Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering Commons^™

Vacuum-Operated Microfluidic Device For Colorimetric Determination Of Sperm Motility In Aquatic Species, Faiz Alam

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Sprayer Performance Diagnostic Tool Using Improved Mapping And Error Quantification Practices, Aaron Shearer

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

While sprayer technologies have advanced greatly over the past decade and a half, chemical application errors are still prominent in many in-field operations. Over-application of pesticides can cause harm to the crop, reducing yield, and result in added pollution to the environment. Under-application of pesticides fails to control pests within the field, again lowering crop yields, and causing profit loss for the producer. Current operator feedback from in-field pesticide application operations conveys limited information and often times does not allow the operator to visualize a true representation of their performance. Farm Management Information Systems (FMIS) typically do not account for …

Safety Videos For Major Shop Equipment In Cal Poly Brae Lab 1, Trey Joseph Johnston

Agricultural Education and Communication

At California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, students from all majors can take a variety of classes in the BioResource and Agriculture Engineering Department (BRAE). It is essential for future high school mechanics educators to learn the basic shop tools and the importance of safety in the laboratory. In shop 1 of the BRAE Department, there are many different tools students will find in a mechanics classroom. The five main power tools are the Table Saw, Drill Press, Bench Grinder, Radial Arm Saw, and Disk/Belt Sander.

In BRAE 121 Agricultural Mechanics, students learn basic shop skills about lab safety …

Developing Pennycress ( Thlaspi Arvense ) As A Biodiesel Feedstock Crop And Plant Model System, Michaela Mcginn

Theses and Dissertations

Thlapsi arvense L. (pennycress) is currently being developed as a profitable oilseed-producing winter annual cover crop with extreme cold tolerance and a rapid life cycle that can be grown on fallow farmland throughout the U.S. Midwest Corn Belt, controlling soil erosion and nutrient runoff while serving as an additional source of income for the American farmer without displacing food crops. The research comprising this dissertation demonstrates that pennycress can serve as a user-friendly model system highly similar to Arabidopsis thaliana, and is well-suited for both laboratory and field experimentation, being readily employable in existing growth facilities. After 10 generations of …

Climate-Driven Crop Yield And Yield Variability And Climate Change Impacts On The U.S. Great Plains Agricultural Production, Meetpal Singh Kukal, Suat Irmak

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Climate variability and trends affect global crop yields and are characterized as highly dependent on location, crop type, and irrigation. U.S. Great Plains, due to its significance in national food production, evident climate variability, and extensive irrigation is an ideal region of investigation for climate impacts on food production. This paper evaluates climate impacts on maize, sorghum, and soybean yields and effect of irrigation for individual counties in this region by employing extensive crop yield and climate datasets from 1968–2013. Variability in crop yields was a quarter of the regional average yields, with a quarter of this variability explained by …

Preparation And Characterization Of Nanocellulose And Its Application In Composite Materials, Xiuxuan Sun

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Transparent cellulose films from 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical oxidized cellulose nanocrystals (TOCNs) and 64 wt% sulfuric acid treated cellulose nanocrystals (SACNs) were prepared from bleached wood pulps. Film morphology, optical, mechanical, thermal, and surface wettability properties were characterized and compared. The results showed that TOCNs and SACNs had different average length, diameter, and aspect ratio.

The effect of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) on flow, hydration, morphology, and strength of oil well cement (OWC) was investigated using a range of spectroscopic methods coupled with rheological modeling and strength analysis. The Vom-Berg model showed the best fitting result of the rheology data. The addition of …

A New Approach To Vfd System Specifications And Rebates, Kyle Feist, Randall Cole, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Variable frequency drives (VFDs) are used to provide flexibility and efficiency enhancements for agricultural pressurized irrigation systems. Standard 6-pulse VFDs commonly used for agricultural pumps can also create real problems with the pump motor and nearby electrical systems, unless mitigated by special equipment.

With support by the California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC), Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) recently began a new rebate program for installing VFD systems for pressurized irrigation. A major component of the new rebate program is the requirement to comply with a detailed set of minimum VFD system design …

Modernizing Aging Pipe Infrastructure In Irrigation Districts, Charles M. Burt, Kyle Feist, Zachary Markow

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Many irrigation and water districts in California convey water through aging concrete pipelines. In addition to huge problems with leaks and failures, districts also struggle to provide turnout deliveries with more flexible schedules. This paper discusses the problems that are encountered, and various approaches that have been or can be used. The specific pipeline designs that are discussed in this paper are generally gravity flow, flowing downhill from a canal. Most of these pipelines were originally installed under the assumptions that farmers would need high flows at low pressures for surface irrigation.

