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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #93773
Title: ULTRASONIC AND GPS MEASUREMENT OF COMBINE SWATH WIDTH

Author
item Sudduth, Kenneth
item DRUMMOND, SCOTT - UNIV OF MO
item WANG, WENWEI - UNIV OF MO
item KRUMPELMAN, MICHAEL - UNIV OF MO
item Fraisse, Clyde

Submitted to: American Society of Agricultural Engineers Meetings Papers
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/13/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Ultrasonic and GPS-based approaches to measuring combine swath width on-the-go were implemented. The GPS-based method was effective in calculating the harvested area corresponding to each yield measurement and allowed for effective data visualization. However, the RTK-GPS equipment required to successfully implement this method is currently expensive and somewhat difficult to operate compared to conventional GPS equipment. Ultrasonic swath width measurement was feasible in wheat and, with more careful data processing techniques, in drilled soybean. Ultrasonic sensors are relatively less expensive and could provide a direct measurement of swath width without the extensive data processing required by the GPS-based method. However, ultrasonic measurements can be problematical if crops are excessively sparse, lodged, or deflected due to harvest operations. The simultaneous collection of ultrasonic and RTK-GPS data provided an opportunity to validate the results obtained from each method with data collected from an independent data source.