Annual/Termination Reports:

[02/11/2009] [08/03/2011] [05/07/2012] [09/04/2013]

Report Information

Participants

Barbaree, James (barbajm@auburn.edu) - Auburn University;
Baugher, Tara (tab36@psu.edu) - Pennsylvania State University;
Cavalieri, Ralph (cavalieri@wsu.edu) - Washington State University;
Daley, Wayne (wayne.daley@gtri.gatech.edu) - Georgia Tech;
Delwiche, Mike (mjdelwiche@ucdavis.edu) - UC Davis;
Ehsani, Reza (Ehsani@crec.ifas.ufl.edu) - University of Florida;
Erbach, Don (don.erbach@mac.com) - USDA / ARS (retired);
Gautz, Loren (lgautz@hawaii.edu) - University of Hawaii;
Goldner, William (wgoldner@csrees.usda.gov) - USDA CSRESS SBIR;
Grift, Tony (grift@illinois.edu) - University of Illinois;
Guyer, Dan (guyer@msu.edu) - University of Michigan;
Han, Yong (ydh1@cornell.edu) - Cornell University;
Heinemann, Paul (hzh@engr.psu.edu) - Pennsylvania State University;
Khosla, Raj (raj.khosla@colostate.edu) - Colorado State University;
Lu, Renfu (lur@msu.edu) - USDA / ARS;
Peltier, Jean Mari (jmpeltier@ngwi.org) - National Grape & Wine Initiative;
Pitts, Marvin (pitts@wsu.edu) - Washington State University;
Schmoldt, Dan (dschmoldt@csrees.usda.gov) - USDA;
Schupp, Jim (jrs42@psu.edu) - Pennsylvania State University;
Singh, Sanjay (ssingh@cmu.edu) - Carnegie Mellon University;
Slaughter, David (dcslaughter@ucdavis.edu) - UC Davis;
Steiner, Jeff (jeffrey.steiner@ars.usda.gov) - ARS;
Tang, Lie (lietang@iastate.edu) - Iowa State University;
Tao, Yang (ytao@umd.edu) - University of Maryland;
Thomasson, Alex (thomasson@tamu.edu) - Texas A&M;
Udomkesmalee, Gabriel (gabriel@jpl.nasa.gov) - NASA / JPL;
Walsh, Chris (cswalsh@umd.edu) - University of Maryland;
Wang, Ning (ning.wang@okstate.edu) - Oklahoma State University;
Yu, Chenxu (chenxuyu@iastate.edu) - Iowa State University;
Zhang, Qin (qzhang@illinois.edu) - University of Florida;

Brief Summary of Minutes

Regional Project Meeting W1009

Integrated Systems Research and Development in Automation and Sensors for Sustainability of Specialty Crops

Ramada BWI Airport Arundel Mills
December 11-12, 2008

Chair: Marvin Pitts

Vice Chair: David Slaughter

Secretary: Tony Grift

Minutes

Thursday Dec. 11th, 2008

1) Chair Marvin Pitts opened the meeting and welcomed the members. All members in attendance introduced themselves through an introduction round.

2) Ralph Cavalieri (Administrative Advisor) discussed the origins of the W1009 regional project. He mentioned that 25% of Hatch money is supposed to be spent on regional project activities.

3) Officers: motions were made and seconded, new officers installed were Chair: Marvin Pitts, Vice Chair: David Slaughter, Secretary: Tony Grift.

4) Marvin Pitts showed the NIMSS website:
http://nimss.umd.edu/homepages/home.cfm?trackID=10356 and how non-members and non Land-grant university employees can join. A suggestion was made to use Sharepoint as a communication medium. Discussion to use ASABE as a forum for communication.

5) Dan Schmoldt (National program leader, USDA) presented an introduction in the Land-Grant system, USDA and funding agencies within it. He shows statistics of funded proposals in 2008 (from virtually every state in the nation) and projected funding for SCRI in 2008-2012 being 230 Million (30/50/50/50/50 Million) of which $30 million was spent in 2008. Discussion on the SCRI program matching requirements not being very clear. Do we need a frequently-asked-questions (faq) list on the USDA/SCRI website? Q? Support letter that does not specify how matching funds will contribute to the project are not sufficient. Discussion whether it would make sense to "bundle" proposals rather than have separate smaller ones?

6) Four areas were identified as potential proposals. Discussion whether W1009 should create standards such as for vehicle communication. Consensus is to leave that with the ASABE committees such as PM48.

7) Dan Schmoldt presented "Winning Proposals", explained criteria, emphasized well written, professional, well organized, coherent proposals, having good seques among sections. Cosmetics are also important. Good proposals have a uniqueness component, get panels excited. Red flags are raised if proposals do not have sufficient scientific and technical merit, no decent impact assessment, are not innovative, if the PIs are not qualified and do not have proper infrastructure to carry out the project.

8) Paul Heinemann presented the winning proposal "Innovative Technologies for Thinning of Fruit". Discussion about voiding IP if proposals are put on the web.

9) Sanjay Singh presented Carnegie Mellon's winning proposal CASS. He describes in detail how the proposal was developed, what the hurdles and pitfalls were, how he found the right people to work with, and the time requirements for developing such a large proposal.

10) The members broke out into smaller discussion groups according to the following topics:

• 1) Labor assistance technology / Production efficiency (Qin Zhang)
  
• 2) Supply chain management/Food safety/Traceability (Alex Thomasson)
  
• 3) Knowing the "state" of the crop (David Slaughter)
  
• 4) Non-destructive Specialty Crop Quality Assessment (Loren Gautz)

Friday Dec. 12th, 2008

Communication:

1) Website

• a. Through NIMSS site:
  
  http://nimss.umd.edu/homepages/meet.cfm?trackID=10356 Annual report through website: trade journal types? Pubs: photos and videos? Can we put up PowerPoint presentations from the meeting (Marvin will collect all meeting PowerPoints). The site is a public spot, we can advertise our activities there too. Tony Grift will provide meeting materials (minutes, list of attendees) and test if videos can be put on the website. We need links to other websites, member home pages, trade people, link to secure area to exchange information. Suggestion to have a paper repository to help in writing proposals. Discussion whether the web materials can be used by others, consensus is that everything on the website is in public domain, if used by others, please properly acknowledge.

(2) How to communicate among ourselves and constituents, general public.

• a. Jeff Steiner ARS, program leader) on communication. Jeff mentioned the SCRI roadmap workshop held in Crystal City where CSREES, ARS, NASA, NSF, industry, government and universities were represented. Industry was not happy with research. They requested a true involvement in research and development. The group had biweekly conference calls. Question for our project is how to keep the momentum going? W1009 had only 2 industry participants. Jeff suggests finding out why invitees did not show up. Q? Can we use the website as tool to engage industry? Put a list of growers on website? Jeff will send attendance list of Crystal city Workshop website: http://specialtycrop.info/finalagrisite/index.php. We may want to model our website after this one. It is proposed to the membership to register on this site. Ralph Cavalieri stresses the need for industry contacts. Within USDA/ARS we have engineering in commodity crops, get them organized and point toward Specialty Crop Research. W1009 is a research project, but we need extension people in here. Q? Can we do another Crystal City workshop? The Kennewick, WA model worked well. Marvin Pitts: We all need to take the SCRI message back to grass roots meetings and promote W1009.
  
  
  
• b. Other groups, manufacturers? How do we ask them? Any organizations we can target? Tulare CA is a specialty crop farm show http://www.worldagexpo.com/ . Farm equipment shows? Don Erbach: ASABE Annual International Meeting has little participation from machinery manufacturers. PM48 committee may do conference on specialty crops. Qin Zhang: AMC (Agricultural Machinery Conference in Cedar Rapids http://www.amc-online.org/ ) maybe be an option. ASABE/ATOE (Automation Technology for Off-road Equipment) is another biannual meeting that cycles US/Asia/Europe. AETC, Louisville, KY National Farm Equipment show usually in around mid Feb. AETC talked about moving to Tulare. Tulare is huge, we need to prepare at least a year ahead, Korvan/Oxbo show up. Jeff Steiner: Deere and other major manufacturers are very non-engaging, better go with small companies. Reza Ehsani: In citrus smaller manufacturers are open and actually requests research to be done collaboratively. Consensus is to target smaller manufacturers at Tulare trade show, and to have our next W1009 meeting there in Jan. 2010. Let's identify people who can go to manufacturers and pitch W1009. Alex Thomasson proposes to ask whether ASABE is interested in moving AETC to Tulare. After discussion, this is agreed upon. Jean Mari Peltier can help contact Tulare.
  
  
  
• c. We need to engage social scientist etc. How do we go back to home institutions and get them to work with us? Money talks, get the word out there is money available and we need interdisciplinary teams. Give seminars, spread the word among other scientists. Ideally 1/3 of W1009 should be engineers. We need to maintain a living document with project overviews. We need a W1009 flyers/brochure (slideshows) (there is one for NE1008). Loren Gautz shows a flyer that was made for earlier Regional projects.

3) Group discussions

• a. Labor assistance technology / Production efficiency (Qin Zhang qzhang@illinois.edu)
  
  
  
  • i. Pruning technology (Leader: Marvin Pitts)
    
    
  • ii. Vegetable harvesting fresh market (Leader: Lie Tang)
    
    
  • iii. Non-selective harvesting equipment (Leader Reza Ehsani)
    
    
  • iv. Targeted within-canopy chemical application (Leader XXX)

  
  
  

• b. Supply chain management / Food safety/Traceability (Alex Thomasson thomasson@tamu.edu)
  
  
  
  • i. Tracing produce quality and safety through the supply chain + sensors for diagnosis of problems
    
    
  • ii. Food safety salmonella detection
    
    
  • iii. Identify high risk points
    
    
  • iv. Funding source SCRI 2010 /AFRI
    
    
  • v. Develop Smart Sensing Containers
    
    
  • vi. Apply principle to multiple commodities

  
  
  

• c. Knowing the "state" of the crop (David Slaughter dcslaughter@ucdavis.edu)

  
  

• d. Non-destructive Specialty Crop Quality Assessment (Loren Gautz lgautz@hawaii.edu)
  
  
  
  • i. Measurement of sugars, oils, acids, color, size, firmness, volatiles.

    
    
    

  • ii. Impact (revenue enhancing)
    
    
    
    • 1. optimal timing for harvest
      
      
    • 2. Product consistency
      
      
    • 3. Market scheduling

    
    
    

    • iii. Develop instrument clusters for in-field quality measurement

      
      
      

    • iv. Develop post-harvest sorting technology

      
      
      

    • v. Develop detectors for insect infestation

4) Every leader will prepare a one pager to show the proposal. Marvin will put out an outline and put in on the website.

For next years' proposals the contact program manager is Dan Schmoldt, and Tom Bewick. Please be aware that they expect over 400 proposals.

5) Planning next meeting 2010

Objectives of the next meeting

• Communication and invite industry.
  
• Can we do a tour (visiting Tulare farm show can be construed as such)?
  
• Presentations of successful new SCRI proposal
  
• Progress reports for currently ongoing projects

Alex Thomasson will contact ASABE to see if they are interested in moving AETC to Tulare. Jim Schupp: Do we need to contact the Europeans to see where they are? Italy has a good trade show we could attend.

Marvin thanks the membership and Dan Guyer thanks Marvin and Paul Heinemann on behalf of the membership.

W1009 Meeting adjourns at 11:45am.

Respectfully submitted by W1009 Secretary Tony Grift.

Accomplishments

<b>Outputs</b><ul><br /> <li>1. Publication of a collection of specialty crop research needs developed by grower organizations, organized into common needs on W1009 NIMSS web page.<p><br /> <li>2.Formation of six working groups centered around six projects, tasked to further refine each project's scope and objectives, and seek external funding.<ul><br><br /> <li>a. Site-specific application of materials in orchards (Qin Zhang)<br><br /> <li>b. Machine-assisted selective pruning (Marvin Pitts)<br><br /> <li>c. Non-selective harvesting equipment (Leader Reza Ehsani)<br> <br /> <li>d. Supply chain management/Food safety/Traceability (Alex Thomasson)<br><br /> <li>e. Knowing the "state" of the crop (David Slaughter)<br><br /> <li>f. Non-destructive Specialty Crop Quality Assessment (Loren Gautz)</ul></ul><P><br /> <br /> <b>Activities (planned for 2009)</b><ul><br /> <br /> <li>1. Design a W1009 web site, linked to Crystal City web site. The site will publish current W1009 partnerships, meeting notes and presentations, a library of research related to specialty crop equipment design, and provide project milestones to the public, growers and equipment manufacturers.<p><br /> <br /> <li>2. Develop partnerships and cooperative research projects in four critical areas for specialty crop equipment automation (coordinator given in parenthesis):<ul><br> <br /> <li>a. Labor Assistance technology (Qin Zhang)<br><br /> <li>b. Supply chain management/Food safety/Traceability (Alex Thomasson)<br><br /> <li>c. Knowing the "state" of the crop (David Slaughter)<br><br /> <li>d. Non-destructive Specialty Crop Quality Assessment (Loren Gautz)</ul><p><br /> <br /> <li>3.Coordinate next W1009 meeting with one or more related multi-state projects<p><br /> <br /> <li>4. Hold next W1009 meeting in conjunction with Tulare CA farm equipment show. Make a presentation at the farm show describing W1009 objectives and current projects<p><br /> <br /> <li>5. Engage agricultural scientists and social scientists in W1009 projects.</ul><p><br /> <br /> <b>Milestones for 2009 Activities:<ul></b><br /> <li>1. Select a hosting site for the W1009 web page and design the W1009 web page site<br><br /> <li>2. Produce project overviews for the six projects identified in the Output section<br><br /> <li>3. Identify related multi-state projects and initiate discussions on joint meetings<br></ul><br />

Publications

Project started three months ago on 10/01/2008. No publications at this time.

Impact Statements

1. Project began three months ago on 10/01/2008. No impacts statements at this time.

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Report Information

Participants

Cavalieri, Ralph (cavalieri@wsu.edu) - Washington State University;
Cheng, Zhong Yang (chengzh@auburn.edu) - Auburn University;
Ehsani, Mohammad (ehsani@ufl.edu) - University of Florida;
Gautz, Loren (lgautz@hawaii.edu) - University of Hawaii;
Guyer, Dan (guyer@msu.edu) - Michigan State University;
Heinemann, Paul (hzh@psu.edu) - Pennsylvania State University;
Hong, Yong Deng (ydh1@cornell.edu) - Cornell University;
Khosla, Raj (Raj.Khosla@colostate.edu) - Colorado State University;
Li, Changying (cyli@uga.edu) - University of Georgia;
Seavert, Clark (clark.seavert@oregonstate.edu) - Oregon State University;
Slaughter, David (dcslaughter@ucdavis.edu) - University of California, Davis;
Zhang, Qin (qinzhang@wsu.edu) - Washington State University

Brief Summary of Minutes

W1009 members met on the campus of University of Hawaii, Manoa station on June 16, and 17, 2011. A welcome address was presented to the W1009 membership by the Associate Dean of the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawaii. In his address, the Dean emphasized the continued need for automation and pest management research in specialty crops, with a focus on the tropical crops produced in Hawaii. Dean Cavalieri of Washington State University then made a presentation to the W1009 membership, giving an overview of the history of the work that the group has done over the years leading up to the current W1009 project and the continued critical need for automation and sensing solutions to aid agricultural producers of specialty crops remain economically viable, globally competitive, and to continue to provide a sustainable food supply to the U.S. The presentation was beneficial since there were many new members to W1009 and it helped to bring the members to a common focus. The Dean then led the group in a discussion about the project goals and about upcoming potential reasearch funding opportunities at the national level. The members discussed the need for continued collaborative multi-state projects and about the current limited availability of funding for research in this critical area. While the W1009 membership has been successful in obtaining multi-state research funding from the current USDA specialty crops research initiative (SCRI), several stations expressed concern the funding rate of SCRI was low making progress slow and difficult and there was some discusion about potential strategies for improving the success rate of future proposals.