Evaluation Of Variable Rate Irrigation Using A Remote-Sensing-Based Model, John Burdette Barker, Derek M. Heeren, Christopher M.U. Neale, Daran Rudnick

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Improvements in soil water balance modeling can be beneficial for optimizing irrigation management to account for spatial variability in soil properties and evapotranspiration (ET). A remote-sensing-based ET and water balance model was tested for irrigation management in an experiment at two University of Nebraska-Lincoln research sites located near Mead and Brule, Nebraska. Both fields included a center pivot equipped with variable rate irrigation (VRI). The study included maize in 2015 and 2016 and soybean in 2016 at Mead, and maize in 2016 at Brule, for a total of 210 plot-years. Four irrigation treatments were applied at Mead, including: VRI based …

Dynamic Rops Test For Tractors Over 6,000 Kilograms, Caleb M. Lindhorst, Roger M. Hoy, Santosh Pitla, Michael F. Kocher

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

OECD static tests (Codes 4, 6, 7, and 8) for agricultural rollover protective structures (ROPS) have become accepted standards for evaluating the ability of these structures to protect the operator during tractor rollover events. The strength properties of some materials typically used in ROPS change because of cold weather embrittlement at low temperatures. The static ROPS tests lack the ability to evaluate the strength of these structures during cold weather. The use of the dynamic ROPS test is well noted as a means for proving cold weather embrittlement resistance properties. Unfortunately, application of the OECD dynamic ROPS test (Code 3) …

The Open Source Gaitor Suite For Rodent Gait Analysis, Brittany Y. Jacobs, Emily H. Lakes, Alex J. Reiter, Spencer P. Lake, Trevor R. Ham, Nic D. Leipzig, Stacy L. Porvasnik, Christine E. Schmidt, Rebecca A. Wachs, Kyle D. Allen

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Locomotive changes are often associated with disease or injury, and these changes can be quantified through gait analysis. Gait analysis has been applied to preclinical studies, providing quantitative behavioural assessment with a reasonable clinical analogue. However, available gait analysis technology for small animals is somewhat limited. Furthermore, technological and analytical challenges can limit the effectiveness of preclinical gait analysis. The Gait Analysis Instrumentation and Technology Optimized for Rodents (GAITOR) Suite is designed to increase the accessibility of preclinical gait analysis to researchers, facilitating hardware and software customization for broad applications. Here, the GAITOR Suite’s utility is demonstrated in 4 models: …

Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Beef Feedlot Surface Materials As Affected By Diet, Moisture, Temperature, And Time, Bryan L. Woodbury, John E. Gilley, David B. Parker, Bobbi S. Stomer

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

A laboratory study was conducted to measure the effects of diet, moisture, temperature, and time on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from feedlot surface materials (FSM). The FSM were collected from open-lot pens where beef cattle were fed either a dry-rolled corn (DRC) diet containing no wet distillers grains with solubles (WDGS) or a DRC diet containing 35% WDGS. The FSM were collected, air-dried or mixed with 3.0 L of water to represent dry or wet conditions, and then incubated at temperatures of 5°C, 15°C, 25°C, or 35°C. Static flux chambers were used to quantify GHG emissions over a 14-day period. …

Surface Detention On Cropland, Rangeland, And Conservation Reserve Program Areas, John E. Gilley

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

One of the factors contributing to overland flow on upland areas is water stored temporarily in a thin sheet on the soil surface as surface detention. This study was conducted to quantify surface detention on selected cropland, rangeland, and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) sites. Surface detention was determined from the recession portion of runoff hydrographs corresponding with the period when rainfall had ceased but runoff continued. The hydrographs were generated from six previously reported rainfall simulation studies conducted on paired 3.7 m wide  10.7 m long plots on which approximately 128 mm of rainfall was applied. Surface detention values …

Evaluation Of The Accuracy Of Machine Reported Can Data For Engine Torque And Speed (J1939), Rodney A. Rohrer, Joe D. Luck, Santosh K. Pitla, Roger M. Hoy

