Evaluation of a novel electromechanical system for measuring soil bulk density

Al-Shammary, Ahmed Abed Gatea; Kouzani, Abbas Z.; Saeed, Thamir R.; Lahmod, Nabil Raheem; Mouazen, Abdul Mounem

doi:10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2019.01.007

Cited by 7 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…The electric control unit (ECU) was designed and built experimentally for control operation of the DES, which included electronic circuits of load cells unit, a gearbox motor, a microwave unit, and power source, as shown Figures 2B, and 3 [13].…”

Section: Electric Control Unit (Ecu)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, an innovative system has been developed to minimize errors during the remote measurement of soil bulk density at different soil depths in cultivated fields, i.e., the digital electromechanical system (DES) [13,14]. The DES for measurements is summarized in Al Shammary et al (2019) [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thermal efficiency (η th ), microwave penetration depth (M DP ), and energy consumption (Q con ) are significant indicators used to describe the electromechanical performance in the soil under different management practices [13]. However, no previous study has described the influence on other soil properties such as ηth, M DP , and Q con and their direct influence on the soil bulk density changes under different soil treatments such as mulching, tillage, or fertilizers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, no previous study has described the influence on other soil properties such as ηth, M DP , and Q con and their direct influence on the soil bulk density changes under different soil treatments such as mulching, tillage, or fertilizers. The soil property, η th , is defined as the percentage of the energy used for drying soil samples to the incident microwave source energy, which depends on the mass of soil moisture evaporated, product temperature, incident microwave power, time [49], and soil texture [13]. Thus, the estimation of η th is an important component of the electromechanical performance measurement in agriculture experiments and plays a key role in its Q con which is defined as the power supplied from the microwave drying unit for the evaporation of soil moisture.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, the main aim of this research was to evaluate the use of a novel digital electromechanical system DES developed by Al-Shammary et al [13] in a cultivated field with a representative arid climate in central Iraq, where solarization technology is commonly used to increase food production. We estimated the thermal efficiency (η th ), microwave penetration depth (M DP ), and energy consumption (Q con ) for the DES technology under different soil management systems (mulching, tillage, and fertilizers) at different soil depths during the driest season of the year in an experimental plot close to the city of Baghdad.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Performance of the DES Sensor for Estimating Soil Bulk Density under the Effect of Different Agronomic Practices

et al. 2020

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The estimation of soil wet bulk density (ρn) and dry bulk density (ρb) using the novel digital electromechanical system (DES) has provided information about important parameters for the assessment of soil quality and health with a direct application for agronomists. The evaluation of the DES performance is particularly appropriate for different tillage methods, mulching systems, and fertilizers used to increase soil fertility and productivity, but currently, there is a lack of information, particularly in the arid areas in underdeveloped countries. Therefore, the main aim of this study was the application of a novel digital electromechanical system (DES) to evaluate bulk density, wet (ρn) and dry (ρb), under different soil treatments according to the variations in thermal efficiencies (ηth), microwave penetration depths (MDP), and specific energy consumption (Qcon) in an experimental area close to Baghdad (Iraq). The experimental design consisted of 72 plots, each 4 m2. The agronomic practices included two different tillage systems (disc plough followed by a spring disk and mouldboard plough followed by a spring disk) and twelve treatments involving mulching plastic sheeting combined with fertilizers, to determine their effect on the measured soil ρn and ρb and the DES performance in different soils. The results indicated that soil ρn and ρb varied significantly with both the tillage systems and the mulching systems. As expected, the soil ρn and ρb, MDP, and Qcon increased with an increase in the soil depth. Moreover, the tillage, soil mulching, and soil depth value significantly affected ηth and Qcon. A strong relationship was identified between the soil tillage and MDP for different soil treatments, leading to the changes in soil ρb and the soil dielectric constant (ε’).

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Section: Electric Control Unit (Ecu)mentioning

confidence: 99%