Next a general session was conducted in which each member station presented a status update to the group on their recent accomplishments related to the W1009 project objectives. During this session, members conducted an extended discussion of the current problems, possible solution approaches and a general discussion of the status for the mechanization of specialty crops at each station in attendance across the US. Most specialty crops produced in the U.S. were represented included apple, asparagus, blueberry, cacao, cherry, chestnut, citrus, coffee, cucumber, grape, hop, onion, peach, and potato. In addition to engineering issues related to sensing, harvesting and mechanization, the group also discussed issues related to food safety, economics, and processing of selected specialty crops.


After the general session on research progress, a W1009 business session was held. In this session, the members discussed future plans for collaboration and for the date and location for the 2012 annual meeting of the W1009 membership. After exploring a number of options, the group decided to explore the possibility of meeting in April 2012 at Lake Alfred, FL to be held in conjunction with the planned workshop on mechanical harvesting to be held at that time. Dr. Ehsani was asked to explore this possibility in more detail with the organizing committee for the workshop and then to work with the incoming W1009 chair, Dr. Grift to make some more detailed plans and to report back to the W1009 membership with a more detailed proposal for the 2012 annual meeting.


Then an election of officers for the upcoming year was held. Current Vice Chair, Dr. Tony Grift of the University of Illinois, agreeded to become the Chair person for 2012, which was unanimously approved by the members present. New officers were then elected for 2012. Dr. Reza Ehsani, at the University of Florida, was elected to serve as Vice Chair, and Dr. Changying Li, at the University of Georgia, was elected to serve as secretary.


On the second day of the meeting, the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawaii hosted the W1009 members in a field tour of specialty crop production in Oahu. The group visited the farm and postharvest handling facilities of Dole Food Company, Inc., which was founded in Hawaii in 1851. Dole is the world's largest producer and marketer of fresh fruit and fresh vegetables. The group had an extensive discussion about manual labor availability and that the only individuals with the skills needed for pineapple production were above the age of 50, with little interest by younger individuals to work in this highly demanding job. There was extensive discussion on the critical needs for mechanization in tropical specialty crop production of pineapple, coffee and cacao in order to address the upcoming labor shortage and to allow commercial production of specialty crops to remain viable in Hawaii and other areas around the U.S.


The W1009 meeting ended with a tour of the farm and produce packing shed operations at Matsuda Fukuyama Farms. This 300-acre farm is an good example of new business models that smaller specialty crop producers in Hawaii and elsewhere in the U.S. have developed in order to diversify their agricultural production operations and to diversify their income by engaging in agrotourism. The group toured the commercial production sites for apple bananas, papayas, eggplant, and taro leaves and their agrotrousim facilities where they have an educational program to inform vistors about the food they're eating and how it's grown. The W1009 members had an extended discussion about the needs of smaller producers and about possible ways in which the group might develop projects aimed specifically at the needs of small scale producers.

To view individual reports, go to the Homepage of W-1009 and look in the Additional Documents section at: http://lgu.umd.edu/lgu_v2/homepages/attachs.cfm?trackID=10356

Accomplishments

Short-term Outcomes:<br> <br /> Members of W1009 have produced a number of short-term outcomes related the project's objectives to: 1) design and evaluate automation systems which incorporate varying degrees of mechanization and sensors to assist specialty crop industries with labor, management decisions, and reduction of production costs and 2) to working in partnership with equipment and technology manufacturers to commercialize and implement the outcomes of this project. The most notable research output has been experienced by farmers of tree fruit crops in California, Maryland, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Washington, and West Virginia who have adopted some of the newly developed mechanized crop thinning technology under continued development and refinement by members of W1009. The mechanized thinning work has also allowed growers and W1009 cooperators to work together to consider a range of new thinning strategies looking at optimizing the combined use of manual blossom or fruitlet thinning and mechanized thinning, or to consider partitioning the tree so that some portions are thinned by hand and others thinned mechanically.<p><br /> <br /> Specific measureable benefits to tree fruit farmers have been that mechanical thinning is proving more reliable than a variety of chemical fruit thinning treatments have been in the past, and some growers have been able to recoup their investment in these new mechanized technologies in as little as one season by in lowering their operating costs and in some cases increasing yields . These directly measureable outcomes, have a longer term benefit of improving the sustainability of tree fruit production in the US by helping farmers to remain competitive in the world market for fruit. Other more subtle outcomes are the possible switch from chemical thinning to mechanical thinning which means less chemical exposure to farm operators and mechanical thinning technology may help some farmers who have used chemical thinning in the past make the transition from conventional to organic production, which many consumers consider to be beneficial. Another outcome that has resulted from the efforts of W1009 members has been that it has spurred growers to begin thinking about what future plantings might need to look like in order to take advantage of future mechanization and technology. Many W1009 researchers have been promoting new tree architectures, like perpendicular V, for many years. The adoption of this new thinning technology, with its direct economic benefit to growers, has, in some cases, resulted in growers reconsidering more two-dimensional like tree structures to further improve the success of mechanized agriculture.<p><br /> <br /> Outputs:<br> <br /> The bulk of the research outputs by W1009 members has been directed at the project objectives to: 1) adapt biological concepts associated with specialty crop production, harvest, and postharvest handling into quantifiable parameters which can be sensed, and 2) to develop sensors and sensing systems which can measure and interpret. There is a deep level of expertise among the W1009 members in the field of knowledge relating biological status parameters to signals which can be externally measured and to carry this knowledge forward toward the design of new sensors. A very large body of new knowledge and information has been created to facilitate the development of new sensors and sensing methodology for automatically determining produce quality and for automation used in identifying produce items with defects so that they can be separated from the high quality items. Over 50% of the academic journal publications produced by the W1009 members have documented the groups' efforts in the development of new sensors and sensing methodology. Additional work has been published on the topics of biosensors or inspection systems for food safety, on sensors for plant disease to allow early detection, on new technologies or concepts related to mechanized harvesting or automation of other postharvest operations and on remote sensing or site-specific farming techniques and economic analyses to assist specialty crop industries with management decisions.<p><br /> <br /> For the project's objectives to: 1) design and evaluate automation systems which incorporate varying degrees of mechanization and sensors to assist specialty crop industries with labor, management decisions, and reduction of production costs and 2) to working in partnership with equipment and technology manufacturers to commercialize and implement the outcomes of this project, extensive knowledge, tailored to the specific growing conditions, cultural practices and cultivars for the major tree fruit production regions in the U.S., has been disseminated on the effects of timing as a function of a range of biological factors such as the percent of flowers in full bloom and the initial flower density on the tree, or fruitlet size and density and how these biological factors interact with the technological and engineering factors such as of choice of material and configuration of the blossom impactor (string-like or rod-like structures are both under various stages of investigation), velocity at impact, and forward travel speed of the orchard tractor.<p><br /> <br /> Further, a large body of very applied information has been gathered and presented across the whole spectrum of individuals who might benefit from this new knowledge from local grower meetings, university sponsored field days and regional grower association meetings, to industry advisory committee meetings, and at horticultural and agricultural engineering society meetings within the U.S. and worldwide. The information has also been made widely available by the W1009 team in printed or electronic forms such as in grower publications like the Good Fruit Grower and Growing Magazines, local newspapers, to university (including extension) web sites, and in several academic journals. An example of one of the web sites can be found at http://www.abe.psu.edu/SCRI/.<p><br /> <br /> The members of W1009 collectively published over 50 research papers, the majority of which were published in peer reviewed scientific journals. All stations continued their research programs related to the project objectives and the majority of which produced observations, data and information related to the project topics. Many of these research findings were output in the form of reports to commodity groups or funding agencies at the local and national level.<br />

