Conventional Harvesting Methods Research Articles

Comparative Study of Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) and Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) between Conventional and Machine Assisted Napier Grass Harvest Works

Most of Napier grass industry in Malaysia is labored in small and medium scale. Therefore, the harvesting works are done manually by man power using conventional equipment such as sickle and machete. However, there are some efforts made to design the low cost equipment in assisting this Napier grass harvesting works. The aim of this study is to compare the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) and Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) performance in order to evaluate the certain body parts condition during harvesting works by using conventional equipment and innovation machine assisted. Based on survey, conventional harvesting method might increase the risk of low back pain (LBP) due to repetitive stooping posture. Furthermore, the back biomechanical load and force impact were also not handling wisely. The objective of this study is to prove that the usage of machine during harvesting works might improve the body posture especially on stoop level condition. Based on results, the overall RULA and REBA score are excellently improved as well as trunk position which is depicts the stooped level condition. Hence, the innovation of harvest machine could contribute to the Napier grass industry especially on small and medium entrepreneur.

Comparing cotton fiber quality from conventional and round module harvesting methods

The introduction of the John Deere 7760 spindle harvester to the Australian cotton industry in 2008, with on board module building capacity producing round modules, has led to the rapid uptake of this technology by growers due to a reduction in labor requirements. There have, however, been anecdotal reports from cotton classing facilities and growers that the quality of cotton harvested by the John Deere 7760 is different and more variable compared to cotton harvested by the conventional spindle basket harvesting and separate module building method. The aim of this research was to compare the average fiber quality and the variability of quality between bales of cotton produced by these two harvesting methods. Four fields located in the southern and central cotton growing areas of Australia were planted with two popular upland varieties. Alternate groups of rows across each field were harvested using either the round module or conventional basket harvesting method, with harvested seed cotton ginned at the same gin. Fiber samples were assessed for quality attributes typically used to class and value cotton in Australia. There was no significant difference of average results between the two harvest methods for High Volume Instrument (HVI) determined upper half mean length and bundle strength. However, HVI micronaire was marginally yet significantly lower and HVI reflectance higher for fiber from the round module system, which was attributed to the round harvesters being able to harvest more fiber (including immature fiber from the top of plants) and less trash. The small difference in reflectance, however, did not translate into a practical difference, with there being no significant difference measured between the two harvesting systems for visually determined color and leaf grade. The normalized variability (% coefficient of variation) of fiber quality between bales was greater for the round module system, which was attributed to less blending during the sequential ginning of round modules in contrast to the vertical building of equivalent multiple (round module) layers of seed cotton in larger conventional modules that undergo more blending when fed longitudinally into the gin. While the round modules in this research were harvested and ginned according to industry standards and in sequence, less than favorable in-field conditions and out-of-sequence ginning would more than likely compound the variation in fiber quality between bales. The impact of these variables on fiber quality would have significant practical implications, which will require further investigation.

Short-term impacts of energy wood harvesting on ectomycorrhizal fungal communities of Norway spruce saplings.

The increased demand for harvesting energy wood raises questions about its effects on the functioning of the forest ecosystems, soil processes and biodiversity. Impacts of tree stump removal on ectomycorrhizal fungal (EMF) communities of Norway spruce saplings were studied with 454-pyrosequencing in a 3-year field experiment replicated in 3 geographical areas. This is possibly the most thorough investigation of EMF communities associated with saplings grown on sites subjected to energy wood harvesting. To separate impacts of tree stump and logging residue removal on EMF and plant variables, we used three harvesting treatments with increasing complexity from patch mounding alone (P) to patch mounding combined with logging residue removal (RP), and patch mounding combined with both logging residue and stump removal (SRP). Saplings grown in uncut forests (F) served as references for harvesting treatments. A majority of sequences (>92%) and operational taxonomic units (OTUs, 55%) were assigned as EMF. EMF OTU richness, fungal community composition or sapling growth did not differ between harvesting treatments (P, RP and SRP), while EMF OTU richness, diversity and evenness were highest and sapling growth lowest in the undisturbed reference forests (F). The short study period may partially explain the similarities in fungal and sapling variables in different harvesting treatments. In conclusion, our results indicate that neither stump removal nor logging residue removal have significant additional negative impacts on EMF communities or growth of Norway spruce saplings in the short-term compared with the impacts of more conventional harvesting methods, including clear cutting and patch mounding.

