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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lubbock, Texas » Cropping Systems Research Laboratory » Cotton Production and Processing Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #313991
Title: A harvester based calibration system for cotton yield monitors

Author
item Wanjura, John
item Pelletier, Mathew
item Holt, Gregory
item KELLEY, MARK - Texas Agrilife Extension

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/15/2015
Publication Date: 5/1/2015
Citation: Wanjura, J.D., Pelletier, M.G., Holt, G.A., Kelley, M.S. 2015. A harvester based calibration system for cotton yield monitors. Procedings of the National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference, January 5-7, New Orleans, Louisiana. [CDROM]. p.635-647.

Interpretive Summary: The ability to know harvested seed cotton weight is of great benefit to a cotton farmer when conducting on-farm research to evaluate cultivars or various production practices or in the process of calibrating a yield monitor. Current methods for obtaining this information are quite cumbersome and expensive. Thus, a system was developed in 2013 and improved and tested in 2014 that provides this inforamation onboard a cotton stripper harvester. The system calculates seed cotton weight in the basket of the harvester as a function of the hydraulic pressure used to hold the basket at a known position. The system was tested using basket weights from about 100 pounds upto about 3600 pounds. Weight measurement error of the system was observed to be 0.44% of span.

Technical Abstract: The objective of this work was to develop a system for measuring seed cotton weight on a cotton harvester to facilitate on-farm research efforts and provide information for use in semi-real-time calibration of yield monitors. The system tested in 2014 was improved from the original design developed in 2013 in regard to ease of operation and weight measurement accuracy. A simplified model was developed to measure seed cotton weight as a function of basket lift cylinder hydraulic pressure measured at a single consistent basket position. Automated basket positioning via a proportionally controlled hydraulic valve and limit switches allowed for consistent basket positioning. The resulting weight measurement accuracy observed in 2014 was RMSE of 21.8 lb and mean absolute error of 2.75% of reading or 0.44% of span.