Publications

Aasted, M., R. Dise, T. Baugher, P. Heinemann, S. Singh. 2011. Autonomous mechanical thinning using scanning Lidar. ASABE paper # 1111651. ASABE: St. Joseph, MI. 14 pp.<br /> <br /> Ahmad, M. T., J. Li, L. Tang, B. Steward. 2011. Development of a mechanical intra-row weeding actuation system for organic vegetables. ASABE Paper No. 1111636, St. Joseph, MI.<br /> <br /> Al-Saqer, S.M., P. Weckler, J. Solie, M. Stone, A.Wayadande, 2011. Identification of Pecan Weevils through Image Processing. American Journal of Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Volume 6, Issue 1, Pages 69-79.<br /> <br /> Ariana, D. P., Lu, R. 2010. Hyperspectral waveband selection for internal defect detection of pickling cucumbers and whole pickles. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 74(1):137-144.<br /> <br /> Bansal, R., W. S. Lee, R. Shankar, and R. Ehsani. 2011. Automated debris mass estimation for citrus mechanical harvesting systems using machine vision. Applied Engineering in Agriculture. Accepted for publication.<br /> <br /> Baugher, T. Auxt and J. Schupp. 2010. Relationship between Honeycrisp crop load and sensory panel evaluations of the fruit. J. Amer. Pomological Soc. 64:226-233.<br /> <br /> Baugher, T. Auxt, J. Schupp, K. Ellis, E. Winzeler, J. Remcheck, K. Lesser, K. Reichard. 2010. Mechanical string thinner reduces crop load at variable stages of bloom development of peach and nectarine trees. HortScience 45(9):1327-1331.<br /> <br /> Baugher, T. Auxt, J. Schupp, K. Ellis, J. Remcheck, E. Winzeler, R. Duncan, S. Johnson, K. Lewis, G. Reighard, G. Henderson, M. Norton, A. Dhaddey, P. Heinemann. 2010. String blossom thinner designed for variable tree forms increases crop load management efficiency in trials in four U.S. peach growing regions. HortTechnology 20:409-414. <br /> <br /> Baugher, T. Auxt., J. Schupp, P. Heinemann, S. Miller, K. Ellis, E. Winzeler, K. Reichard, J. Remcheck, C. Musselman, A. Leslie, R. Rohrbaugh, S. Wolford, M. Schupp, C. Kuntz, E. Moore, J. Koan, C. Anders, T. Kon. 2010. Innovative technologies for thinning fruit. PA Fruit News 90(3).<br /> <br /> Baugher, T., K. Ellis, J. Remcheck, K. Lesser, J. Schupp, E. Wnzeler, and K. Reichard. 2011. Mechanical string thinner reduces crop load at various stages of bloom development of peach and nectarine trees. Tender Fruit Grapevine, Jan./Feb 2011, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.<br /> <br /> Baugher, T., K. Ellis, J. Remcheck, K. Lesser, J. Schupp, E. Wnzeler, and K. Reichard. 2011. Mechanical string thinner reduces crop load at various stages of bloom development of peach and nectarine trees. Rutgers Plant and Pest Advisory, Fruit Edition 15(31):2.<br /> <br /> Baugher, T. A., J. Schupp, E. Winzeler, W. Messner, M. Bergerman. 2011. Mechanically assisted harvest of apples. 2011 ASABE Annual International Meeting, Louisville, KY, August 7-10 (Abstract). <br /> <br /> Bikram, A., and M. Karkee. 2011. 3D Reconstruction of Apple Trees for Mechanical Pruning. ASABE Paper No. 111161. St. Joseph, Mich.: ASABE. <br /> <br /> Cen, H., Lu, R. 2010. Optimization of the hyperspectral imaging-based spatially-resolved system for measuring the optical properties of biological materials. Optics Express 18(16):17412-17432.<br /> <br /> Cen, H., Lu, R., Dolan, K. 2010. Optimization of inverse algorithm for estimating the optical properties of biological materials using spatially-resolved diffuse reflectance. Inverse Problems in Science and Engineering 18(6):853-872.<br /> <br /> Donis-Gonzalez, I.R., Guyer, D.E., Pease, A., Fulbright, D. 2011. Relation of computerized tomography Hounsfield-unit measurements and internal characteristics of fresh chestnuts (Castanea spp.). Postharvest Biology and Technology. (accepted for publication)<br /> <br /> Downey, D., R. Ehsani, K. Giles, S. Haneklaus, D. Karimi, K. Panten, F. Pierce, E. Schnug, D. Slaughter, S. Upadhyaya, D. Wulfsohn. 2010. Advanced Engineering Systems for Specialty Crops: A Review of Precision Agriculture for Water, Chemical, and Nutrient Application, and Yield Monitoring. Eds. Upadhyaya, S., K. Giles, S. Haneklaus, E. Schnug. Landbauforschung - vTI Agriculture and Forestry Research, Special issue no. 340:1-88. <br /> <br /> Ehsani, R. and D. Karimi. 2010. Yield monitors for specialty crops. Advanced engineering systems for specialty crops: A review of precision agriculture for water, chemical, and nutrient application, and yield monitoring. Spec. Issue of Landbauforschung vTI Agriculture and Forestry Research 340:31-43<br /> <br /> Ellis, K., Tara Auxt Baugher, K. Lewis. 2010. Use of survey instruments to assess technology adoption for tree fruit production. HortTechnology 20:1043-1048.<br /> <br /> Emery, K.G., D.M. Faubion, C.S. Walsh, Y. Tao. 2010. Development of 3-D range imaging system to scan peach branches for selective robotic blossom thinning. ASABE Paper number 10-09202. The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. St. Joseph, MI. 10 pp.<br /> <br /> Franzen, A., P.R. Weckler, & N.Wang. 2011. Evaluation of single-insect proximity detection methods for use in ultra-low-power systems. 2011 ASABE Annual Meeting, August 7-10, 2011, Louisville, Kentucky. ASABE Paper No. 1111838<br /> <br /> Gonzalez, M.E., J.A. Jernstedt, D.C. Slaughter and D.M. Barrett. 2010. Microscopic Quantification of Cell Integrity in Raw and Processed Onion Parenchyma Cells. J. Food Sci. 75(7):E402-E408.<br /> <br /> Gonzalez, M.E., J.A. Jernstedt, D.C. Slaughter, and D.M. Barrett. 2010. Influence of Cell Integrity on Textural Properties of Raw, High Pressure, and Thermally Processed Onions. J. Food Sci. 75(7):E409-E416.<br /> <br /> Guyer, D., Xing, J., Mandujano, M., Fulbright, D.W. 2010. Influence of selected factors on efficiency and effectiveness of a peeling machine for chestnut. First European Chestnut Conference. Acta Horticulturae 866:595-603<br /> <br /> Hang, Y. D. and Woodams, E. E. 2010. Influence of apple cultivar and juice pasteurization on hard cider and eau-de-vie methanol content. Bioresource Technology 101:1396-1398.<br /> <br /> Hardin, J. A., C. L. Jones, N. O. Maness, P. R. Weckler, and J. W. Dillwith. 2011. Rapid in situ Quantification of Leaf Cuticular Wax Using FTIR-ATR and DSC. 2011 ASABE Annual International Meeting. Louisville, Kentucky.<br /> <br /> Heinemann, P., J. Schupp, T. Auxt Baugher. 2010. Innovative technologies for thinning of fruit. HortScience 45(8):S199. Abstract.<br /> <br /> Heinemann, P., J. Liu, J. Schupp, T. Baugher, T. Grift, D. Lyons, R. Dise, R. Pritz, M. Aasted. Advancing technologies for thinning of tree fruit. 2011 ASABE Annual International Meeting, Louisville, KY, August 7-10. <br /> <br /> Huang, M., Lu, R. 2010. Apple mealiness detection using hyperspectral scattering technique. Postharvest Biology and Technology 58(3):168-175.<br /> <br /> Huang, M., Lu, R. 2010. Optimal wavelength selection for hyperspectral scattering prediction of apple firmness and soluble solids content. Transactions of the ASABE 53(4):1175-1182.<br /> <br /> Karkee, M., B. L. Steward, A. G. Kelkar, and Z. T. Kemp II. 2011. Modeling and Real-time Simulation Architectures for Virtual Prototyping of Off-Road Vehicles. Virtual Reality 15(1):83-96. DOI: 10.1007/s10055-009-0150-1.<br /> <br /> Karkee, M. and B. L. Steward. 2011. Parameter estimation and validation of a tractor and single axle towed implement dynamic system model. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 77(2): 135-146. doi:10.1016/j.compag.2011.04.005. <br /> <br /> <br /> Kon, T. M., W. E. Winzeler, J. R. Schupp. 2010. Golden Delicious cropload adjustment with the Equilifruit disk. HortScience 45(8):S256. Abstract.<br /> <br /> Kurtulmus, F., W. S. Lee, and A. Vardar. 2011. Green citrus detection using eigenfruit, color and circular Gabor texture features under natural outdoor conditions. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 78: 140-149.<br /> <br /> Lee, K.H., R. Ehsani, and W. S. Castle. 2010. A laser scanning system for estimating wind velocity reduction through tree windbreaks. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 73:1- 6.<br /> <br /> Li, J., H. Yao, L. Tang, R. L. Brown, D. B. Thomas, E. Cleveland. 2011. Computational Algorithms for Classification of Corn Kernels of Different Genetic Traits. ASABE Paper No. 1111735, St. Joseph, MI.<br /> <br /> Li, J., L. Tang. 2011. Sensing and Control System Development for an Automated Intra-row Mechanical Weeder for Small and Mid-scale Vegetable Growers. ASABE Paper No. 1111721, St. Joseph, MI.<br /> <br /> <br /> Lu, R., Ariana, D. P., Cen, H. 2011. Optical absorption and scattering properties of normal and defective pickling cucumbers for 700-1,000 nm. Sensing and Instrumentation for Food Quality and Safety 5(2): 51-56.<br /> <br /> Maja, J. M. and R. Ehsani. 2010. Development of a yield monitoring system for citrus mechanical harvesting machines. Precision Agriculture. 11(5):475-287.<br /> <br /> Miller, S., J. Schupp, T. Baugher, S. Wolford. 2011. Performance of mechanical thinners for bloom or green fruit thinning in peaches. HortScience 46:43-51.<br /> <br /> Mizushima, A., Lu, R. 2010. Cost benefits analysis of in-field presorting for the apple industry. Applied Engineering in Agriculture 27(1):33-40. <br /> <br /> Nakarmi, A. D., L. Tang. 2011. 3D machine vision for automated inter-plant spacing sensing for corn and cotton plants at early growth stages. ASABE Paper No. 1111736, St. Joseph, MI.<br /> <br /> Nielsen, S. L., M. Karkee, and B. L. Steward. 2011. Methodology to perform identifiability analysis for off-road vehicle tire-soil parameter estimation. ASABE Paper No. 1111526. St. Joseph, Mich.: ASABE.<br /> <br /> Peterson, D. L., A. L. Tabb, T. A. Baugher, K. Lewis, D. M. Glenn. 2010. Dry bin filler for apples. Applied Engineering in Agriculture 26(4):541-549.<br /> <br /> R. Choudhary, T.J. Bowser, P. Weckler, N.O. Maness, W. McGlynn, Rapid estimation of lycopene concentration in watermelon and tomato puree by fiber optic visible reflectance spectroscopy, Postharvest Biology and Technology, Volume 52, Issue 1, April 2009, Pages 103-109 .<br /> <br /> Ruiz-Altisent, M., Ruiz-García, L., Moreda, G. P., Lu, R., Hernández-Sanchez, N., Correa, E. C., Diezma, B., Nicolai, B., García-Ramos, J. 2010. Sensors for product characterization and quality of specialty crops - A review. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 74(2):176-194.<br /> <br /> S. K. Mathanker, P. R. Weckler, N. Wang, T. Bowser, N. O. Maness. Local Adaptive Thresholding of Pecan X-Ray Images: Reverse Water Flow Method. Transactions of the ASABE. 53(3): 961-969. 2010 .<br /> <br /> S.K. Mathanker, P.R. Weckler, T.J. Bowser, N. Wang, N.O. Maness, AdaBoost classifiers for pecan defect classification, Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, Volume 77, Issue 1, June 2011, Pages 60-68, ISSN 0168-1699.<br /> <br /> Samba, A., 2011, Machine Vision for Non-Destructive Pecan Grading. Presented at the 2011 ASABE Annual International Meeting. Louisville, Kentucky. Paper No. 1111300<br /> <br /> Sankaran, S., R. Ehsani, and E. Etxeberria. 2010. Mid-infrared spectroscopy for detection of Huanglongbing (greening) in citrus leaves. Talanta (83):574-581.<br /> <br /> Sankarana, S., A. Mishra, R. Ehsani, and C. Davis. 2010. A review on advanced techniques for detecting plant diseases. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 72:1-13.<br /> <br /> Savary, S. K. J. U., R. Ehsani, J. K. Schueller, and B. P. Rajaraman Mishra. 2010. Simulation study of citrus tree canopy motion during harvesting using a canopy shaker. Transactions of the ASABE. 53(5):1373-1381.<br /> <br /> Schupp, J. 2011. A challenging year for chemical thinning. Fruit Times web - based news alert posted May 17, 2011: http://extension.psu.edu/fruit-times/news/2011/a-challenging-year-for-chemical-thinning-1<br /> <br /> Schupp, J. 2011. Whats new at the PSU Fruit Research and Extension Center? Adams County Fruit Growers Newsletter 43(3):5-6.<br /> <br /> Schupp, J. R., and T. Auxt Baugher. 2011. Peach Blossom String Thinner Performance Improved with Selective Pruning. HortSience 46: (accepted for publication September 2011).<br /> <br /> Schupp, J., and E. Winzeler. 2011. A Precision Electronic Fruit Grading System for the PSU Fruit Research and Extension Center. PA Fruit News 91(1):38.<br /> <br /> Schupp, J., P. Heinemann, T. Baugher, S. Miller, J. Liu, R. Dise, A. Leslie. 2010. Innovative technologies for thinning of fruit. 2010. Ohio Produce Growers and Marketers Association Today. Pataskala, OH.<br /> <br /> Schupp, J., T. A. Baugher, J. L. Frecon, J. Remcheck, and K. Ellis. 2011. Evaluation and Demonstration of New Stone Fruit Varieties and Tree Forms. PA Fruit News 91. <br /> <br /> Schupp, J., T. A. Baugher, K. Ellis, J. Remcheck, E. Winzeler, R. Duncan, S. Johnson, K. Lewis, G. Reighard, G. Henderson, M. Norton, A. Dhaddey, P. Heinemann. 2010. String blossom thinner designed for variable tree forms increases crop load management efficiency in trials in four peach growing regions. HortScience 45(8):S199. Abstract.<br /> <br /> Schupp, J., T. Auxt Baugher, R. Crassweller, K. Ellis, E. Winzeler, J. Remcheck, T. Kon. 2010. Labor efficient production systems. PA Fruit News 90(2).<br /> <br /> Sirinutsomboon, B., M. J. Delwiche M. J., and G. M.Young. 2011. Attachment of Escherichia coli on plant surface structures built by microfabrication. Biosystems Engineering, 108, 244-252.<br /> <br /> Tang, L. 2011. Agricultural Automation and A Case Study on Automated Intra-row Weeding. The 2011 International Conference on New Technologies of Agricultural Engineering (ICAE 2011), May 27-29, 2011, Zibo, China.<br /> <br /> Thornton, C.R., D.C. Slaughter, and R.M. Davis. 2010. Detection of the sour-rot pathogen Geotrichum candidum in tomato fruit and juice by using a highly specific monoclonal antibody-based ELISA. Int. J. of Food Microbiology 143:166172.<br /> <br /> Wang, W., C. Li, W. Tollner, G. Rains, R. Gitaitis. 2011. A liquid crystal tunable filter based shortwave infrared spectral imaging system for food quality and safety inspection: design and integration. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. DOI: 10.1016/j.compag.2011.07.012. <br /> <br /> Wang, W., C. Li, W. Tollner, G. Rains and R. Gitaitis. 2011. Development of an LCTF-based shortwave infrared spectral imaging system for food quality and safety inspection: calibration and characterization. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. DOI: 10.1016/j.compag.2011.09.003. <br /> <br /> Wang, W., C. Li, B. Tollner, R. Gitaitis, and G. Rains. 2011. Measuring Absorption and Scattering Properties of Onions at 632 nm using Inverse Adding Doubling Method. ASABE Paper No. 1110722. Louisville, Kentucky, August 8-10, 2011.<br /> <br /> Wang, H. C. Li, M. Wang. 2011. Onion Internal Quality Prediction using Line-scan Hyperspectral Imaging. ASABE Paper No. 1110708. Louisville, Kentucky, August 8-10, 2011.<br /> <br /> <br /> Wen, C., Guyer, D.E., Li, W. 2009. Local feature-based identification and classification for orchard insects. Biosystems Engineering. Vol. 104. p299-307.<br /> <br /> Winzeler, H. E., and J. R. Schupp. 2011. Image analysis of blush coverage extent and measures of categorical blush intensity in 'Honeycrisp' apples. HortScience 46:705-709.<br /> <br /> Yu, P., C. Li, G. Rains, and T. Hamrita. 2011. Development of the Berry Impact Recording Device Sensing System: Software. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 77(2): 195-203.<br /> <br /> Yu, P., C. Li, G. Rains, and T. Hamrita. 2011. Development of the Berry Impact Recording Device sensing system: hardware design and calibration. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. DOI: 10.1016/j.compag.2011.08.013.<br /> <br /> <br /> Zhang, H., Woodams, E. E. and Hang, Y. D. 2011. Influence of pectinase treatment on fruit spirits from apple mash, juice and pomace. Process Biochemistry 46:1909-1913.<br />

Impact Statements

1. W1009 members conducted research on new automation techniques for mechanized thinning in tree crops. This research has enabled tree fruit producers to adopt a non-chemical technique to reduce labor costs associated with fruit thinning and to help them remain economically competitive on the world market without significant loss in fruit quality.
2. The economic benefit to tree fruit produces adopting mechanized thinning technologies has enabled those fruit producers to develop long-term strategies for orchards of the future that are increasingly suitable to mechanization. The expected long-term impact will be to facilitate the increased used of automation and mechanization in specialty crop production, with the anticipation of the development of fully automated harvesting systems as researchers and fruit growers learn how to create biologically productive orchards that utilize a three-dimensional tree configuration that is better suited to machine-based plant care.
3. W1009 members developed new sensors & methods for detecting: 1) quality attributes and defects in apples, blueberry, citrus, pickling cucumbers, whole pickles, pecans, onions, fresh chestnuts, tomato, watermelon 2) plant diseases in citrus and fungal contamination in tomato, 3) 3D mapping of trunks, branches and pruning points in apple trees and blossoms, trunks and shoots in peach trees, 4) insect recognition and classification. These systems will help the agricultural industry develop advanced automatic machines sorting machines and computer-based data systems which collect, verify, and organize raw data to present information to the farmer for better production management decisions.

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Report Information

Participants

Buchanan, Sherrie (buchanan@ufl.edu)  University of Florida;
Ehsani, Reza (ehsani@ufl.edu)  University of Florida;
Gautz, Loren (lgautz@hawaii.edu)  University of Hawaii;
Guyer, Dan (guyer@msu.edu)  Michigan State University;
Heinemann, Paul (hzh@psu.edu)  Pennsylvania State University;
Khosla, Raj (rkhosla@colostate.edu)  Colorado State University;
Kondo, Naoshi (kondonao@kyoto-u.ac.jp)  Kyoto University;
Lee, Won Suk (wslee@ufl.edu)  University of Florida;
Lewis, Karen (kmlewis@wsu.edu)  Washington State University;
Li, Changying (cyli@uga.edu)  University of Georgia;
Lu, Renfu (renfu.lu@ars.usda.gov)  USDA/ARS;
Sankasan, Sindhuja (sindhu@ufl.edu)  University of Florida;
Schmoldt, Daniel (dschmoldt@nifa.usda.gov)  USDA/NIFA;
Tabb, Amy (amy.tabb@ars.usda.gov)  AFRS/ARS/USDA;
Zhang, Qin (qinzhang@wsu.edu)  Washington State University

Brief Summary of Minutes

On 4th April, the W1009 participants took a tour to Mosaic Phosphate Plant (Four Corners, New Wales). This was followed by field demonstration tour to Lykes Bros., Ft. Basinger, FL to witness the development of multiple sensing and mechanical systems used in precision horticulture: self-propelled canopy shaker, air shaker for mechanical harvesting, precision sprayer; plant material removal system, tree counting and mapping system, low-cost remote sensing technologies, used in citrus production.

On April 5, 2012, the members met at Hyatt Place Hotel, Orlando, FL for a business meeting that started at 8:00 am. The project advisor Ralph Cavalieri was not able to attend this meeting. Cavalieri informed the group through Zhang from Washington State University that the W1009 project will officially end on Sept 13, 2013. If we decide to rewrite the proposal, the deadline to submit the proposal is January 15, 2013. The writing committee needs to get the proposal ready by December, 2012. Zhang suggested that the proposal should be done even earlier, given the upcoming SCRI proposal deadline in January. Schmoldt mentioned that there is a template to write the proposal and document to summarize the impact of this project. The objectives of the rewritten proposal can be the same if the group has not accomplished all the objectives.