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Most modern off-road machinery use embedded electronic controllers connected to a controller area network (CAN) to broadcast machine information for on-board processes and diagnostics. Commercially available tools can record CAN data for a variety of research and commercial uses. For agricultural tractors, there is an opportunity to create advanced test procedures that are more representative of field operations and that could supplement existing machine performance tests, such as the OECD Code 2 Standard Code for the Official Testing of Agricultural and Forestry Tractor Performance. CAN parameters provide an efficient way to collect tractor performance data during field operations. However, the …

Crop Evapotranspiration, Irrigationwater Requirement And Water Productivity Of Maize From Meteorological Data Under Semiarid Climate, Koffi Djaman, Michael O'Neill, Curtis K. Owen, Daniel Smeal, Komlan Koudahe, Margaret West, Samuel Allen, Kevin Lombard, Suat Irmak

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Under the semiarid climate of the Southwest United States, accurate estimation of crop water use is important for water management and planning under conservation agriculture. The objectives of this study were to estimate maize water use and water productivity in the Four Corners region of New Mexico. Maize was grown under full irrigation during the 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2017 seasons at the Agricultural Science Center at Farmington (NM). Seasonal amounts of applied irrigation varied from 576.6 to 1051.6 mm and averaged 837.7 mm and the total water supply varied from 693.4 to 1140.5 mm. Maize actual evapotranspiration was …

Unmanned Aerial Systems-Based Remote Sensing For Monitoring Sorghum Growth And Development, Sanaz Shafian, Nithya Rajan, Ronnie Schnell, Muthukumar Bagavathiannan, John Valasek, Yeyin Shi, Jeff Olsenholler

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Systems (UAV or UAS) have become increasingly popular in recent years for agricultural research applications. UAS are capable of acquiring images with high spatial and temporal resolutions that are ideal for applications in agriculture. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of a UAS-based remote sensing system for quantification of crop growth parameters of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) including leaf area index (LAI), fractional vegetation cover (f_c) and yield. The study was conducted at the Texas A&M Research Farm near College Station, Texas, United States. A fixed-wing UAS equipped with a …

Rapeseed Seedling Stand Counting And Seeding Performance Evaluation At Two Early Growth Stages Based On Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Imagery, Biquan Zhao, Jian Zhang, Chenghai Yang, Guangsheng Zhou, Youchun Ding, Yeyin Shi, Dongyan Zhang, Jing Xie, Qingxi Liao

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and image processing algorithms for field-based phenotyping offers a non-invasive and effective technology to obtain plant growth traits such as canopy cover and plant height in fields. Crop seedling stand count in early growth stages is important not only for determining plant emergence, but also for planning other related agronomic practices. The main objective of this research was to develop practical and rapid remote sensing methods for early growth stage stand counting to evaluate mechanically seeded rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) seedlings. Rapeseed was seeded in a field by three different seeding devices. A …

Nitric Oxide Sensors For Biological Applications, Nicole M. Iverson, Eric M. Hofferber, Joseph A. Stapleton

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Nitric oxide (NO) is an essential signaling molecule within biological systems and is believed to be involved in numerous diseases. As a result of NO’s high reaction rate, the detection of the concentration of NO, let alone the presence or absence of the molecule, is extremely difficult. Researchers have developed multiple assays and probes in an attempt to quantify NO within biological solutions, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. This review highlights many of the current NO sensors, from those that are commercially available to the newest sensors being optimized in research labs, to assist in the understanding and …

Evaluation Of Critical Nitrogen And Phosphorus Models For Maize Under Full And Limited Irrigation Conditions, Koffi Djaman, Suat Irmak

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Proper nitrogen (N) fertiliser application rates and timing of application, coupled with optimum irrigation management can improve the sustainability of maize production and reduce the risk of environmental contamination by nutrients. The impact of full and limited irrigation and rainfed conditions on in-season maize (Zea mays L.) shoot biomass nutrient concentration and critical N and phosphorus (P) indices were evaluated using a combination of measured nutrients and critical N and P models in south central Nebraska in 2009 and 2010. Four irrigation treatments [fully-irrigated treatment (FIT), 75% FIT, 60% FIT and 50% FIT) and rainfed] were imposed. Irrigation regimes …