Semi Impervious Subsurface Barrier for Water Conservation in Lateritic Formations

The coastal districts of Karnataka in west coast of India experience acute shortage of drinking water during dry season in spite of heavy monsoon rains. Though sufficient recharge of ground water takes place, depletion of water table is very quick, once the rain recedes. It is mainly attributed to the presence of porous and highly permeable laterites and lateritic soils. The hydraulic conductivity of these soils varies in the range of 10−4 to 10−5 cm/s. The conventional water harvesting methods fail to solve the problem. It is necessary to explore innovative method to regulate the lateral subsurface flow and maintain a high water table over a prolonged period of time. The present work is an attempt to explore the possibility of using semi impervious Subsurface Barrier (SSB) to regulate and control the lateral flow of water in the unconfined aquifer in lateritic formations. Appropriate barrier material is arrived at using the locally available soil and the required properties are established. A SSB is built in a suitable location in an identified microwatershed using lateritic soil and the composite soil prepared by mixing requisite percentage of lateritic soil and clay. The hydraulic conductivity of these soils is maintained in the range of 10−6 to 10−7 cm/s so as to behave as semi impervious. The performance analysis is carried out by observing water levels in selected open observation wells before and after the construction of the barrier. The results have shown the successful performance of SSB in maintaining a high water table over a prolonged period of time during summer months, both in u/s and d/s of the barrier.

Supercharged Pectoralis Major Musculocutaneous Flap

The pectoralis major musculocutaneous (PMMC) flap was once considered the workhorse for head and neck reconstruction; however, because of the proliferation of free tissue transfer, it has rightly taken on a secondary role. Nevertheless, in certain head and neck reconstructions, the PMMC flap remains the last-line treatment and the only salvage option in do-or-die scenarios. The conventional harvesting method of the PMMC flap cuts the lateral thoracic artery and all intercostals branches from the internal mammary vessel to avoid compromising pedicle length. Nonetheless, the dissection of these 2 dominant sources of blood supply to skin islands overlying the lower PMMC flap poses a potentially high risk of distal flap necrosis.To preserve the lateral thoracic vessels, the PMMC flap is a very valid choice from the viewpoint of blood supply. In a novel surgical procedure named "Supercharged Pectoral Major Musculocutaneous Flap"-"SUP-PMMC flap"-devised by us, the lateral thoracic vessels near the bifurcation of subclavian vessels are cut and then anastomosed to the cervical vessels. The procedure causes no vascular insufficiency of skin islands and no compromise to the length of the pedicle and is valid from the viewpoint of blood supply to the lower part of PMMC flaps. The author used this technique in 4 head and neck cancer reconstructions, and no partial flap necrosis or fistula formation was observed.

Comparison of harvester and motor-manual logging in intermediate cuttings of deciduous stands

Recently, new models of operational harvester heads that are suitable for work in deciduous forests and are able to process hooked trees or trees originated from stump shots have been designed. A mechanized harvesting method (harvester with head) is compared with conventional motor-manual harvesting methods in which a chain saw is used for felling, trimming, and crosscutting. Species composition of the sample stand was as follows: 58% aspen (Populus tremula), 19% lime (Tilia platyphyllos), 22% birch (Betula verrucosa), and 1% oak (Quercus robur). The study was completed under the aegis of the project of the 6th General Program of the EC. The labor efficiency was estimated using a time study method. Compared with common motor-manual harvesting, a UTC harvester with a CTL 40 HW head reduces the production time by about 70%. Depending on the number of timber assortments made per tree, operation of the harvester was from 1.7 to 3 times more efficient than chain saw operation.