There was a discussion among the group members regarding the low participation in the W1009 meetings in the past five years. Some of the reasons for low participation were thought to be because of the following:

- Fewer meetings (three) held in the past five years (2008 in Baltimore, 2011 in Hawaii, and 2012 in Orlando). There are 41 people and 23 institutions listed on the official website of the project, but there were only 10-15 participants in last years and this years meeting. The meeting discussed whether there is a need for change in governance and organization for the extended project.

- The goal of this project is to promote the cooperation between group members. However, it did not happen after the Baltimore meeting in 2008.

- Heinemann and Gautz: Funding (in particular the SCRI project) is the enabler for such cooperation between group members.

- Lu: do we need to remove those members from the list who have never participated in the W1009 meeting?

- Lewis: the W1009 meeting should setup call-in phones or internet access options to encourage others to join the meeting remotely.

A motion was made by Heinemann to rewrite the proposal and extend the project. Zhang seconded the motion. The motion was passed unanimously after discussion. A second motion was made by Tabb to form a committee to rewrite the proposal. Heinemann seconded the motion. The motion was passed unanimously after discussion. Several members volunteered to be in the writing committee: Heinemann (will involve Tara Baugher for the logic model), Tabb, Zhang, Li, Ehsani, and Tony Grift (not in the meeting). Ehsani will take the lead if Grift is not willing in doing so.

Next meeting: Zhang from Washington State University would like to host the next meeting in the state of Washington in 2013. The tentative time for the meeting will be around mid- to late June.

New officers: Heinemann nominated Khosla as the incoming secretary of the W1009 project. Zhang seconded and the nomination was approved unanimously. The incoming officers of the project would be- Chair: Reza Ehsani; Vice Chair: Changying Li; Secretary: Raj Khosla.

About the project report for this year: Project advisor Ralph Cavalieri will edit the report after receiving the compiled reports from each state. Publication discussion: both journal and conference papers, as well as extension reports can be included in the publication list. The papers/reports must be searchable in public database (published and accessible).

USDA-NIFA Program Director Daniel Schmoldt gave an update of the SCRI program: Whether the SCRI program will be reauthorized by the new Farm Bill will be known by June 2012. The funding for the first five years will be spent over by this year.

There was a discussion about potential changes in the new proposal for the W1009 project:

- Heinemann, Khosla, Zhang, and Lewis: more integrated language to be included to promote participants from extension (reflected in SCRI projects) and other disciplines such as horticultural sciences, plant pathology, etc. Non-engineers should be involved, such as horticulturist, soil scientists, etc. The language of the proposal should be rephrased to reflect this change.

- The W1009 project could have joint meetings with other USDA multi-state projects (such as precision agriculture project).

- Have more input and involvement from the industry. Gautz: proprietary information could be an issue when the industry is involved.

- Schmoldt: stakeholders should be involved during the rewriting process.

- Related potential organizations that can interact with the W1009 could be: ASHS, IFT, food safety group, viticulture.

- Expanded list: Schmoldt will provide a list of interested group members that would expand the participation.

Station reports were presentation started at 10:20 am up to around 12:30 pm.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:00 pm.

State reports can be viewed on W-1009's Homepage under Additional Documents using the following link:
http://lgu.umd.edu/lgu_v2/homepages/attachs.cfm?trackID=10356

Accomplishments

<b>Activities and Accomplishments</b><br><br /> Members of W1009 have produced several outcomes resulting from number of research activities. The research areas are broadly classified as: (1) specialty crop management (thinning, processing, disease detection & chemical application), (2) mechanical harvesting (including harvest assist), and (3) food quality and safety.<p><br /> <br /> Specialty crop management: Yield estimation is an important component of orchard management. In Florida, machine vision algorithms were developed with a detection accuracy of 80% for counting immature (green) citrus fruits. Similarly, ground-based and aerial remote sensing techniques were developed for detecting Hanglongbing (HLB), a serious citrus disease in orchards. In addition, precision spraying experiments are underway to improve the chemical spraying efficiency with reduced consumption by adjusting the louver opening and air flow based on canopy size. In Hawaii, coffee/cacao huller and winnower was developed capable of producing 20 kg of cacao/hr. In Iowa, several aspects of precision farming such as automated intra-row weeder, machine vision system for crop identification and localization, nozzle control technology for spray drift reduction, and precision rate control system for fertilizer application are being developed and evaluated. The automated weeder incorporated novel mechanism for the lateral motion of tine weeding mechanism. Ultrasonic and laser sensors were evaluated for canopy shape and distance measured for automated strong thinning in Pennsylvania. The Darwin string thinner was tested on apple and peach crops. In apples, one of the concerns was the spread of fireblight. Similarly, researchers are working in Michigan in improved cherry production systems by integrating plant/tree design with the engineering concepts such as harvesting. Research in USDA involve 3D construction of apple trees using modeling for robotic pruning and technology development for presorting apple in the orchard for efficient postharvest storage, packing and management.<p><br /> <br /> Mechanical harvesting: A miniaturized low-cost berry impact recording sensor (BIRD) and associated software was developed for the evaluation of blueberry mechanical harvesting process. The real bruising rate of blueberries as determined using BIRD sensor was compared with actual bruising. It was found that FL 05-528 was resistant to bruising in comparison to 'Scintilla', 'Farthing' and 'Sweetcrisp'. Plant material removal system was developed to assist the removal of foreign material such as twigs and leaves from the mechanically harvesting citrus fruits. In addition, machine vision system for estimating the amount of plant material and yield sensor for predicting the harvested yield was developed to work in conjunction with the plant material removal system. An upgraded orchard platform-mounted with harvest assist system was tested in Pennsylvania for apple harvesting. Growers Financial Indifference Value of about $746/acre/yr was established for harvest assist system. In Michigan, fabrication of simple and cost-effective chestnut harvester is ongoing for small-scale producers. The current prototype is capable of good material collection capabilities, with good separation between desirable and discard materials, while minimizing degradation of chestnuts.<p><br /> <br /> Food quality and safety: W1009 researchers are working on several aspects of food quality and safety. Research on understanding the nature of bacterial colonization on plant surfaces to prevent contamination, lead to the development of biomimetic plant microstructure to study the E. coli adhesion. It was found that the stomatal opening and flow direction in trichome play a significant role in bacterial attachment; while polarity (hydrophobic, hydrophilic) has a little impact. In addition, sensors were developed to monitor the quality and safety of postharvest onions. The hyperspetcral imaging system was found to be effective in monitoring the onion internal quality. In Hawaii, heat treatment to eradicate coffee berry borer in green coffee beans was optimized. Mathematical model of borer mortality was developed at a given temperature. In Michigan, hyperspectral sensor development is on-way to nondestructively predict apple firmness and soluble solid content (SSC) as well as blueberries quality. The apple firmness and SSC detection system will be compiled with the apple sorting and grading system. Computer tomotgraphy (CT) scans have been used to evaluate internal quality and defects in chestnuts at Michigan. The research has also been extended to cherries and pineapples. Visible-near infrared based methods have also been used to evaluate potato tissue characteristics, and glucose and sucrose content.<p><br /> <br /> <b>Output:</b><br> <br /> The W1009 members collectively published about 45 research papers, the majority of which were published in well-recognized, peer reviewed journals. The research outputs have been summarized in these publications. In addition, significant contributions were made through workshops, conferences, field demonstrations, online materials, extension materials, etc. The growers and other stakeholders are involved in these projects with significant contribution in terms of knowledge and other inputs. Several students and researchers are also being trained in these areas of research. The research stations will continue to work on their specific projects that contribute towards the goals of this project. <br />

Publications

Aasted, M., R. Dise, T. Baugher, P. Heinemann, S. Singh. 2011. Autonomous mechanical thinning using scanning Lidar. Proceedings 2011 ASABE Annual International Meeting, Louisville, KY.<br /> <br /> Bansal, R., W. S. Lee and S. Satish. 2011. Green citrus detection using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) leakage. 8th European Conference on Precision Agriculture (ECPA), July 11-14, 2011, Prague, Czech Republic.<br /> <br /> Bansal, R., W. S. Lee, R. Shankar, and R. Ehsani. 2011. Automated debris mass estimation for citrus mechanical harvesting systems using machine vision. Applied Engineering in Agriculture 27(5): 673-685.<br /> <br /> Baugher, T., J. Schupp, P. Heinemann. 2011. Innovations in peach thinning. Proc. New England Vegetable and Fruit Convention, Manchester, New Hampshire.<br /> <br /> Cen, H., R. Lu, F. Mendoza, and D. P. Ariana. 2011. Peach maturity/quality assessment using hyperspectral imaging-based spatially-resolved technique. In SPIE Proceedings 8027- Sensing for Agriculture and Food Quality and Safety III (edited by Kim, M. S. et al.), Paper No. 8027-0L, 15pp. SPIE (The International Society for Optical Engineering), Bellingham, WA. <br /> <br /> Darr, M. J. and J. M. Zimmerman. 2011. U.S. Patent Application. Sensor for measuring volumetric flow and variability of granulated materials. July 13.<br /> <br /> Donis-Gonzalez, I.R., D.E. Guyer, A. Pease, and D. Fulbright. 2012. Relation of computerized tomography Hounsfield-unit measurements and internal characteristics of fresh chestnuts (Castanea spp.). Postharvest Biology and Technology 64: 74-82.<br /> <br /> Hamner, B., M. Bergerman, S. Singh. 2011. Autonomous orchard vehicles for specialty crops production. 2011 ASABE Annual International Meeting, Louisville, KY, August 7-10.<br /> <br /> Han, Y., W. S. Lee, C. Lee, S. Park, K. Kim, and S. Kim. 2011. Entrapment of Mg-Al layered double hydroxide in calcium alginate beads for phosphate removal from aqueous solution. Desalination and Water Treatment. 36: 178-186. <br /> <br /> Karkee, M. and B. L. Steward. 2011. Parameter estimation and validation of a tractor and single axle towed implement dynamic system model. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 77(2): 135-146. doi:10.1016/j.compag.2011.04.005. <br /> <br /> Karkee, M., B. L. Steward, A. G. Kelkar, and Z. T. Kemp II. 2011. Modeling and Real-time Simulation Architectures for Virtual Prototyping of Off-Road Vehicles. Virtual Reality 15(1):83-96. DOI: 10.1007/s10055-009-0150-1.<br /> <br /> Kruckeberg, J. P. 2011. An automated nozzle controller for self-propelled sprayers. M.S. Thesis. Iowa State Univ., Ames. <br /> <br /> Kurtulmus, F., W. S. Lee, and A. Vardar. 2011. An advanced green citrus detection algorithm using color images and neural networks. 11th International Congress on Mechanization and Energy in Agriculture, Sep. 21-23, 2011, Istanbul, Turkey. Journal of Agricultural Machinery Science, 7(2): 145-151. <br /> <br /> Kurtulmus, F., W. S. Lee, and A. Vardar. 2011. Green citrus detection using eigenfruit, color and circular Gabor texture features under natural outdoor conditions. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 78(2): 140-149.<br /> <br /> Lee, W. S. 2011. Research on auto-guidance system and their commercialization for U. S. agricultural production. Dec. 16, 2011. Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.<br /> <br /> Li, J., L. Tang. 2011. Sensing and Control System Development for an Automated Intra-row Mechanical Weeder for Small and Mid-scale Vegetable Growers. ASABE Paper No. 1111721, St. Joseph, MI.<br /> <br /> Li, X., W. S. Lee, M. Li, R. Ehsani, A. Mishra, C. Yang, and R. Mangan. 2011. Comparison of different detection methods for citrus greening disease based on airborne multispectral and hyperspectral imagery. ASABE Paper No. 1110570. St. Joseph, Mich.: ASABE.<br /> <br /> Lu, R. 2011. Development of automatic inspection technology for quality evaluation of pickling cucumbers. In 2011 Pickling Cucumber Research Reporting Session, p. 44-50. Michigan State University.<br /> <br /> Lu, R. and D. P. Ariana. 2011. Detection of fruit fly infestation in pickling cucumbers using hyperspectral imaging. In SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8027 - Sensing for Agriculture and Food Quality and Safety III (edited by Kim, M. S. et al.), Paper No. 8027-0K, 8 pp. SPIE (The International Society for Optical Engineering), Bellingham, WA. <br /> <br /> Lu, R., D. P. Ariana, and H. Cen. 2011. Optical absorption and scattering properties of normal and defective pickling cucumbers for 700-1,000 nm. Sensing and Instrumentation for Food Quality and Safety 5(2): 51-56. <br /> <br /> Mendoza, F., R. Lu, D. P. Ariana, H. Cen, and B. B. Bailey. 2011. Integrated spectral and image analysis of hyperspectral scattering data for predicting apple fruit firmness and soluble solids content. Postharvest Biology and Technology 62(2): 149-160. <br /> <br /> Mendoza, F., R. Lu, H. Cen, and D. P. Ariana. 2011. Data fusion of visible/near-infrared spectroscopy and spectral scattering for apple quality assessment. ASABE Paper No. 1111244, 16pp.<br /> <br /> Mendoza, F., R. Lu, H. Cen, and D. P. Ariana. 2011. Multisenor data fusion for improved prediction of apple fruit firmness and soluble solids content. In SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8027- Sensing for Agriculture and Food Quality and Safety III (edited by Kim, M. S. et al.), Paper No. 8827-0M, 14 pp. SPIE (The International Society for Optical Engineering), Bellingham, WA. <br /> <br /> Miller, S., J. Schupp, T. Baugher, S. Wolford. 2011. Performance of mechanical thinners for bloom or green fruit thinning in peaches. HortScience 46:43-51.<br /> <br /> Mishra, A. R., D. Karimi, R. Ehsani, and L. G. Albrigo. 2011. Evaluation of an active optical sensor for detection of Huanglongbing (HLB) disease. Biosystems Engineering. 110(3):302-309.<br /> <br /> Mizushima, A. and R. Lu. 2011. Cost benefits analysis of in-field presorting for the apple industry. Applied Engineering in Agriculture 27(1): 33-40. <br /> <br /> Mizushima, A. and R. Lu. 2011. Development of a cost-effective machine vision system for infield sorting and grading of apples: Fruit orientation and size estimation, ASABE Paper No. 1110723, 19pp. <br /> <br /> Nakarmi, A. D., L. Tang. 2011. 3D machine vision for automated inter-plant spacing sensing for corn and cotton plants at early growth stages. ASABE Paper No. 1111736, St. Joseph, MI.<br /> <br /> Nielsen, S. L. 2011. Identifiability analysis of a tractor and single axle towed implement model. M.S. Thesis. Iowa State Univ., Ames.<br /> <br /> Nielsen, S. L., M. Karkee, and B. L. Steward. 2011. Methodology to perform identifiability analysis for off-road vehicle tire-soil parameter estimation. ASABE Paper No. 1111526. St. Joseph, Mich.: ASABE.<br /> <br /> Peters, M. 2011. Current status and future refinements for the Darwin string thinner. Proc. Great Lakes Fruit Expo. Grand Rapids, MI.<br /> <br /> Sankaran, S., A. Mishra, J.M. Maja, and R. Ehsani. 2011. Visible-near infrared spectroscopy for detection of Huanglongbing in citrus orchards. Computer and Electronics in Agriculture 77 (2): 127-134. <br /> <br /> Sankaran, S., and R. Ehsani. 2011. Visible-near infrared spectroscopy based citrus greening detection: Evaluation of spectral feature extraction techniques. Crop Protection 30 (11): 1508-1513. <br /> <br /> Sankaran, S., and R. Ehsani. 2012. Detection of Huanglongbing disease in citrus using fluorescence spectroscopy. Transactions of the ASABE 55 (1): 313:320. <br /> <br /> Schupp, J. R. and T. Auxt Baugher. 2011. Peach Blossom String Thinner Performance Improved with Selective Pruning. HortScience 46(11):1486-1492.<br /> <br /> Schupp, J., and E. Winzeler. 2011. A Precision Electronic Fruit Grading System for the PSU Fruit Research and Extension Center. PA Fruit News 91(1):38.<br /> <br /> Schupp, J., T. A. Baugher, J. L. Frecon, J. Remcheck, and K. Ellis. 2011. Evaluation and Demonstration of New Stone Fruit Varieties and Tree Forms. PA Fruit News 91. <br /> <br /> Sirinutsomboon, B. 2011. Attachment of Escherichia coli on plant surface structures built by microfabrication. PhD Thesis, University of California, Davis, California. 207 pp.<br /> <br /> Sirinutsomboon, B., Delwiche, M.J., and Young, G.M. 2011. Attachment of Escherichia coli on plant surface structures build by microfabrication. Biosystems Engineering 108:244-252.<br /> <br /> Wang, W., C. Li, W. Tollner and G. Rains. 2012. Development of software for spectral imaging data acquisition using LabVIEW. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 84: 6875.<br /> <br /> Wang, W., C. Li, W. Tollner, G. Rains and R. Gitaitis. 2012. Development of an LCTF-based shortwave infrared spectral imaging system for food quality and safety inspection: calibration and characterization. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 80: 135-144. <br /> <br /> Wang, W., C. Li, W. Tollner, G. Rains and R. Gitaitis. 2012. Shortwave Infrared Hyperspectral Imaging for Detecting Sour Skin (Burkholderia Cepacia)-Infected Onions. Journal of Food Engineering. 109(1): 38-48. <br /> <br /> Wang, W., C. Li, W. Tollner, G. Rains, R. Gitaitis. 2012. A liquid crystal tunable filter based shortwave infrared spectral imaging system for food quality and safety inspection: design and integration. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 80: 126-134. <br /> <br /> Winzeler, H. E., and J. R. Schupp. 2011. Image analysis of blush coverage extent and measures of categorical blush intensity in 'Honeycrisp' apples. HortScience 46:705-709.<br /> <br /> Yang, C. and W. S. Lee. 2011. Spectral signatures of blueberry fruits and leaves. ASABE Paper No. 1110582. St. Joseph, Mich.: ASABE.<br /> <br /> Yu, P., C. Li, G. Rains, and T. Hamrita. 2011. Development of the Berry Impact Recording Device Sensing System: Software. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 77(2): 195-203. <br /> <br /> Yu, P., C. Li, G. Rains, and T. Hamrita. 2011. Development of the Berry Impact Recording Device sensing system: hardware design and calibration. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 79(1): 103-111. <br /> <br /> Zimmerman, J. M. 2011. Precision pneumatic fertilizer application. M.S. Thesis. Iowa State Univ. Ames. <br />