Phenotypic Responses To Interspecies Competition And Commensalism In A Naturally Derived Microbial Co-Culture, Nymul Khan, Yukari Maezato, Ryan S. Mcclure, Colin J. Brislawn, Jennifer M. Mobberley, Nancy Isern, William B. Chrisler, Lye Meng Markillie, Brett M. Barney, Hyun-Seob Song, William C. Nelson, Hans C. Bernstein

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The fundamental question of whether different microbial species will co-exist or compete in a given environment depends on context, composition and environmental constraints. Model microbial systems can yield some general principles related to this question. In this study we employed a naturally occurring co-culture composed of heterotrophic bacteria, Halomonas sp. HL-48 and Marinobacter sp. HL- 58, to ask two fundamental scientific questions: 1) how do the phenotypes of two naturally co-existing species respond to partnership as compared to axenic growth? and 2) how do growth and molecular phenotypes of these species change with respect to competitive and commensal interactions? We …

Impacts Of Cover Crops On Soil Physical Properties: Field Capacity, Permanent Wilting Point, Soil-Water Holding Capacity, Bulk Density, Hydraulic Conductivity, And Infiltration, Suat Irmak, Vivek Sharma, Ali T. Mohammed, Koffi Djaman

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Field experiments were carried out to quantify the effects of cover cropping on soil physical properties. Field capacity (FC), permanent wilting point (PWP), soil-water holding capacity (SWHC), bulk density (  b), saturated and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks and Kus, respectively), and infiltration rates were measured and compared for four land cover treatments [cover crop without seed maize (CC), seed maize followed by cover crop (SCCC), bare soil, and seed maize without cover crop (SC)] in three large-scale production fields (~64 ha each) with silt loam soil in the 2012-2013, 2013-2014, 2014-2015, and 2015-2016 cover crop growing seasons. All production …

The Role Of Dense Slurry In Achieving Zero Liquid Discharge, D.M. Timmons, Istvan Kovacsics

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

The Coal Combustion Residual (CCR) and Effluent Limitations Guidelines (ELGs) rules pose significant technical and economic challenges for ash management and for treatment and discharge of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) wastewater at coal-fired power plants. Beneficial use is always a priority for ash, but only about half is being reused on a national basis, and the rest is destined for disposal. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency identified biological treatment as the baseline treatment technology for FGD wastewater in the ELGs. However, it is becoming evident that bioreactors exhibit high capital and operating costs, occupy significant space, and are sensitive to …

Physio-Chemical And Functional Properties Of Nine Proso Millet Cultivars, Manjot Singh, Akinbode A. Adedeji, Dipak Santra

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Evaluation of the postharvest properties of nine proso millet cultivars was carried out to determine their physical and engineering properties, which are very useful for designing appropriate systems for process operations such as sorting, drying, heating, cooling, and milling. Nine cultivars of proso millet comprising waxy and non-waxy types, namely Cope, Earlybird, Huntsman, Minco, Plateau, Sunrise, Rise, Dawn, and Panhandle, were obtained from the Panhandle Research and Extension Center, University of Nebraska, Scottsbluff. Results showed significant (p < 0.05) differences in their physical properties, such as sphericity, volume, bulk density, porosity, and angle of repose, which ranged from 0.86 to 0.91, from 3.94 to 5.14 mm³, from 765.49 to 809.67 kg m^-3, from 42.49% to 44.20%, and from 22.98° to 25.74°, respectively. The cultivars were …

Stored Grain Pack Factor Measurements For Soybeans, Grain Sorghum, Oats, Barley, And Wheat, Rumela Bhadra, Mark E. Casada, Aaron P. Turner, Michael D. Montross, Sidney A. Thompson, Samuel G. Mcneill, Ronaldo G. Maghirang, Josephine M. Boac

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Grain and oilseed crops stored in bins undergo compaction due to overbearing pressure of the grain inside the structure. Thus, volume measurements of grain in bins need to be combined with the amount of packing (usually called pack factor) in addition to the initial density so that the mass in the structure can be calculated. Multiple pack factor prediction methods are in use in the grain industry, but they have only been validated in the literature and compared with field data for corn and hard red winter wheat. Predictions from WPACKING, the program in ASABE Standard EP413.2, and two standard …

