ABSTRACT
Often field crop researchers find themselves short of manpower and time during the busy harvest season. Efficiency and accuracy of data collection are important parts of their operation. Automation can greatly enhance both aspects of data collection in field crop research. When applied within the routine of plot combine harvesting, the interfacing of electronic balances and moisture sensing devices with data collectors or portable microcomputers, results in significant savings of labor and time required to obtain and record harvest data. The systematic routine normally involved in such a program can substantially reduce many of the errors which often occur during weighing and manual data recording.
Experience with the NURSERYMASTER 1 one-person harvest and data acquisition system has shown it to be very efficient. A number of considerations are important in the organization of such a system. Those considerations address primarily the method of grain delivery and its freedom from excessive plant debris as well as the hardware and software of the components essential for accurate, reliable data collection and transfer. Currently the advances in hardware and software development of applicable electronic components are progressing rapidly.
Close attention to the necessary limitations and concerns of electronic data collection on plot combine harvesters while realizing the options available will result in the type of system that can be a significant advantage in a field crop research program.