Impact Statements

1. Management: Sensing system in Florida has potential to detect crop diseases. Coffee/cocoa huller and winnower could prepare beans saving dollars in processing energy or sales. Automated intra-row weeding can impact small vegetable growers; while precision spraying can reduce chemicals and its cost. Mechanized thinner for apples and peaches has an impact on northeastern growers, who purchased Darwin or PT250 string thinners. Robotic pruning of apple and on-site apple sorting can reduce production costs. Improved cherry production can yield economic returns and increase production.
2. Harvesting: BIRD sensor enables researchers to understand berry interaction with harvester different machine parts and improve mechanical harvesting technologies. Plant material removal system with sensors will improve the citrus mechanical harvesting efficiency. Similarly, orchard platform-mounted harvest assist system showed low bruising rate and the improvement in worker efficiency was 58% and 89% in PA and WA, respectively. Chestnut harvesters and postharvest quality evaluation will help establish the commodity further.
3. Food quality-safety: Effect of plant surface on bacterial attachment indicated that few factors affect the attachment. Food quality sensors could successfully be developed with >78% customers ready to consume X-rayed onions. Impact of mortality model and radio frequency heating for borer eradication in coffee allowed energy and labor saving in HI. Sensor fusion study on apple firmness and SSC provides critical data to achieve superior grading. Hyperspectral imaging for blueberry quality evaluation showed that technique can provide means for grading. CT scan can improve product quality and optimize profitability.

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Report Information

Participants

Dvorak, Joe - joe.dvorak@uky.edu - Univ. of Kentucky;
Ehsani, Reza - ehsani@ufl.edu - Univ. of Florida;
Gautz, Loren - lgautz@hawaii.edu - Univ. of Hawaii;
Guyer, Daniel - guyer@msu.edu - Mich. State;
Heineman, Paul - hzh@psu.edu - Penn State;
Karkee, Manoj - manoj.karkee@wsu.edu - Washington State;
Khosla, Raj - raj.khosla@colostate.edu - Colorado State;
Khot, Lav - lav.khot@wsu.edu - Washington State;
Lee, Wonsuk "Daniel" - wslee@ufl.edu - Univ. of Florida;
Lewis, Karen - kmlewis@wsu.edu - Washington State;
Li, Changying - cyli@uga.edu - Univ. of Georgia;
Moyer, James - j.moyer@wsu/edu - Washington State;
Root, Linda - lsfleming@wsu.edu - Washington State;
Sankaran, Sindhuja - sindhuja.sankaran@wsu.edu - Washington State;
Slaughter, David - dcslaughter@ucdavis.edu - UC Davis;
Tang, Lie - lietang@iastate.edu - Iowa State;
To, Filip - fto@abe.msstate.edu - Missippi State;
Vougioukas, Stavros - svougioukas@ucdavis.edu - UC Davis;
Zhang, Qin - qinzhang@wsu.edu - Washington State

Brief Summary of Minutes

W1009: Integrated Systems Research and Development in Automation and
Sensors for Sustainability of Specialty Crops

Tour on August 1, 2013

"Sweet Cherry - Tree to Truck" lead by Karen Lewis

Harold Schell of Chelan Fruit Cooperative hosted a tour of the Chelan Fruit Warehouse, processing plant, and farm tours. We met Jeff Heath & Nick Fox at Stemilt Hill orchard where harvest was being done. Finally, we went to Stennes and had the opportunity to climb a ladder and empty picked fruit into the bin.

Date of W-1009 Business Meeting: August 2, 2013

Location: Wenatchee, WA

Host: Dr. Qin Zhang, WSU

Brief Meeting Meetings:

Chair: Dr. Reza Eshani, Florida

Vice-Chair: Dr. Changying Li, Georgia

Secretary: Dr. Raj Khosla, Colorado

Dr. Reza Eshani, current chair opened up the meetings and invited Dr. Jim Moyer, Director of Ag Experiment Station, WSU who is the administrative advisor to W-1009 group, to welcome the participants.

Dr. Jim Moyer welcomed the participants and introduced himself briefly to the group. He added that while he is new to WSU, he is responsible for many multi-state cooperative projects. He plans to continue to engage with the W-1009 group. His role is that of an administrative advisor and that he will support the group to ensure that all paper work is in place and that it moves along in time.

After a round of brief introduction of all the participants in the room, Reza invited each state representative to provide a short report of activities from their state to the group.

California:

David Slaughter presented report from California; He talked about many on-going activities in California, including work on Precision Irrigation work; wireless sensor networks; non-destructive determination of internal fruit quality using a handheld spectrophotometer, internal flesh color; sensing nitrogen in Almonds leaf from ground sensing; Precision Weed control, etc.

Stavros talked about his work on fruit location under tree canopy, looking at model based design to do 3D spatial distribution of fruits.

Iowa:

Mark Hanna, Brian Steward, Cucurbits crops for Disease Control.
Lie Tang from Ag Automation and Robotics Lab presented the report.

Mississippi:

Phillip gave an overview of the work being done in his state. He added he is an electrical engineer.

Kentucky:

Joe: Talked about his group work on Tobacco. He talked about machinery, Field networks to monitor and control multiple machines in the field. Development of new power machinery.

Hawaii:

Lauren, presented his work on Coffee and Cacao

Michigan:

Dan Guyer, reported on his work on Over the row (canopy) systems, shaking pruning, canopy shaking.

Georgia:

Charlie (Changying Li), presented an update on his SCRI projects on post-harvest technologies for onions and sensor development for blueberry mechanical harvest.

Colorado:

Raj Khosla gave an update on the two SCRI projects that CSU is involved with Onion PIPE project and the SCRI MINDS project.

Pennsylvania:

Paul Heinemann presented on Automated Blossom Thinning System, and harvest assist (somewhere in between fully automated versus fully labor dependent).

Washington:

Qin Zhang presented information on many important fruit crops in Washington. Cherry production systems of the future; Precision Canopy and Water Management.

Florida:

Reza talked about harvesting of citrus and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle; Daniel Lee talked about sensing system for precision agriculture.

After a short break following the presentation of the state reports. Other business activities of the W-1009 were discussed.

2014 W-1009 Conference:

• Proposals to host the future W-1009 conference were discussed. The discussion went around the room from Pennsylvania, then potentially Georgia and Colorado. Then after some discussion it was proposed to co-host the W-1009 meetings with International Conference on Precision Agriculture (ICPA) in July 2014 next year. After much discussion about timing and tour at ICPA conference that Shrini (UC Davis) is expected to host, the motion to host the W-1009 2014 conference in Sacramento along with the ICPA conference, passed unanimously. David will follow up with Shrini to decide when and how to coordinate our meeting efforts with ICPA.

Other business:

• Discussion on forming teams to access other funding opportunities apart from SCRI since the Farm Bill is undecided at this time, accessing funds from AFRI as multi-state projects. Then we went around NRI program (National Robotics Initiative) that Stavros (UC-Davis) got or Manoj (WSU) and Lie (ISU) received $250K/yr 3 yr projects.
  
  
• There was also discussion on W-1009 being officially closed after this meeting and that we need to complete Appendix E at NIMSS website. Participants were encouraged to contact their AES director office to complete the process so that they are officially on the W-2009 list. There was some discussion on the percentage of time to be reported on the NIMSS website for the multi-state project/committee. The general consensus was under 10%
  
  
• Reporting: There is need for final reporting on W1009 within 30 days from closing of this meeting.
  
  
• Idea to upload pictures from the tour and trip to the website and for exchanging purposes.
  
  
• Format of presentations: There was some discussion on the inclusion of economics, commercialization of the products and if we could have more discussion and presentation on such topics in future meetings. Idea about having portion of the meeting in the evening prior to the business meetings.

Full State Reports can be found on the W-1009 Homepage under Additional Publications at the following link: http://lgu.umd.edu/lgu_v2/homepages/attachs.cfm?trackID=10356