Energy Harvesting From Hybrid Indoor Ambient Light and Thermal Energy Sources for Enhanced Performance of Wireless Sensor Nodes

In this paper, a hybrid of indoor ambient light and thermal energy harvesting scheme that uses only one power management circuit to condition the combined output power harvested from both energy sources is proposed to extend the lifetime of the wireless sensor node. By avoiding the use of individual power management circuits for multiple energy sources, the number of components used in the hybrid energy harvesting (HEH) system is reduced and the system form factor, cost and power losses are thus reduced. An efficient microcontroller-based ultra low power management circuit with fixed voltage reference based maximum power point tracking is implemented with closed-loop voltage feedback control to ensure near maximum power transfer from the two energy sources to its connected electronic load over a wide range of operating conditions. From the experimental test results obtained, an average electrical power of 621 μW is harvested by the optimized HEH system at an average indoor solar irradiance of 1010 lux and a thermal gradient of 10 K, which is almost triple of that can be obtained with conventional single-source thermal energy harvesting method.

Optimized Wind Energy Harvesting System Using Resistance Emulator and Active Rectifier for Wireless Sensor Nodes

This paper presents an optimized wind energy harvesting (WEH) system that uses a specially designed ultra-low-power-management circuit for sustaining the operation of a wireless sensor node. The proposed power management circuit has two distinct features: 1) an active rectifier using MOSFETs for rectifying the low amplitude ac voltage generated by the wind turbine generator under low wind speed condition efficiently and 2) a dc-dc boost converter with resistor emulation algorithm to perform maximum power point tracking (MPPT) under varying wind-speed conditions. As compared to the conventional diode-bridge rectifier, it is shown that the efficiency of the active rectifier with a low input voltage of 1.2 V has been increased from 40% to 70% due to the significant reduction in the ON-state voltage drop (from 0.6 to 0.15 V) across each pair of MOSFETs used. The proposed robust low-power microcontroller-based resistance emulator is implemented with closed-loop resistance feedback control to ensure close impedance matching between the source and the load, resulting in an efficient power conversion. From the experimental test results obtained, an average electrical power of 7.86 mW is harvested by the optimized WEH system at an average wind speed of 3.62 m/s, which is almost four times higher than the conventional energy harvesting method without using the MPPT.

벨트 파지식 1조 콩 예취기 개발

This study was carried out to develop a belt pick-up type one-row soybean cutter, using physical properties and production conditions of soybeans. The prototype soybean cutter consisted of 4 parts: cutting part, conveying part, collecting part, and travelling part. The prototype soybean cutter was designed to cut soybeans planted with a row spacing of 600 mm, and at a height of 30 mm from the bed bottom using a disk saw. Through various trials with different peripheral velocities of the disk saw and forward speed of the cutter, determined ranges of the peripheral velocity of the disk saw cutting soybeans stems were greater than 18.3 m/s. Spacing between pick-up belts (clearance) was in a range of 60~90 mm so that soybeans could be picked at heights greater than 25 cm, and the size and shape of the pick-up belt were determined the conventional manual harvesting method. The optimal ratio between the forward speed of cutter and the peripheral speed of pick-up belts were from 1 to 1.2 by theoretical analysis. the pick-up belts had a of tilted angle and of twisted angle to pick up soybeans safely from the plant input to the lower end of the belts and convey soybeans to the upper end of belts nearby a container. The soybeans at the rear container were dropped down on the soybean row with an interval. The effective field capacity of the prototype soybean cutter was 0.136 ha/h, reducing the working hour by 92% when compared with the manual cutting.

