose safety risks. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offer a promising solution by enabling more frequent, spatially distributed, and cost-effective data collection. This study presented the design, development, and field evaluation of a UAV-based system for real-time, in-situ water quality monitoring. The system integrated multiple sensors, including oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), RGB spectrometry, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved oxygen (DO), and a multispectral spectrometer within a UAV platform.

Field testing was conducted …

Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfas) In Cave And Withrow Springs, Arkansas, Luke A. Ahlemeier

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The class of chemicals known as Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are believed to be widespread in the natural environment, but the full extent of PFAS prevalence is not well understood, particularly in karst springs. The objectives of this study were to (1) collect water samples from Cave Springs and Withrow Springs, Northwest Arkansas, (2) measure for concentrations of 40 PFAS compounds using EPA Method 1633, and (3) compare differences in PFAS concentrations and discuss potential sources of PFAS for each spring. Each spring was sampled on September 29, 2025, October 13, 2025, and November 10, 2025, and water samples …

A Systems Approach To Nitrogen Fertilizer Management: Modeling Emissions And Runoff Pathways In Arkansas Agriculture, Avonelle Lindon

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Nitrogen fertilizer management is a critical challenge in modern agriculture. This thesis develops a system dynamics model of nitrogen in Arkansas rice and corn systems to explore barriers to translating agricultural research into practical farmer guidance.  The modeling process revealed key challenges: (1) scarcity of Arkansas-specific factors and best management practice (BMP) effectiveness data; (2) tension between model comprehensiveness and accessibility; (3) misalignments in conservation incentive structures; and (4) difficulty in validating models without field measurements. The resulting model demonstrates basic nitrogen cycle processes and BMP integration, but validation against published literature revealed significant issues with predictive accuracy. These findings …

A New Electroencephalography Electrode Design For Curly And Kinky Hair Types, Elena Butler

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

Medical discrimination and implicit bias are present in both societal systems and into the design and validation of medical devices. Traditional electroencephalography (EEG) systems often fail to provide reliable physiological recordings on curly and kinky hair types (3B–4C), associated typically with Black American and others of African descent. EEG on these hair types often results in high electrode-scalp impedance, poor signal quality, and participant discomfort. Consequently, such technical biases contribute to the underrepresentation of these populations in neuroscience research and clinical diagnostics, while simultaneously limiting equitable access to EEG-based medical care.

To address this gap, a novel conductive electrode attachment …

Beyond Local Pathology: Exploring The Role Of Gut Microbiota In Chronic Low Back Pain Using An Integrated Behavioral And Microbiological Approach, Adan L. Redwine

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

Chronic low back pain (LBP) affects millions worldwide, often originating from intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration. While the gut microbiome modulates musculoskeletal pain, prior studies of the gut-disc axis have focused entirely on structural changes. This leaves a critical gap: does the microbiome influence the experience of discogenic pain? To answer this, an integrated approach using longitudinal gut microbiome profiling, machine learning-based behavioral phenotyping, and structural disc assessments in a rat model of discogenic LBP was utilized.

Female Sprague Dawley rats underwent one of four conditions: sham surgery, IVD injury, antibiotic-mediated microbiome depletion + IVD injury, or IVD injury + treatment …

Undergraduate Design Spine For Biological Systems Engineering And Agricultural Engineering, David Mabie, Derek M. Heeren, Deepak R. Keshwani, Heidi A. Diefes-Dux, Nicole M. Iverson, Rachel Padrnos, Greg Bashford, Taryn King, Jenna Hefley, Curtis L. Tomasevicz

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

Engineering education is undergoing a shift toward preparing graduates with demonstrated capabilities that integrate technical knowledge, durable skills, and the ability to adapt in a rapidly evolving professional landscape. This paper describes a comprehensive redesign of the undergraduate curriculum in Biological Systems Engineering (BSEN) and Agricultural Engineering (AGEN) at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The redesign is grounded in a “Design Spine” framework, which distributes and scaffolds design experiences across all four years of the program to support progressive development of problem solving, systems thinking, communication, and professional skills. The curriculum is organized around clearly defined capabilities and threads that connect …

Assessment Of Super Absorbent Polymer In Soybean Cultivation Under Variable Irrigation Conditions In Nebraska, Ankit Chandra, Abia Katimbo, Ronaldo Marchezan, Martha Nabaggala

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

Water limitation is a primary constraint to soybean productivity in both irrigated and rainfed systems. Soil-applied superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) have been proposed as a strategy to buffer crops against episodic drought stress; however, their physiological and agronomic performance under varying irrigation regimes remains insufficiently quantified. Here, we evaluate three biodegradable polymer formulations: broader granules (BB), original granules (OG), and powder (PWR) applied at low (17.7 lb/ac) and high (120 lb/ac) rates under full (100% ET), reduced (50% ET), and no irrigation conditions in western Nebraska. Polymer application had negligible effects under full irrigation, with yields comparable to untreated controls. Under …

Enhancing Food Security In Stann Creek, Belize Using Meat Rabbits: Engineering Perspective, Lindsey Garretson

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the engineering perspective within the overall project of using meat rabbits to enhance food security and nutrition within Stann Creek, Belize. From the engineering perspective, the overarching goals were like the overarching project goals including the construction and materials required guide within the manual, designing potential upgrades to the design including a solar and battery system and an automatic watering system, and to design the system to be “practically sustainable” where possible. The constraints for this project included cost, the size of land dedicated for the rabbitry, and the operational and environmental …

Agglomeration Of Particles Streaming Down A Zigzag, Juan Llamas

Posters - 2026

Zigzags or “letdown ladders” limit the flow speed of dry grains as they flow downward by gravity when loading silos, ships, barges, railcars, or trucks.