Accomplishments

Members of W1009 have produced several outcomes resulting from number of research activities. The research areas are broadly classified as: (1) specialty crop management (thinning, processing, disease detection & chemical application), (2) mechanical harvesting (including harvest assist), and (3) food quality and safety.<p><br /> <br /> <b>(1) Specialty crop management:</b><p><br /> <br /> In <b>Florida,</b> several optical sensing techniques such as visible-near infrared spectroscopy (Vis-NIR), mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, thermal imaging, and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) were tested to detect citrus diseases such as Huanglongbing (HLB) and canker. Some of these sensing techniques were integrated with both ground- and aerial-based platforms. Sensing techniques such as visible-near infrared reflectance spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy showed good potential for the ground-based sensor, These sensing techniques incorporated with aerial sensing platforms such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are inherently faster technique that can detect general stress much faster.<p><br /> <br /> The Darwin 300 and PT-250 string thinners were extensively tested in Pennsylvania stone fruit orchards throughout the project period. The Darwin 300 string thinner was tested in apple orchards to determine efficacy, after successes in stone fruit. Blossom load, leaf damage, fruit load, fruit quality, and other parameters were measured for treatments of varying thinner rpm settings. In 2011, there were no significant differences in crop load and value between rpm treatments, which was in contrast to 2010 where increased thinning resulted in increased crop load. More testing is needed for use of the thinner in apples, particularly with the concern for fireblight spread. Ultrasonic and laser sensors were tested to detect canopy shape and distance and automatically control the position of the string thinner. Pennsylvania had three replicated trials with the Darwin string thinner. String thinner trials were with automated positioning systems to improve uniformity of thinning and were conducted on peach. 440 growers representing 20,000 acres attended field day demonstrations and Mid-Atlantic fruit conventions. Selective thinner development included further machine vision testing, laser range finding, and image analysis of peach trees both in the lab and in the orchard. Two end effector blossom removal mechanisms were designed and one was fabricated and tested by hand. A prototype 1/4-scale unit was fabricated by Penn State and U. of Illinois personnel. It has been tested in the lab for precision of positioning.<p><br /> <br /> In <b>Washington,</b> research projects were conducted to develop mechanization and automation solutions for specialty crop production, including detection and control of diseases, pests, and quality of produce. The major advancements include: (1) successfully demonstrated prototypes of a hand-held blossom thinning device and deployed it to grower users in the Pacific Northwest region for extensive field trials; (2) developed a mobile tree canopy PAR data acquisition and visualization system, and successfully used the system to support tree fruit canopy and water management research as a major contribution to a SCRI project; (3) designed and constructed a research system for conducting both fundamental and application studies of solid set canopy delivery of chemical applications for a third SCRI project; (4) started the experimental design and laboratory testing device design for identifying the major attributors affecting the efficiency of a biomass harvest system, and search for possible solutions to improve the efficiency; (5) successfully conducted field validation trials of a pneumatic fruit transporting system.<p><br /> <br /> In <b>California,</b> a precision, synchronized, multi-row transplanting system was designed and a prototype machine was fabricated and tested on a commercial organic farm in California. The system was designed to allow multi-row synchronized planting patterns in transplanted vegetable crops. Precise planting patterns in specialty row crops will facilitate the implementation of cost-effective, automated, individual plant care machines that can provide mechanized plant care tasks on a plant-by-plant basis on a commercial scale. Research findings were disseminated to Californian specialty crops farmers and processors at regional industry meetings. Research findings were also disseminated to academic and industry individuals at international research conferences. A fruit-location measuring platform was completed. Fruit height and distance-to-trunk distribution histograms for more than 40,000 fruits (pears and cling-peaches) helped growers verify the effectiveness of their pruning and thinning strategies. The statistics provided improved understanding of the fruit distributions on commercial orchard trees.<p><br /> <br /> In <b>Michigan,</b> an infield apple harvesting and sorting prototype was being developed. New bin fillers were built; they are simple, compact and easy to operate. Laboratory tests showed that the bin fillers handled apples gently and distributed apples evenly in the bins without causing excessive damage to the harvested fruit. New harvest aid functions were also incorporated into the system, which allows six to eight people to pick apples from the ground and also from the platform. This new feature would significantly improve worker safety and also enhance productivity. The integration of the computer vision module with the apple transport and sorting unit was completed. Field test and demonstration of the system to apple growers, extension specialists and researchers will be carried out in September of 2013.<p><br /> <br /> Development and study of new tart cherry production systems was established and is expected to continue into the new W-2009 multi-state project considering the long duration required to evolve such a system involving fruit trees. This project has involved the integration of horticultural (tree/plant design) and engineering (harvesting) concepts, as well as the integration of the two domains in terms of plant/machine interaction, focused on increasing the economic and environmental sustainability of the tart cherry industry. Preliminary trials have set direction for future highly potential approaches and have yielded data and information for development of proposals, some of which have been in collaboration with other W-1009 stations in the area of Over-the-Row (OTR) automation. The revolutionary approach has been demonstrated and presented to the grower community through field days and trade publications and several growers are collaborating directly or indirectly in the concept and project.<p><br /> <br /> Machine vision and pattern recognition systems were studied, adapted, and developed for an automated sensing approach to monitor multiple specific insect species presence and population level estimates in the orchard. Multiple insect species were captured under the sticky trap integrated pest management techniques and algorithms for feature extraction and classification were developed. Approaches of multiple low-cost networked in-orchard systems or a more complex sensing system coupled with an autonomous platform for continuous or semi-continuous automated insect monitoring were considered.<p><br /> <br /> In <b>Oklahoma,</b> the project was carried out to develop innovative technologies that provide solutions to issues and problems affecting pecan production and processing. Work completed or in progress includes: 1) Development of a pecan yield estimation technique using backscattered terrestrial microwave sensing. 2) Demonstrate the usefulness of the wireless image sensor networks in estimating the population of pecan weevils. 3) Development of an in situ method to rapidly determine the N status of a pecan trees.<p><br /> <br /> In <b>Kentucky,</b> a distributed control framework was studied for managing multiple machines working in a single field. The NetLogo program, a multi-agent simulator, was used to simulate vegetable crop cultivation with two cultivating machines and one human operator. Development and testing were also conducted on a flow rate sensor for individual nozzles on sprayers. Individual nozzle sensors are necessary to monitor for plugged nozzles or other failures as well as feedback control for precise application of chemicals at the individual nozzle level. Spraying has become an important part of specialty crop production so improvements in application consistency and control are valuable. Work was also carried out on the construction and testing of a series hybrid drivetrain for agricultural machinery. A drivetrain was constructed using a diesel engine, a generator, a battery pack and electric traction motors. The traction motors were connected to a dynamometer and the drivetrain was tested at various loads.<p><br /> <br /> In <b>Iowa,</b> research was carried out in the following five areas: 1) Automated non-chemical weeding: A second generation prototype of an automated intra-row mechanical weeder was developed in 2011. The design was further refined with a dual pivoting arm mechanism and a patent disclosure was published. 2) Plant Detection and Localization Using Machine Vision: A three-dimensional (3D) machine vision system for crop plant identification and localization at early growth stages was developed. The system utilized a real-time 3D time-of-flight imaging sensor that was capable of capturing both intensity and depth images under outdoor lighting conditions. 3) Chemical Application: Automated Nozzle Control for Spray Drift Reduction: The means for automated spray drift reduction through nozzle control was developed, implemented, and tested in the form of a spray nozzle controller. 4) Precision fertilizer Application: A precision rate and distribution control system were developed for pneumatic applicators to improve the placement and uniformity of dry fertilizers. The section control system implemented on a commercial airboom application system used eight metering devices to control four boom sections with two metering devices per section. 5) Machinery Simulation and Design: Model identifiability analysis was used to determine whether system measurements contain enough information to estimate the model parameters. The local structural and practical identifiability of a tractor and single axle towed implement model was evaluated with six uncertain soil-tire force model parameters from tractor yaw rate and implement yaw rate data. Overall, the study showed how different experimental factors can affect the amount of information available in a dataset for identification and that error in the measured data can propagate to error in model parameter estimates.<p><br /> <br /> <b>(2) Mechanical harvesting:</b><p><br /> <br /> Two new autonomous orchard platforms were delivered to The Pennsylvania State University and Washington State University. An upgraded orchard platform-mounted vacuum-driven harvest assist system for testing in Pennsylvania State orchard architectures was tested. A new, low-cost harvest assist device has been designed and is being fabricated in Summer 2013. This device will be mounted on a low-cost, electric orchard platform and will be tested in late Summer and Fall 2013. Growers Financial Indifference Value of about $746/acre/yr was established for harvest assist system.<p><br /> <br /> In <b>Michigan,</b> a prototype chestnut harvester for small-scale producers was developed and fabricated with focus on a simple and cost effective concept. The prototype has been constructed and evaluated to show very good potential for material collection and a high level of separation of desirable and discard material while minimizing any quality degradation of the chestnuts.<p><br /> <br /> In <b>Georgia,</b> a miniaturized low-cost berry impact recording sensor (BIRD) and associated software was developed for the evaluation of blueberry mechanical harvesting process. The bruise susceptibility of three crisp-flesh and one conventional-flesh highbush blueberry genotypes was correlated with the data recorded by a berry impact recording device (BIRD) by dropping both the fruit and the BIRD sensor onto two types of contacting surfaces (hard plastic and cushioning material). The drop test confirmed that a conventional-flesh genotype (Scintilla) was more susceptible to bruising than the semi-crisp or crisp-flesh genotypes (Farthing, Sweetcrisp, and FL 05-528). Selection FL 05-528 was proven to be a promising machine harvestable genotype in terms of the resistance to bruising.<p><br /> <br /> <b>(3) Food quality and safety:</b><p><br /> <br /> W1009 researchers are working on several aspects of food quality and safety. In <b>Georgia,</b> research has been carried out to develop sensing technologies for onion internal quality evaluation. A liquid crystal tunable filter based near infrared (NIR) hyperspectral imaging system was developed to detect sour skin disease in onions. A line scan hyperspectral imaging system (visible to near infrared spectra) was developed to predict onion internal quality attributes such as dry matter content, soluble solid content, and firmness. The optical properties of onion tissues were investigated in both a single wavelength (633 nm) and across a broad spectrum (500-1700 nm). Monte Carlo simulation was conducted to model the light propagation in multi-layer onion tissues in healthy, Botrytis neck rot and sour skin infected onions. X-ray images (computed tomography, or CT) were studied to detect onion internal diseases. The NIR spectrometry data were correlated with the chemical analysis data (Brix, Pungency, LF/IS) and the intensity of pungency and sweetness scored by a panel of experienced judges. A customized SmartNose system was developed to detect rot of onions in storage.<p><br /> <br /> In <b>Michigan,</b> Computed Tomography (CT) was investigated to evaluate chestnut internal quality. The project has advanced from basic trials into assessing the potential, to having completed replicated experimentation to identify and define optimal scanning parameters for design and optimization of dedicated instrumentation, including image classification approaches and routines. The efforts have additionally focused on expanding the concept to an extended domain of commodities, including cherries and pineapples, to help broaden the concept applicability. A project was started in 2013 to evaluate CT and VIS/NIR technology for the potential to detect a problem with undesirable tissue fiber that challenges the processed carrot industry. Automated evaluation of internal potato tissue characteristics, and more specifically the glucose and sucrose content, through visible and NIR light reflectance, transmission, and scattering and correlating this against wet-based chemistry measurements was conducted to progress toward rapid evaluation techniques. Cherry phantoms were uniquely developed in collaboration with material scientists to a produce standards, having similar tissue properties to tart cherries, which can be utilized year-round and shared between various researchers looking to study and compare internal pit or pit fragment detection approaches.<p><br /> <br /> Efforts were made to explore the spectral scattering as a useful tool for nondestructive sensing of fruit firmness. For instance, the moment method was proposed to extract important features from the spectral scattering images, and it was evaluated for Delicious, Golden Delicious and Jonagold apples. The effect of several factors (such as the variability of firmness in the calibration samples, data processing method and harvest season) and their interactions were evaluated on the performance of the firmness prediction models for three cultivars of apple. Research was carried out to improve the hyperspectral imaging system, operated in simultaneous reflectance and transmittance modes, for online inspection of both external and internal quality of pickling cucumbers.<p><br /> <br /> In <b>California,</b> systems for sensing and for the automation of menial tasks, with applications in postharvest engineering for produce quality and safety and in precision agriculture were developed and tested. For example, a fully automated system was developed to automatically prepare a deaerated tomato juice sample and then to automatically measure the pH (for food safety), the color (for maturity), and the soluble solids content (for quality). The system was self-cleaning and could prepare the sample, conduct the quality measurements, and clean itself in under one minute. A second system to automatically determine the mass fraction of defects in a tomato fruit sample was also developed and successfully tested.<p><br /> <br /> Arrays of microstructures were built on silicon surfaces to mimic stomata, trichomes, and grooves between plant epidermal cells. These structures were subjected to a static culture of Escherichia coli O137:H41tagged with green florescent protein for 48 h. Observation under a confocal laser scanning microscope was done to determine the bacterial attachment characteristics. A flow chamber was then designed to produce a thin film of fluid flowing across the artificial plant surface pieces that would simulate a dynamic flow environment that bacteria could encounter before and while attaching to plant surfaces.<p><br /> <br /> In <b>Oklahoma,</b> the project was carried out to develop a low-cost small scale sanitizer for in-shell pecans and X-ray machine vision inspection systems for pecan defect identification.<p><br /> <br /> <b>Output:</b><p><br /> <br /> The W1009 members collectively published about 126 research papers, the majority of which were published in well-recognized, peer reviewed journals. The research outputs have been summarized in these publications. In addition, significant contributions were made through workshops, conferences, field demonstrations, online materials, extension materials, etc. The growers and other stakeholders are involved in these projects with significant contribution in terms of knowledge and other inputs. Numerous students and researchers have been trained in these areas of research. The research stations will continue to work on their specific projects that contribute towards the goals of this project.<p><br /> <br /> <b>Full State Reports can be found on the W-1009 Homepage under Additional Publications at the following link: http://lgu.umd.edu/lgu_v2/homepages/attachs.cfm?trackID=10356 </b><br />