Kinematics analysis for five DOF Fresh Fruit Bunch harvester

The existing mechanized oil palm harvester is claimed to be unsuccessful due to its inefficiency to harvest F resh F ruit B unch (FFB) . It tak es a lot of time compared to the conventional harvesting method, using human power. Therefore a study was carried out using Denavit and Hartenberg (D-H) approach to automate the five D egree s of F reedom (DOF) harvester manipulator. The general objective was to reduce the number of workers required for harvesting as well as to provide comfortable ergonomic for the operator of oil palm harvester. The D - H’s convention was used for selecting frames of reference in robotics application which has become the standard way of representing robots and modeling their motions. In this study, the forward kinematics and inverse kinematics were used to deduce joint angles variables while the conventional Jacobian was used for motion velocity computation. The formulated inverse equations were tested manually on the harvester with given locations to obtain deduced joint angles. The results were θ 1 =129.64°, θ 3 =180°, θ 4 =90° , which w ere quite accurate. Thus, the kinematics analysis of harvester arm automation was done successfully. Keywords: kinematics, D egree s of F reedom , harvesters, manipulators, denavit and hartenberg , Fresh Fruit Bunch DOI: 10.3965/j.issn.1934-6344.2010.03.0 01 -0 07 Citation: Helena Anusia James Jayaselan, Wan Ishak Wan Ismail . K inematics analysis for five DOF Fresh Fruit Bunch harvester . Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2010; 3(3): 1 <span style=font-size: 9pt; line-height: 140%; font-family:

Predischarge Angiographical Evaluation of Radial Artery Graft Harvested by Endoscopic Harvesting System

Endoscopic radial artery harvesting (ERAH) has superior cosmetic advantages over conventional harvesting methods. With instrumental advancements, these techniques have become easier to adopt and require less time to learn. In most reported cases, the quality of harvested conduits is discussed based on macroscopic and histologic examinations and clinical outcomes. However, predischarge angiography gives a straightforward answer regarding quality of harvested conduit. The aim of this study is to assess the quality of endoscopically harvested radial artery by predischarge angiographic evaluation. Endoscopic procedure using VasoView 4 system was performed in 87 patients between September 2004 and December 2007, and 78 predischarge angiographical evaluations were completed and reviewed. Mean age of the patients was 66 ± 10 years and 18% were women. After ERAH was performed, accompanying veins were dissected by ultrasound scalpel. All conduits were as aortocoronary bypass under cardiopulmonary bypass. Mean arm ischemic time was 32 ± 13 minutes and length of harvested conduit was 17.8 ± 1.3 cm. Predischarge angiography demonstrated two occlusions at the proximal anastomosis in the 51st and 71st cases, although intraoperative flow study showed normal flow patterns in both cases. Stenosis in the conduits was observed in the first, sixth, and seventh cases. No further angiographical problems were found in the remaining conduits. Based on the angiographical results, problems with the harvested conduits occurred only in initial period. ERAH with VasoView system provides satisfactory angiographical quality after initial learning curve.

Effect of removal of logging residue on nutrient leaching and nutrient pools in the soil after clearcutting in a Norway spruce stand

Following clearcutting applying the conventional stem-only harvesting method in a Norway spruce ( Picea abies (L.) Karst.) stand and different levels of removal of logging residue, the nutrient fluxes from the heaps of logging residue and from the O horizon were monitored over four growing seasons and the soil nutrient pools were determined. Three levels of removal of logging residue were carried out using (i) conventional stem-only harvesting (no residues removed); (ii) residues removed; and (iii) removal of branches (foliage left on site). The heaps of logging residue were a minor source of inorganic N entering the soil in the water percolating through the heaps, but they were a significant source of organic N, P, Ca, Mg, and especially K. Nutrient fluxes from the O horizon were in general greater under the heaps of logging residue as compared to soils without overlying logging residue. The leaching of inorganic N from the O horizon under the heaps of logging residue resulted in a net loss of these compounds, while the O horizon without overlying logging residue gained N. The removal of logging residue significantly decreased the extractable K pools in the soil while it or conversely, the presence of residue heaps had no significant effect on the pools of organic matter and the pools of N, P, Ca, and Mg in the O horizon and in the 0–10 cm soil layer. The results show that the short-term effects of logging residue on nutrient dynamics in the soil can be complex and difficult to interpret in terms of site productivity as there are changes in the nutrient fluxes, which imply the opposite effects on site productivity. However, the results do indicate that, in the short-term, the removal of logging residue does not impair pools of N in the soil nor site productivity on sites where the availability of N limits productivity.

