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Optical sensing works for wheat
Since buyers will pay a premium for
high-quality wheat, farmers need to not only grow it, but also know which
exact locations in their fields have the wheat that buyers desire. Over the
past decade, an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) agronomist in Pendleton,
Oregon, has been testing various instruments that may one day help farmers
quickly pinpoint the precise location of high-quality wheat.
Dan Long started testing wheat-quality measuring devices while teaching at
Montana State University, and he has continued that work at the ARS Columbia
Plateau Conservation Research Centre in Pendleton. He is currently working
with two firms to develop and test spectroscopic devices that use fibre optics
and near-infrared light to measuring protein concentration of grain. Attached
to a combine, the device measures the protein content of wheat during the
harvesting operation.
Buyers want specific levels of protein, depending on how the wheat will be
used. Bakers need high-protein wheat for making bread, but low-protein wheat
is preferred for cakes, cookies and crackers.
In addition to protein, the optical sensors can measure fat, oil, carbohydrate
and moisture levels in grain. By knowing this information, farmers may one day
be able to segregate grain during harvest and transfer operations, based on
the grain's specific qualities. As with many other crops, a single field of
wheat can produce grain with significant variations in quantity and quality.
Farmers can also use the sensor-derived information for fertilizer management,
since soil nitrogen and protein levels are correlated. They will be able to
tell which sections of the farm already have enough nitrogen. This information
will help them save money on unnecessary fertilizer applications and also help
protect the environment against surplus nitrogen.
Long will continue testing for grain quality next year and also hopes to use
information from the optical sensors to study crop residue levels. The sensors
probably will not be commercially available for another year or two, according
to Long.
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