Publications

Ahmad, M. T. 2011. Development of a Mechanical Intra-Row Weeding Actuation System for Vegetable Crops. Unpublished Master Thesis, Iowa State University.<br /> <br /> <br /> Ampatzidis I., M.D.Whiting, P.A.Scharf, Q.Zhang 2012. Development and Evaluation of a Novel System for Monitoring Harvest Labor Efficiency. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 88(2012):85-94.<br /> <br /> <br /> Aziz S., B.Steward, A.Kalieta, M.Karkee 2012. ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF DEM ERROR UNCERTAINTY ON SOIL LOSS ESTIMATION IN AGRICULTURAL FIELD. Transactions of the ASABE. 55(3):785-798. <br /> <br /> <br /> Aziz, S. A., B. L. Steward. A. L. Kaleita, and M. Karkee. 2012. Assessing the effects of DEM error uncertainty on soil loss estimation in agricultural fields. Transactions of the ASABE 55(3): 785-798.<br /> <br /> <br /> Bansal, R., W. S. Lee, and S. Satish. 2013. Green citrus detection using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) leakage. Precision Agriculture 14(1): 59-70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11119-012-9292-3.<br /> <br /> <br /> Cen, H., Lu, R. and D. P. Ariana. Hyperspectral imaging-based classification and wavebands selection for internal defect detection of pickling cucumbers. ASABE Paper No. 13-1671220, 16pp. (Proceedings)<br /> <br /> <br /> Cen, H., Lu, R., Mendoza, F. and Ariana, D. P. Assessing multiple quality attributes of peaches using optical absorption and scattering properties. Transactions of the ASABE 55(2): 647-657. 2012.<br /> <br /> <br /> Cen, H., Lu, R., Mendoza, F. and Beaudry, R. M. Relationship of the optical absorption and scattering properties with mechanical and structural properties of apple tissue. Postharvest Biology and Technology 83:33-38. 2013.<br /> <br /> <br /> Chen D., X.Du, Q.Zhang, M.D.Whiting, P.A.Scharf, S.Wang 2012. Performance evaluation of mechanical cherry harvesters for fresh market grade fruits. Applied Engineering in Agriculture. 28(4):7.<br /> <br /> <br /> Donis-González, I.R., Guyer, D.E., and Pease, A. 2012. Application of Response Surface Methodology to systematically optimize image quality in computer tomography: A case study using fresh chestnuts (Castanea spp.). Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 87: 94-107.<br /> <br /> <br /> Donis-González, I.R., Guyer, D.E., Leiva-Valenzuela, G. A., and Burns, J. 2013. Assessment of chestnut (Castanea spp.) slice quality using color images. J. of Food Eng. 115: 407-414.<br /> <br /> <br /> Donis-Gonzalez, I.R., Guyer, D.E., Pease A., and Fulbright, D.W. 2012. Relation of computerized tomography Hounsfield unit measurements and internal components of fresh chestnuts (Castanea spp.). Postharvest Biology and Technology 64: 74-82.<br /> <br /> <br /> Donis-Gonzalez, I.R., Guyer, D.E., Pease, A., Fulbright, D. 2012. Relation of computerized tomography Hounsfield-unit measurements and internal characteristics of fresh chestnuts (Castanea spp.). Postharvest Biology and Technology. Vop. 64. p 74-82.<br /> <br /> <br /> Du X., D.Chen, Q.Zhang, P.A.Scharf, M.D.Whiting 2012. Dynamic responses of sweet cherry trees under vibratory excitations. Biosystems Engineering. 111(3):10.<br /> <br /> <br /> Dvorak, J. 2013. Framework for Distributed Control of a Fleet of Agricultural Field Robots. ASABE Paper No. 131620302. St. Joseph, Mich.: ASABE<br /> <br /> <br /> Dvorak, J. and L. Bryant. 2013. Optical Sprayer Nozzle Discharge Sensor. ASABE Paper No. 131620279. St. Joseph, Mich.: ASABE<br /> <br /> <br /> Ehsani, R., Maja, J.M., and Sankaran, S. 2012. Applications of low-cost multi-rotor remote sensing UAV in agriculture, CAFEi2012-135, The International Conference on Agricultural and Food Engineering for Life (CAFEi) 2012, Nov. 26-28, 2012, Selangor, Malaysia.<br /> <br /> <br /> Ehsani, R., S. Sankaran, C. Dima. 2010. Grower expectations of new technologies for applications in precision horticulture. EDIS Publication No. AE467. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ae467<br /> <br /> <br /> Ehsani, R. and S. Sankaran. 2010. Sensor and sensing technology for disease detection. Citrus Industry. June: pp. 15-17.<br /> <br /> <br /> Ehsani, R., Sankaran, S., and Albrigo, G.L. 2011. Optical sensors and sensor platforms for detection of citrus greening (HLB) diseases, 2011 American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) Annual Conference, Waikoloa, HA, Sep. 25-28, 2011.<br /> <br /> <br /> Ehsani, R., Sankaran, S., Maja, J., Garcia, F. 2012. Advanced tree stress detection technologies for citrus. Citrus Industry, May, 2012, pp. 6-7.<br /> <br /> <br /> Ehsani, R., Sankaran, S., Maja, J.M., and Neto, J.C. 2012. Affordable multi-rotor remote sensing platform for applications in precision horticulture, 11th International Conference Precision Agriculture, Indianapolis, IN, July 15-18, 2012.<br /> <br /> <br /> Ehsani, R., Sankaran, S., Maja, J.M., Neto, J.C., and Saraswat, D. 2012. Implementation of multi-rotor remote sensing system for stress detection in citrus, ASABE 2012 Annual International Meeting, Dallas, TX, July 29-Aug. 1, 2012.<br /> <br /> <br /> Franzen, A; P. R. Weckler, N. Wang, 2012. Wireless Signal Path Loss And Transmission Success Rates In Orchard Environments. Presented at the 2012 ASABE Annual International Meeting. Dallas, Texas, July 29 - August 1, 2012. Paper number 121336701<br /> <br /> <br /> Garcia-Ruiz, F., S. Sankaran, J. M. Maja, W. S. Lee, J. Rasmussen, and R. Ehsani. 2013. Comparison of two aerial imaging platforms for identification of Huanglongbing infected citrus trees. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 91: 106-115. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2012.12.002<br /> <br /> <br /> Garcia-Ruiz, F., Sankaran, S., Maja, J.M., Lee, W.S., Rasmussen, J., and Ehsani, R. 2012. Comparison of two aerial imaging platforms for identification of Huanglongbing infected citrus trees. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, In review.<br /> <br /> <br /> Gonzalez, M.E., J.A. Jernstedt, D.C. Slaughter and D.M. Barrett. 2010. Microscopic Quantification of Cell Integrity in Raw and Processed Onion Parenchyma Cells. J. Food Sci. 75(7):E402-E408.<br /> <br /> <br /> Gonzalez-Mora, J., C. Vallespi, C.S. Dima, and R. Ehsani. 2010. HLB detection using hyperspectral radiometry. Paper. No. 301, Proceeding of the 10th International Conference on Precision Agriculture, 18-21 July 2010, Denver, CO. 10 pages.<br /> <br /> <br /> Guyer, D.E., DeKleine, M.E., Perry, R.L. 2012. New approaches in cherry and chestnut harvest systems. International Symposium on Mechanical Harvesting and Handling Systems of Fruits and Nuts. Editor: J.P. Syvertsen. Lake Alfred, FL. April 2012. Acta Horticulturae (ISHS) 965:189-194.<br /> <br /> <br /> Haff., R., and D.C.Slaughter. 2009. X-ray based stem detection in an automatic tomato weeding system. ASABE Paper No. 096050. St. Joseph, Mich.: ASABE.<br /> <br /> <br /> Hardin, J. A., C. L. Jones, P. R. Weckler, N. O. Maness, J. W. Dillwith, and R. D. Madden. 2013. Rapid in situ Quantification of Leaf Cuticular Wax Using FTIR-ATR. Transactions of the ASABE 56(1): 331-339.<br /> <br /> <br /> Hardin, J. A., M. W. Smith, P. R. Weckler, and B. S. Cheary. 2012. In situ measurement of pecan leaf nitrogen concentration using a chlorophyll meter and Vis-NIR multispectral camera. HortScience 47(7): 955960.<br /> <br /> <br /> Hardin, J. A., P. R. Weckler, and C. L. Jones. 2012. Estimation Of Pecan Yield Using Backscattered Terrestrial Microwave Sensing, Presented at the 2012 ASABE Annual International Meeting. Dallas, Texas, July 29 - August 1, 2012. Paper number 121337363<br /> <br /> <br /> Hardin, J. A., P. R. Weckler, and C. L. Jones. 2013. Microwave Backscatter Response of Pecan Tree Canopy Samples for Estimation of Pecan Yield in situ Using Terrestrial Radar. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 90 (2013): 54-62. <br /> <br /> <br /> He L., Q.Zhang, X.Du, R.Luo, M.Karkee 2012. A Twining Robot for High Trellis String Tying in Hops Production. Transactions of the ASABE. 55(5):1167-1673.<br /> <br /> <br /> He L., Q.Zhang, X.Du, R.Luo, M.Karkee 2012. A Twining Robot for High-Trellis String Tying in Hops Production. Transactions of the ASABE. 55(5): 1667-1673.<br /> <br /> <br /> Huang, M., Wang, B., Zhu, Q. and Lu, R. Analysis of hyperspectral scattering images using locally linear embedding algorithm for apple mealiness classification. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 89(11):175-184. 2012.<br /> <br /> <br /> Jackson, J. and J. Dvorak. 2013. Testing the efficiency of a series hybrid drivetrain for use in agricultural equipment. ASABE Paper No. 131620209. St. Joseph, Mich.: ASABE<br /> <br /> <br /> Kang F., H.Wang, F.Pierce, Q.Zhang, S.Wang 2012. Sucker detection of grapevines for targeted spray using optical sensors. Transactions of the ASABE. 55(5):8.<br /> <br /> <br /> Karkee M., R.McNaull, S.Birrell, B.Steward 2012. Estimation of Optimal Biomass Removal Rate based on Tolerable Soil Erosion for Single Pass Crop Grain and Biomass Harvesting System. Transactions of the ASABE. 55(1):107-115.<br /> <br /> <br /> Karkee, M. and B. L. Steward. 2010. Study of the Open and Closed Loop Characteristics of a Tractor and a Single Axle Towed Implement System. Journal of Terramechanics 47(6): 379393. DOI: 10.1016/j.jterra.2010.05.005.<br /> <br /> <br /> Karkee, M. and B. L. Steward. 2011. Parameter estimation and validation of a tractor and single axle towed implement dynamic system model. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 77(2): 135-146. doi:10.1016/j.compag.2011.04.005.<br /> <br /> <br /> Karkee, M., B. L. Steward, A. G. Kelkar, and Z. T. Kemp II. 2010. Modeling and Real-time Simulation Architectures for Virtual Prototyping of Off-Road Vehicles. Virtual Reality. DOI: 10.1007/s10055-009-0150-1.<br /> <br /> <br /> Karkee, M., B. L. Steward, A. G. Kelkar, and Z. T. Kemp II. 2011. Modeling and Real-time Simulation Architectures for Virtual Prototyping of Off-Road Vehicles. Virtual Reality 15(1):83-96. DOI: 10.1007/s10055-009-0150-1.<br /> <br /> <br /> Karkee, M., B. L. Steward, and J. P. Kruckeberg. 2013. Automation of Chemical Application Systems. In Agricultural Automation: Fundamentals and Practices. CRC Press: Boca Raton, Florida, USA.<br /> <br /> <br /> Karkee, M., R. P. McNaull, S. J. Birrell, and B. L. Steward. 2012. Estimation of optimal biomass removal rate based on tolerable soil erosion for single-pass crop grain and biomass harvesting system.Transactions of the ASABE 55(1): 107-115.<br /> <br /> <br /> Kitthawee, U., S. Pathaveerat, T. Srirungruang, and D. Slaughter. 2011. Mechanical bruising of young coconut. BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING 109(3): 211-219.<br /> <br /> <br /> Kruckeberg, J. P. 2011. An automated nozzle controller for self-propelled sprayers. Unpublished Master Thesis, Iowa State University.<br /> <br /> <br /> Kruckeberg, J.P., H. M. Hanna, B.L. Steward, and M.J. Darr. 2012. The relative accuracy of DRIFTSIM when used as a real-time spray drift predictor. Transactions of the ASABE 55(4):1159-1165.<br /> <br /> <br /> Kurtulmus, F., W. S. Lee, and A. Vardar. 2013. Immature peach detection in colour images acquired in natural illumination conditions using statistical classifiers and neural network. Precision Agriculture. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11119-013-9323-8.<br /> <br /> <br /> Leiva-Valenzuela, G. A., Lu, R., and Aguilera, J. M. Prediction of firmness and soluble solids content of blueberries using hyperspectral reflectance imaging. Journal of Food Engineering 115(1):91-98. 2012.<br /> <br /> <br /> Li, H., W. S. Lee, K. Wang, R. Ehsani, and C. Yang. 2013. Extended spectral angle mapping (ESAM) for citrus greening disease detection using airborne hyperspectral imaging. Precision Agriculture. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11119-013-9325-6. <br /> <br /> <br /> Lu, R. and Ariana, D. P. Detection of fruit fly infestation in pickling cucumbers using a hyperspectral reflectance/transmission imaging system. Postharvest Biology and Technology 81(1): 44-50. 2013.<br /> <br /> <br /> Mendoza, F., Lu, R. and Cen, H. Comparison and fusion of four nondestructive sensors for predicting apple fruit firmness and soluble solids content. Postharvest Biology and Technology 73(11):89-98. 2012.<br /> <br /> <br /> Mendoza, F., Lu, R. and Zhu, Q. Assessing the sensitivity and robustness of prediction models for apple firmness using spectral scattering technique. ASABE Paper No. 13-1648152. (Proceedings)<br /> <br /> <br /> Mishra, A. R., D. Karimi, R. Ehsani and W. S. Lee. 2012. Identification of Citrus Greening (HLB) using a Vis-NIR spectroscopy technique. Transactions of ASABE, 55 (2): 711-720.<br /> <br /> <br /> Mishra, A. R., D. Karimi, R. Ehsani, and L. G. Albrigo. 2011. Evaluation of an active optical sensor for detection of Huanglongbing (HLB) disease. Biosystems Engineering. 110 (3): 302-310.<br /> <br /> <br /> Mishra, A. R., R. Ehsani, D. Karimi, and L. G. Albrigo. 2009. Potential applications of multiband spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging for detecting HLB infected orange trees. Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society. 122: 147-151.<br /> <br /> <br /> Mishra, A., Ehsani, R., Albrigo, G.L., and Sankaran, S. 2010. Application of hyperspectral imaging for the detection of citrus greening, ASABE 2010 Annual International Meeting, Pittsburg, PA, June 20-23, 2010.<br /> <br /> <br /> Mizushima, A. and Lu, R. A low-cost color vision system for automatic estimation of apple fruit orientation and maximum equatorial diameter. Transactions of the ASABE 56(3): 813-827. 2013.<br /> <br /> <br /> Mizushima, A. and Lu, R. An image segmentation method for apple sorting and grading using support vector machine and Otsus method. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 94(1): 29-37. 2013.<br /> <br /> <br /> Monga, M, M. Karkee, S. Sun, L. K. Tondehal, B. L. Steward, J. Zambreno. 2012. Real-time Simulation of Dynamic Vehicle Models using a High-performance Reconfigurable Platform. Procedia Computer Science 9:338-347.<br /> <br /> <br /> Nakami, A. 2013. Automated inter-plant spacing sensing of corn plants seedlings and quantification of laying hen behaviors using 3D computer vision. Unpublished PhD Dissertation, Iowa State University.<br /> <br /> <br /> Nakarmi, A. and L. Tang. 2012. Automatic Inter-plant spacing sensing at early growth stages using a 3D vision sensor. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture.<br /> <br /> <br /> Nielsen, M., D. C. Slaughter, C. Gliever. 2010. Stereo Vision Blossom Mapping for Automated Thinning in Peach. Paper presented at the ISIE 2010 - IEEE International Symposium on Industrial Electronics.<br /> <br /> <br /> Nielsen, M., D.C. Slaughter, and C. Gliever. 2012. Vision-Based 3D Peach Tree Reconstruction for Automated Blossom Thinning. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL INFORMATICS 8(1): 188-196.<br /> <br /> <br /> Nielsen, S. L. 2011. Identifiability analysis of a tractor and single axle towed implement model. Unpublished Master Thesis, Iowa State University<br /> <br /> <br /> Noh H., Q. Zhang 2012. Shadow effect on multi-spectral image for detection of nitrogen deficiency in corn. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 28(4):6.<br /> <br /> <br /> Obenland, D., D. Margosan, S. Collin, J. Sievert, K. Fjeld, M. L. Arpaia, J. Thompson, and D. Slaughter. 2009. Peel Fluorescence as a Means to Identify Freeze-damaged Navel Oranges. HortTechnology. 9(2): 379-384.<br /> <br /> <br /> Padda, M., C.V.T. do Amarante, R.M. Garcia, D.C. Slaughter, and E.J. Mitcham. 2011. Methods to analyze physico-chemical changes during mango ripening: A multivariate approach. Postharvest Biology and Technology 62(3): 267274.<br /> <br /> <br /> Pan, L., Zhu, Q., R. Lu, and J. M. McGrath. Detection of sucrose content of sugar beet by visible/near-infrared spectroscopy. ASABE Paper No. 13-1619051, 11pp. (Proceedings)<br /> <br /> <br /> Perez-Ruiz, M., D.C., Slaughter, C. Gliever, and SK Upadhyaya. 2012. Tractor-based Real-time Kinematic-Global Positioning System (RTK-GPS) guidance system for geospatial mapping of row crop transplant. BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING Volume: 111(1): 64-71.<br /> <br /> <br /> Porter, W. M., Y. Shi, J. A. Rascon, R. K. Taylor, P. Weckler, 2013. Laboratory Evaluation of a Turn Compensation Control System for a Ground Sprayer. Presented at the 2013 ASABE Annual International Meeting. Kansas City, Missouri, July 21 - July 24, 2013. Paper number 131562442.<br /> <br /> <br /> Qin, J., Chao, K., Kim, M. S., Lu, R. and Burks, T. Hyperspectral and multispectral imaging for evaluating food safety and quality. Journal of Food Engineering 118(2):157-171. 2013.<br /> <br /> <br /> S. K. Mathanker , P. R. Weckler, N. Wang. 2013. Thz Applications In Food And Agriculture: A Review, Transactions of the ASABE. 56(3): 1213-1226. <br /> <br /> <br /> Samba, A., Machine Vision for Non-Destructive Pecan Grading (Features Selection and Classification). 2012. Presented at the 2012 ASABE Annual International Meeting. Dallas, Texas, July 29 - August 1, 2012. Paper No. 121336703<br /> <br /> <br /> Sankaran, S. and R. Ehsani. 2011b. Visible-near infrared spectroscopy based citrus greening detection: Evaluation of spectral feature extraction techniques. Crop Protection. 30(11):1508-1513.<br /> <br /> <br /> Sankaran, S., A. Mishra, J.M. Maja, and R. Ehsani. 2011a. Visible-near infrared spectroscopy for detection of Huanglongbing in citrus orchards, Computer and Electronics in Agriculture, 77 (2): 127-134.<br /> <br /> <br /> Sankaran, S., A. Mishra, R. Ehsani, and C. Davis. 2010a. A review on advanced techniques for detecting plant diseases. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 72:1-13.<br /> <br /> <br /> Sankaran, S., and Ehsani, R. 2010. Detection of Huanglongbing (greening) in citrus plantations using mid-infrared spectroscopy, Paper No. 1009199, American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE ) 2010 Annual International Meeting, Pittsburg, PA, June 20-23, 2010.<br /> <br /> <br /> Sankaran, S., and Ehsani, R. 2010. Optical methods for Huanglongbing (HLB) detection in citrus orchards. 2010 Florida Society Horticultural Society (FSHS) Annual Meeting, Crystal River, FL, June 6-8, 2010.<br /> <br /> <br /> Sankaran, S., and Ehsani, R. 2011. Stress detection in citrus leaves using fluorescence spectroscopy, ASABE 2011 Annual International Meeting, Louisville, KY, Aug. 7-10, 2011.<br /> <br /> <br /> Sankaran, S., and Ehsani, R. 2012. Detection of Huanglongbing disease in citrus using fluorescence spectroscopy. Transactions of the ASABE, 55 (1): 313-320.<br /> <br /> <br /> Sankaran, S., and Ehsani, R. 2012. Identification of Laurel-Wilt infected avocado plants using visible-near infrared spectroscopy, ASABE 2012 Annual International Meeting, Dallas, TX, July 29-Aug. 1, 2012.<br /> <br /> <br /> Sankaran, S., and Ehsani, R. 2013b. Fluorescence spectroscopy as a sensing tool for detecting Huanglongbing-infected citrus leaves. Applied Spectroscopy, 67 (4): 463-469.<br /> <br /> <br /> Sankaran, S., and Ehsani, R. 2013d. Comparison of visible-near infrared and mid-infrared spectroscopy for classification of Huanglongbing and citrus canker infected leaves. In review.<br /> <br /> <br /> Sankaran, S., Khot, L.R., Maja, J.M., and Ehsani, R. 2013c. Comparison of two multiband cameras for use on small UAVs in Agriculture. 5th IEEE Workshop on Hyperspectral Image and Signal Processing: Evolution in Remote Sensing (WHISPERS), 25-28 June, Gainesville, FL.<br /> <br /> <br /> Sankaran, S., Maja, J.M., Buchanon, S., Ehsani, R. 2013a. Huanglongbing (citrus greening) detection using visible-near infrared and thermal imaging techniques. Sensors. 13: 2117-2130; doi: 10.3390/s130202117.<br /> <br /> <br /> Sankaran, S., R. Ehsani, and C.S. Dima. 2010. Development of ground-based sensor system for automated agricultural vehicle to detect diseases in citrus orchards. Paper. No. 304, Proceeding of the 10th International Conference on Precision Agriculture, 18-21 July 2010, Denver, CO. 9 pages.<br /> <br /> <br /> Sankaran, S., R. Ehsani, and E. Etxeberria. 2010b. Mid-infrared spectroscopy for detection of Huanglongbing (greening) in citrus leaves. Talanta (83):574-581.<br /> <br /> <br /> Sengupta, S., and W. S. Lee. 2013. Identification and determination of the number of immature green citrus fruit under different ambient light conditions. Biosystems Engineering. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2013.07.007.<br /> <br /> <br /> Sirinutsomboon, B., and M. J. Delwiche. 2013. Effect of fluid flow on attachment of Escherichia coli O137:H41 to plant surface structure analogs built by microfabrication. Biological Engineering Transactions, 6(2):83-104. <br /> <br /> <br /> Sirinutsomboon, B., M. J. Delwiche, and G. M. Young. 2011. Attachment of Escherichia coli on plant surface structures built by microfabrication. Biosystems Engineering, 108:244-252.<br /> <br /> <br /> Slaughter, D. C.; Crisosto, C. H.; Tiwari, G. 2013. Nondestructive determination of flesh color in clingstone peaches. J OF FOOD ENGINEERING 116(4): 920-925<br /> <br /> <br /> Steward, B. 2012. Informational and Electrical Technologies: Transforming ag and bio engineering. Resource 19(5): 67.<br /> <br /> <br /> Sun, H, D.C. Slaughter, M. Perez Ruiz, C. Gliever, S.K. Upadhyaya, and R.F. Smith. 2010. RTK GPS mapping of transplanted row crops. 2010. Computers & Elec. in Ag. 71(1):32-37.<br /> <br /> <br /> Sun., H. D.C.Slaughter, M. Pérez Ruiz, C. Gliever, S.K. Upadhyaya and R.F. Smith. RTK GPS mapping of transplanted row crops. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture Volume 71, Issue 1, April 2010, Pages 32-37.<br /> <br /> <br /> Tharun Konduru. 2013. Development of Automated MOS Based Gas Sensing Device for Sour Skin Disease Detection in Onions. MS Thesis, University of Georgia. <br /> <br /> <br /> Thornton, C.R., D.C. Slaughter, and R.M. Davis. 2010. Detection of the sour-rot pathogen Geotrichum candidum in tomato fruit and juice by using a highly specific monoclonal antibody-based ELISA. Int. J. of Food Microbiology 143:166172.<br /> <br /> <br /> Tu, X. Y. 2013. Robust Navigation Control and Headland Turning Optimization of Agricultural Vehicles. Unpublished PhD Dissertation, Iowa State University.<br /> <br /> <br /> Vougioukas, S.G. (2013). Estimation of fruit locations inside orchard tree canopies using radio signal ranging and trilateration. ASABE Annual Intl. Meeting; Paper Number 1595170, Kansas City, Missouri.<br /> <br /> <br /> Wang Q., H.Wang, L.Xie, Q.Zhang 2012. Outdoor color rating of sweet cherries using computer vision. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 87(1):8.<br /> <br /> <br /> Wang, H., C. Li, and M. Wang. 2013. Quantitative determination of onion internal quality using hyperspectral imaging with reflectance, interactance, and transmittance modes. Transactions of ASABE. 56(4): 1-14.<br /> <br /> <br /> Wang, W. and C. Li. 2013. Measurement of the light absorption and scattering properties of onion skin and flesh at 633 nm. Postharvest Biology and Technology. 86: 494501.<br /> <br /> <br /> Wang, W., C. Li, W. Tollner and G. Rains. 2012. Development of software for spectral imaging data acquisition using LabVIEW. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 84: 6875.<br /> <br /> <br /> Wang, W., C. Li, W. Tollner, G. Rains and R. Gitaitis. 2012. Development of an LCTF-based shortwave infrared spectral imaging system for food quality and safety inspection: calibration and characterization. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 80: 135-144.<br /> <br /> <br /> Wang, W., C. Li, W. Tollner, G. Rains and R. Gitaitis. 2012. Shortwave Infrared Hyperspectral Imaging for Detecting Sour Skin (Burkholderia Cepacia)-Infected Onions. Journal of Food Engineering. 109(1): 38-48. <br /> <br /> <br /> Wang, W., C. Li, W. Tollner, G. Rains, R. Gitaitis. 2012. A liquid crystal tunable filter based shortwave infrared spectral imaging system for food quality and safety inspection: design and integration. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 80: 126-134. <br /> <br /> <br /> Wang, Weilin; Li, Changying; Tollner, Ernest W., Haidekker, Mark A. Estimating the diameter and volume of Vidalia sweet onions using the consumer-grade RGB-depth camera. ASABE Paper No. 131593519. Kansas City, Georgia. July 2013.<br /> <br /> <br /> Weckler, P. R., T. Bowser, J. Kinder, M. Smith, L. Ma, 2012. Development Of A Low-Cost Small Scale Sanitizer For In-Shell Pecans. Presented at the 2012 ASABE Annual International Meeting. Dallas, Texas, July 29 - August 1, 2012. Paper number 121338348<br /> <br /> <br /> Weckler, P., et al., 2013 Development of a Low-Cost Small Scale Sanitizer for In-Shell Pecans. Presented at the 2013 Oklahoma Pecan Growers Association 83rd Annual Meeting, Ardmore, OK, June 27-29, 2013<br /> <br /> <br /> Wen, C., Guyer, D.E., 2012. Image-based orchard insect automated identification and classification method. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 89:110-115.<br /> <br /> <br /> Wen, C., Guyer, D.E., Li, W. 2009. Local feature-based identification and classification for orchard insects. Biosystems Engineering. Vol. 104. p299-307.<br /> <br /> <br /> Wetterich, C.B., Kumar, R., Sankaran, S., Belasque Jr., J., Ehsani, R., and Marcassa, L.G. 2013. A comparative study on application of computer vision and fluorescence imaging spectroscopy for detection of Huanglongbing citrus disease in USA and Brazil. Journal of Spectroscopy, 2013, Article ID 841738, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/841738.<br /> <br /> <br /> Wong, E.S., D.C. Slaughter, H. Wada, M.A. Matthews, K.A. Shackel. 2009. Computer vision system for automated cell pressure probe operation. Biosystems Engineering. 103(2): 129-136<br /> <br /> <br /> Yang, C. and W. S. Lee. 2013. Precision agricultural systems. In Agricultural automation: fundamentals and practices. Eds. Q. Zhang and F. J. Pierce. CRC Press.<br /> <br /> <br /> Yu, P., C. Li, F. Takeda, G. Krewer, G. Rains and T. Hamrita. 2012. Quantitative Evaluation of a Rotary Blueberry Mechanical Harvester Using a Miniature Instrumented Sphere. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 88 (10): 2531.<br /> <br /> <br /> Yu, P., C. Li, G. Rains and T. Hamrita. 2011. 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Impact Statements