Endoscopic Harvesting of Autogenous Fascia Lata

To describe a technique of endoscopic harvesting of autogenous fascia lata. A retrospective, noncomparative clinical study to evaluate the technique of videoendoscope assistance in harvesting autogenous fascia lata was conducted during a 1-year period in 2002. A small incision approximately 2 cm long is made over the lateral aspect of the thigh, either as a low or high approach. A sheathed 4-mm rigid 0- or 30-degree endoscope is used to visualize the length of the fascia lata along both its superficial aspect and its undersurface. Standard endoscopic brow lifting instruments are then used to dissect a length of fascia under direct visualization. Three patients underwent harvesting of autogenous fascia lata under endoscopic visualization (2 high-thigh and 1 low-thigh technique). Adequate lengths of fascia lata, approximately 12 cm long, were harvested and no complications occurred. The endoscope was particularly useful in identifying the anatomical structures adjacent to the fascia. The technique was easy to use, but took twice as long as traditional harvesting techniques. Videoendoscopy allows complete visualization of anatomical structures during harvesting of autogenous fascia lata. It highlights the anatomy for teaching and provides an alternative approach to conventional harvesting methods.

Recovery of logging residues for energy from spruce (Pices abies) dominated stands

Vast quantities of logging residue are left behind on clearcut areas. Given the suitable transportation distance, environmental and economic circumstances, they provide a possible alternative for fossil fuels. However, distribution of residual biomass over large areas during the logging operation and trampling by machines hinders the recovery. The recovery enhancing effect of three single-grip harvester work techniques on the productivity of logging residue recovery for energy was studied. Forwarder productivity, distribution of effective work time, forwarding distance, load size and the residue yield were studied. A heavy forwarder with an enlarged 22 m3 load space was used. The average load size was 9 tonnes. More than 50% of the forwarder's work time was spent on loading the residues. The recovery output of the trampled residues from the strip road after a conventional harvesting method was 11.4 t/E0-h for a 9 tonnes load and a 300 m transportation distance. In contrast, the single-grip harvester methods that aimed at the post-logging residue recovery increased the recovery output to 12.0–13.3 t/E0-h. The load size was a more significant factor than the forwarding distance in terms of machine productivity. The yield of residue recovery after the conventional roundwood harvesting method was 58.4% and from 66.8% to 78.7% for the alternative single-grip-harvester methods.

보행형 인발식 마늘수확기 개발

A 5-row walking garlic harvester with pulling mechanism was developed in the study, based upon a kinematical analysis and related preliminary field tests on the conventional garlic harvesting method. The harvesting efficiency of the developed harvester was more than 98% in the garlic field irrigated before harvesting, 80-85% in the field without irrigation. The harvesting performance of the harvester was 660∼825㎡/hr at the forward speed of harvester of 0.3m/s in the irrigated field before garlic harvesting. For proper garlic drying and collection, the harvester discharged the harvested garlic on the ground uniformly at the angles of 135。∼150。 to its forward direction with the garlic bulb's placing toward the harvester. In the field tests, it was recommended that the forward speed of the harvester be approximately less than 0.2m/s, and that the spacing of planting garlic seeds should be standardized in the future fur increasing its harvesting efficiency.

Temporal and spatial distributions of velvetleaf seedlings after 1 year's seeding

Two separate experiments were conducted from 1974 through 1980 and from 1976 through 1982 at an experimental farm in southwestern Ontario, Canada, to determine the pattern of temporal and spatial distributions of velvetleaf seedlings from seed produced by uncontrolled plants. For each experiment, a soybean field with no previous record of velvetleaf infestation was selected and planted with four patches of 10 velvetleaf plants. The plants were allowed to grow to reproductive maturity for 1 yr, and the density and spatial distribution of velvetleaf seedlings within the field were mapped over the next 6 yr. Although velvetleaf seedlings emerged each year after seeding, the highest percentage emerged the second year after seeding. Velvetleaf seedlings emerged at locations with or without a seeding plant, but a high density of emerged seedlings was often observed at locations some distance away from the seeding plants. The results suggest that under conventional harvesting methods there may not always be a close spatial relationship between the distribution of parent plants and their offspring, depending on the scale of the land and biotic and abiotic environmental conditions.

