Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
12.5
Yield Sensing for Root Crops
For georeferenced yield sensing of root crops like potatoes and sugar beets, various
measurement devices have been integrated into the harvesting equipment, tested
and evaluated (Fig.
12.5
).
A number of authors successfully developed and evaluated conveyor belt
weighing systems combined with GPS positioning systems and data processing
units (Campbell et al.
1994
; Walter et al.
1996
; Demmel and Auernhammer
1999
).
Godwin and Wheeler (
1997
) used a trailer equipped with load cells to obtain
yield data based on the mass accumulation rate.
Kromer and Degen (
1998
) obtained the sugar beet yield by estimating the volume
of the beets on a conveyor belt using a laser scanner.
Hennes et al. (
2002
) adapted the friction compensated curved plate principle to
the conditions at a rotating cleaning turbine of a sugar beet harvester.
A compilation of results on the
accuracy of measurement systems for root
crops
shows that a majority of authors has used the conveyor weighing system
Harvestmaster version HM 500 (Table
12.4
). This implement can be integrated in
very different harvesting machines and hence be used for a variety of root crops.
The level of errors as listed is rather similar. Actually this holds for all systems that
are included in Table
12.4
.
Fig. 12.5
Systems for material fl ow measurement in potato and sugar beet harvesters. For details
see the literature cited in the text