1. The ground-based and aerial sensing system tested in Florida will improve detection of different stressed (abiotic and biotic) trees in the field which could help production managers to better and more efficiently manage these stresses. The mechanized thinner developed for apples and peaches has an impact on north eastern regions, where growers continued to purchase either Darwin (for planar tree canopies) or PT250 (for open vase-shaped canopies) string thinners and reported reduced labor requirement and improved fruit size. Over 60 units (valued at almost $1M) have been sold in North America. Labor savings in thinning are estimated in $800,000 per year.
2. In Washington, developed systems/devices were demonstrated at 4 field days and 20+ collaborator trials in commercial orchards/farms. The impact of developed integrated systems technology is very significant in that it could help specialty growers to achieve their production goal of increasing the yield through more efficient production management and implementation.
3. New knowledge on the kinematics of vegetable seedlings and soil during the transplanting process was developed in California. The success achieved in precise and synchronized planting of vegetable crops may influence other engineers working in precision plant care, encouraging them to pursue new machine designs that can utilize the benefits of this new planting technique to provide automated and precise methods of farming. The geo-referenced location data of fruits in tree canopies will be used to perform model-based machine design for orchard operations such as selective harvesting.
4. New methods of tart cherry production which increase economic returns while reducing environmental footprint are vital to ensuring future overall sustainability of the industry. Automated insect monitoring has the potential to provide the specialty crop industry with an ability to conduct integrated pest management efforts with diminished need for expertise involvement and ultimately more strategic and precise pest control at lower input costs.
5. Automated intra-row weeding has the potential to affect vegetable growers and state and regional economies by enabling increased production. Increases in production of fresh fruits and vegetables for local consumption would result in 6,000 to 9,000 jobs and over $600 million in farm-level sales for the upper Midwest region of the United States. Automated nozzle control for spray drift reduction can help reduce drift to less than 1% of the applied volume. More precise control of fertilizer application will reduce the amount of fertilizer over-applied and decrease input costs. The development of model-based design tools and the knowledge required for these tools, including model identifiability analysis, will make a substantial impact on the performance of agricultural machinery leading to greater field efficiency and productivity.
6. Better field networks would allow the use of multiple, smaller, more compact field machines that would reduce soil compaction, provide redundancy in the case of failure, and provide a level of field size neutrality in comparison with the large one-machine-per-operator equipment utilized today. Development of a series hybrid drivetrain allows combining the simplicity, controllability and efficiency of electric motors with the energy density of liquid fuels.
7. Orchard platforms developed autonomously drove 30 km, controlled by growers and other persons not involved in the creation of the vehicles. Testing with the upgraded orchard platform-mounted harvest assist system showed very low bruising but no significant improvement in efficiency compared with skilled pickers on ladders. Trials comparing workers using the CASC autonomous orchard platforms vs. workers using ladders resulted in as much as a 58% increase in worker efficiency in PA and 89% in WA.
8. The mobile apple harvest and sorting system will help U.S. apple growers achieve the overall production cost savings and reduce worker safety hazard. Developments of chestnut harvesters as well as postharvest quality evaluation systems are needed to support the chestnut industry for it to continue to emerge into a higher level and more significant industry.
9. The miniature and low-cost BIRD sensor for blueberries provides an unprecedented approximation to a berry fruit and enables researchers to better understand how the berry interacts with different machine parts within the harvester and which machine part creates the most impacts, which was not achievable in the past. The correlation between the blueberry bruising incidents and BIRD data will help better interpret the impact data, which can be used to improve blueberry mechanical harvesting technologies.
10. Effect of plant surface structure on bacterial attachment indicated that the microstructure geometry, culture flow rate and location around microstructure clearly affected bacterial attachment in the model system, although the degree of surface hydrophobicity did not. New knowledge and learning by young adults training to become engineers was developed on the topics of automated systems development and mechanization for food safety and produce quality. New knowledge was also developed for the instrumental interface of sensor systems for in-line sensing of material properties in real-time. The new knowledge demonstrated the feasibility of performing in-line assessment of food safety and quality measurements in a produce grading station, impacting the future direction of produce inspection in California.
11. The new algorithm developed for describing spectral scattering characteristics will provide an improved means for predicting fruit firmness and soluble solids content. The identified wavebands from the hyperspectral imaging study can be implemented for online inspection of internal defect of pickling cucumbers. Artificial standards of tart cherries allow for extended, repeated, and comparative studies.
12. Microwave backscattering technique can improve the accuracy of the estimate of pecans in the field prior to harvest, which is critically important for both production management decisions and marketing. The work on in situ measurement of pecan leaf nitrogen can help producers improve orchard management such as nitrogen fertilization.
13. Research demonstrated that the interactance mode of the hyperspectral imaging technique can be used to screen onions with high dry matter content, which has the practical value to the onion breeding industry (more than $100 million in revenue). The effective sensing technology (SmartNose) for disease detection in storage and practices for disease management will reduce the massive storage losses (50% in some years) and bring economic benefits to onion producers and handlers.

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