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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 #343336
Research Project: Enhancing the Profitability and Sustainability of Upland Cotton, Cottonseed, and Agricultural Byproducts through Improvements in Pre- and Post-Harvest Processing

Location: Cotton Production and Processing Research

Title: Field based plastic contamination sensing

Author
item Pelletier, Mathew
item Whitelock, Derek
item Holt, Gregory
item Wanjura, John

Submitted to: ASABE Annual International Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/17/2017
Publication Date: 7/17/2017
Citation: Pelletier, M.G., Whitelock, D.P., Holt, G.A., Wanjura, J.D. 2017. Field based plastic contamination sensing. ASABE Annual International Meeting. ASABE Presentation.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The United States has a long-held reputation of being a dependable source of high quality, contaminant-free cotton. Recently, increased incidence of plastic contamination from sources such as shopping bags, vegetable mulch, surface irrigation tubing, and module covers has threatened the reputation of US cotton. Once plastic is embedded into a cotton module, it is very difficult to detect and remove. This research project is developing ways to detect and mitigate in-field sources of plastic contamination before it is collected by a harvester and incorporated into cotton modules. This first report covers the development of a computer vision sensing system for high-speed classification of various types of plastics against a seed-cotton background. This technique should be suitable for use on harvesters as well as in cotton gins.