Evaluation of an Approach to Early Separation of Grain Threshed by a Stripping Rotor

Stripper harvesting differs from conventional cereal harvesting methods by removing only grain, leaf and a proportion of straw, leaving most straw in place. A horizontal stripping rotor carrying eight banks of comb-like stripping elements rotates at approximately 650rev/min, speed being adjusted to suit different crop conditions. Contact between the stripping elements and cereal heads can result in the detachment of the whole head or its threshing in situ. The proportion of crop threshed in this way varies in different crop conditions but typically in wheat it is around 80%. Therefore, the possibility exists of the early separation of this threshed grain, i.e. ahead of the threshing drum into which the remainder of the crop must pass. Possible benefits include prevention of damage to the "pre-separated" grain and reduced grain losses from the threshing and separation mechanisms because of reduced loading.One simple design of mechanical separator, using a perforated screen below a conventional crop auger, was evaluated. Pre-separator efficiency was closely related to the type and condition of crop because this affected the straw intake and the percentage of grain threshed at the point of stripping. Grain removal ranged from less than 20% to more than 80% of total. Removal of material other than grain (MOG) ranged from less than 1% to 25% representing chaff only. Pre-separated grain included "whitecaps" or awned grains in some crops. Design details such as screen aperture size, shape and percentage open area were varied and had minor effects compared to crop factors outlined.The separation efficiency of a standard threshing drum and concave was found to be altered little by the use of the pre-separator in field experiments and in laboratory experiments simulating field conditions. It was determined by the rate of MOG throughput and was almost independent of grain throughput. While drum separation efficiency remained largely the same, the effect of using the pre-separator was to reduce the amount of grain available for separation by the drum. Where the pre-separator removed, for example, half of the total grain, the threshing drum handled only the other half, so running at the same separation efficiency, its "loss" was halved.

Robot system for preparing lymphocyte chromosome.

Towards the automatization of the scoring of chromosome aberrations in radiation dosimetry with the emphasis on the improvement of biological preparations, the conventional culture and harvesting method was modified. Based on this modified method, a culture and harvest robotic system (CHROSY) for system (CHROSY) for preparing lymphocyte chromosome was developed. The targeted points of the modification are as in the following. 1. Starting culture with purified lymphocytes in a fixed cell number. 2. Avoiding the loss of cells in changing the liquids following centrifugalization. 3. Keeping the quantity of the liquids to be applied to the treatments of cells fixed. 4. Building a system even a beginner can handle. System features are as follows. 1. Operation system: Handling robot having 5 degrees of freedom; a rotator incubator with an automatic sliding door; units for setting and removing pipette tips; a centrifuge equipped with a position adjuster and an automatic sliding door; two aluminum block baths; two nozzles as pipettes and aspirators connected to air pumps; a capping unit with a nozzle for CO2 gas; a compressor; and an air manipulated syringe. 2. Control system: NEC PC-9801RX21 with CRT; and program written in Basic and Assembly languages on MS-DOS. It took this system 2 hours and 25 minutes to harvest 2 cultures. A fairly good chromosome slide was made from the sample harvested by CHROSY automatically.

Systemic Insecticides with Spring-Seeded Alfalfa for Control of Potato Leafhoppel123

Systemic insecticides (2.24 kg AI/ha of broadcast granular carbofuran, or phorate-, or ethoprop-disulfoton combination, or of flowable carbofuran in a tank mixture with preemergence herbicide) applied at planting of spring-seeded alfalfa were more effective in controlling Empoasca fabae (Harris) in Maryland where the population peaked in late June than in Pennsylvania where it peaked in early July. However, treatments reduced populations of potato leafhoppers, resulted in taller plants, prevented stand loss in 2 of 3 tests, prevented any significant loss of yield when conventional harvesting methods were used, and resulted in plants with significantly larger root diameter. Treated alfalfa appeared greener than untreated alfalfa, but chemical analyses did not show that it was higher in quality.