Assessing Intra-Event Phosphorus Dynamics In Drainage Water Using Phosphate Stable Oxygen Isotopes, William Ford Iii, Mark R. Williams, Megan B. Young, Kevin W. King, Eric Fischer

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Quantifying fluxes and pathways of dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) in tile-drained landscapes has been hampered by a lack of measurements that are sensitive to P fate and transport processes. One potential tool to help understand these dynamics is the oxygen isotope signature of phosphate (δ¹⁸O_PO4); however, its potential benefits and limitations are not well understood for intra-event dynamics at the field scale. The objectives of this study were to quantify intra-event variability of δ¹⁸O_PO4 signatures in tile drainage water and assess the efficacy of δ¹⁸O_PO4 to elucidate mechanisms and flow …

Comparison Of Three Regionalization Techniques For Predicting Streamflow In Ungaged Watersheds In Nebraska, Usa Using Swat Model, Michael W. Van Liew, Aaron R. Mittelstet

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

This study compared three approaches, regional averaging, nearest neighbor, and donor techniques, to regionalize parameters in the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) on eleven watersheds located in the Dissected Plains, Plains, and Rolling Hills Landforms in the eastern portion of the State of Nebraska, USA. Within the Rolling Hills Landform, three watersheds were randomly selected as calibration watersheds while two were randomly selected as validation watersheds. Two watersheds were randomly selected as calibration watersheds while one was randomly selected as a validation watershed within each of the Dissected Plains and Plains Landforms. The seven calibration watersheds were used to …

Compressibility Of Fly Ash Under Ko Loading: Strain Rate Effects In Constant Rate Of Strain Testing, Jaime A. Mercado, Luis G. Arboleda-Monsalve, Tarunjit S. Butalia, Pedro J. Amaya

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

Coal combustion processes produce large volumes of fly ash. The compressibility of fly ash was studied using moist tamping and drypluviation methods to achieve different void ratios before subjecting the material to compressive oedometric Ko loading (i.e., zero lateral deformation throughout the test). The class F fly ash used in this research was produced at a Midwest U.S. power plant. The material was initially characterized with hydrometer and specific gravity tests, and maximum and minimum realizable void ratios were determined. The compressibility characteristics of the fly ash material were studied at four strain rates, 1%/h, 10%/h, 40%/h, and 100%/h, and …

Influence Of Flow Rate On Leachability, John L. Daniels, Gautham P. Das

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

The leaching potential of coal fly ash is often approximated with laboratory-based methods that expose columns of compacted material to synthetic precipitation. While this procedure can simulate aspects of the field condition, it remains difficult to replicate site-specific thermodynamic and kinetic constraints on geochemical processes. This article explores one aspect that contributes to the field/laboratory disparity, namely, the influence of flow rate and intermittency. Seven column-based leaching experiments were conducted with the same ash but with different flow rates and intermittency (i.e., infiltration pulsing), and results were evaluated in terms of aqueous sodium, calcium, and chromium concentrations in the effluent. …

Kinetic And Thermodynamic Parameters For The Adsorption Of Methylene Blue Using Fly Ash Under Batch, Column, And Heap Leaching Configurations, J.H. Potgieter, S. Pearson, C. Pardesi

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

In this article, the use of fly ash, a low-cost adsorbent, for the removal of a toxic cationic dye, methylene blue (MB), from aqueous solution has been investigated. Fly ash is a waste by-product generated from coal combustion. Contrary to many other reported investigations, the fly ash was not treated prior to the experiments for this investigation. The study was done in order to ascertain the viability of using the waste material to remove cationic dyes from wastewater. While MB adsorption has been described often in batch studies, batch, column, and heap leaching studies were carried out under the same …

Universal And Excavatable Controlled Low Strength Material Using High Loss On Ignition Fly Ash And Limestone Screenings†, James T. Locum, L.K. Crouch, Daniel Badoe

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

Limestone screenings and high loss on ignition (LOI) fly ash are by-products that are stockpiling because of their unintentional production and the negative effects when utilized in portland cement concretes. The research objective was to investigate whether these by-products could produce controlled low strength materials (CLSMs) meeting the three types of Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) 204.06 flowable fill specifications. TDOT defines these CLSMs as the following: general use, excavatable, and early strength. Each type is required to have an inverted slump flow of not less than 15 inches (38.1 cm) while meeting ASTM International D6024 at 24 hours. Because …