• Reduce cracking and shattering of grains.

• Increase grain shelf life.

• Increase grain resale value. • Increase ability of grain to germinate.

• Reduce generation of grain dust, an explosion and environmental hazard.

How can we design a zigzag that we know will not plug?

Enhanced Cuckoo Search-Based Optimization For Single Distributed Generation Placement And Sizing In Radial Distribution Systems, Samson Oladayo Ayanlade, Abdulrasaq Jimoh, Richard Oladayo Olarewaju, Ignatius Kema Okakwu, Israel O. Adejumobi, Joseph B. Samson, Oluwadare A. Adebisi, Oluwadare O. Akinrogunde

Al-Bahir

This paper presents an Enhanced Cuckoo Search Algorithm (ECSA) to optimally place and size Distributed Generation (DG) in radial distribution systems to minimize real power loss within operating constraints. The proposed ECSA has exponentially decaying adaptive Lévy flights, constraint-aware solution repair with dynamic penalty coefficients, and diversity-directed stochastic replacement to enhance search robustness and convergence speed. It was tested with 30 independent runs on the IEEE 33-bus, IEEE 69-bus, and a practical Nigerian 32-bus distribution network. The simulations show that the ECSA lowers the active power loss of the IEEE 33-bus system from 201.58 kW to 102.75 kW (49.03%), and …

Understanding Agtech Adoption: Evidence From The Farm Tech Adoption Challenge 2025, Ankit Chandra, Mark Stone

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

The Farm Tech Adoption Challenge (FTAC) examined how farmers evaluate emerging agricultural technologies through structured interactions with startups. Farmers assessed solutions based on their on-farm challenges and indicated adoption decisions. Results showed that adoption was driven by how well technologies addressed economic pressure, risk reduction, and operational simplicity. Startups aligned with these priorities were more likely to gain traction, with five out of nine receiving farmer commitments for adoption. However, adoption also depended on clear economic value, field validation, and system integration. Overall, the findings suggest that the primary bottleneck in agtech is not the lack of relevant technologies, but …

Growing Plants On The Moon: How Mizuna Roots And Organic Matter Spark Microbial Metabolism, Stefani Capasso Villanueva, Nupur Kulkarni

Student Research Symposium (SRS)

Establishing functional plant–microbe systems in extraterrestrial substrates is critical for sustainable lunar agriculture. We tested whether manure amendment and Mizuna mustard (Brassica rapa var. japonica) rhizosphere activity enhance the metabolic potential of a lunar regolith simulant (LHS-1). Plants were grown in four treatments: Unplanted manure-amended regolith (LRM), planted manure-amended regolith (LRMP), planted unamended regolith (LRP), and soil controls. Plant height and community-level physiological profiles (CLPP; Biolog EcoPlates) were measured to assess growth and metabolic diversity. Mizuna grew best in soil, with modest improvements in LRMP compared to LRP, though regolith treatment differences were not statistically significant. CLPP revealed the highest …

Why Agtech Startups Fail? Evidence From Global Shutdown Patterns In 2025 And The Cost-Adoption Mismatch Effect, Ankit Chandra, Ishani Lal

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

Agricultural technologies are widely seen as a driver for sustainability, resilience, and food-system transformation. Yet in 2025, agtech startup across North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa experienced multiple shutdowns. Although each company closed for its own reasons, the failures highlight consistent underlying patterns. We analyze 18 publicly reported shutdowns across controlled-environment agriculture (CEA), robotics, insect protein, digital platforms, sensors, and ag-biotechnology. We find that most ventures struggled not with scientific feasibility but with economic and adoption dynamics at the farm level. We identify a Cost-Adoption Mismatch Effect, in which the capital and operational burden of a technology exceeds farmers’ capacity …

Deep Learning Framework For Sow Posture Classification From Depth Images: Comparison With Data Transformation Techniques, Models, And Cross-Validation, Md Towfiqur Rahman, Tami M. Brown-Brandl, Gary A. Rohrer, Sudhendu R. Sharma, Suzanne M. Leonard, Yeyin Shi

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Piglet preweaning mortality (PWM) in the United States averages ≈14–15%, with sow overlaying causing about one third proportion of these losses. This research aimed to develop and evaluate deep learning models to classify six sow postures using depth images to monitor behaviors linked to overlaying risk. Top-down depth images were captured with Kinect V2^® cameras at 10 frames min^-1 for five consecutive days (2 days before to 2 days after farrowing), yielding 26,506 training images from 18 sows, 17,901 testing images from 12 sows, and 4,697 additional images from three sows in diagonal stalls for external validation. Three …

Assessment Of Soybean Response To Irrigation Variability In Eastern Nebraska Using The Aquacrop Model, Anmol Singh, Saleh Taghvaeian, Yufeng Ge, Derek M. Heeren, Frank Bai

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is a major irrigated crop in eastern Nebraska, where recent expansions in irrigated agriculture and projected trends in irrigation demand necessitate thorough investigations of approaches that can optimize its irrigation management. In this study, the AquaCrop model was calibrated and validated using 19 variable irrigation treatments from a five-year field experiment. The model accurately simulated canopy cover, soil water content, and grain yield, with validation normalized root mean square error (nRMSE) of 12%, 7%, and 7%, respectively. The model was subsequently applied to estimate soybean yield and water requirement during a 15-year period (2010–2024) …