Tracking machinery to investigate the effect of compaction during sugar cane harvesting

West, David (2016) Tracking machinery to investigate the effect of compaction during sugar cane harvesting. [USQ Project]

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Abstract

The Australian sugar industry is a major part of the agricultural sector within Queensland and New South Wales. Through research it was noticed that there was no easy way for producers to evaluate the traffic pathways through the field. Therefore an investigation was devised to track the machinery during sugar cane harvesting to determine the potential increase in bulk density and therefore the decrease in plant production. A field trial was conducted in the Bundaberg region to assess the validity of such a program constructed to use GPS (global positioning system) data gathered from the load-out bins. Manual observations of the load-out bins during harvesting were also conducted to help validate the program. It was concluded that the program reported the correct answer, but was not running correctly due to limitations. The program was developed to report the number of times the growing bed was crossed and to help identify the potential loss of production in terms of sugar cane yield. From the measurements taken as part of the field trial, an average increase of 0.153tonne/m3 was witnessed within the traffic lanes. From this data, a yield decrease of 5% was inferred and subsequently a profit reduction of $0.03 per metre of growing bed crossed.


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Item Type: USQ Project
Item Status: Live Archive
Additional Information: Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Major Agricultural Engineering project
Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: Historic - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Civil Engineering and Surveying (1 Jul 2013 - 31 Dec 2021)
Supervisors: Jensen, Troy
Date Deposited: 24 Jul 2017 02:47
Last Modified: 24 Jul 2017 02:47
Uncontrolled Keywords: tracking machinery; effect of compaction; sugar cane harvesting; agricultural sector
Fields of Research (2008): 09 Engineering > 0905 Civil Engineering > 090599 Civil Engineering not elsewhere classified
Fields of Research (2020): 40 ENGINEERING > 4005 Civil engineering > 400599 Civil engineering not elsewhere classified
URI: https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/31503

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