Research in Agricultural Engineering - In Press
Detection of Heat-stressed Chickens in Poultry House Based on Deep Network and Optical Flow Vectors in the Fourier DomainOriginal Paper
Viet Ngo Quoc, Yen Thai
The productivity and quality of the entire flock are negatively impacted by heat stress in chickens, which can have major repercussions, particularly in crowded farming settings where the disease is easy to spread and hard to control. This study uses deep networks and optical flow to identify heat stress in chickens. The technique focuses on identifying the obvious signs of heat stress, such as panting and open-mouth breathing in chickens. There are two phases to the suggested approach: (1) using a deep network to detect open-mouth breathing in chickens; (2) using the Gunnar Farnebäck algorithm to compute optical flow vectors of the wattle, the breathing frequency is estimated in the Fourier domain for the detection of panting chickens. The proposed method was tested on the obtained dataset and demonstrated its ability to recognize heat-stressed chickens in crowded conditions, achieving an overall performance metric of 0.90 by integrating the results of both phases. The two-phase approach, which incorporates open-mouth breathing behavior and panting frequency, improves efficiency and assures robust, reliable heat stress detection.
Optimization of Irrigation requirement of Okra under Protected Cultivation using Digital LysimeterOriginal Paper
Sujitha Elango, Nagarajan Madasamy, Valliammai Annamalai, Vijayaprabhakar Arumugam
A field experiment was conducted in 2023 and 2024 to determine stage-specific crop coefficient values of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) using the popular F1 hybrid Arka Nikita. Six evapotranspiration (ETc) based treatments were applied: five under a forced ventilated Greenhouse (T1 = 120% ETc, T2 = 100% ETc, T3 = 80% ETc, T4 = 60% ETc, T5 = 100% ETc in lysimeter) and one under open field (T6 = 100% ETc) arranged in completely randomized block design with three replications. Results showed that T2 had higher growth parameters, while T4 and T6 performed poorly. Yield was significantly higher in T2 (23.8 t/ ha in 2023 and 23.3 t/ ha in 2024), whereas T6 had a lower (9.5 t/ ha in 2023 and 8.6 t/ ha in 2024). The higher water productivity was observed in T3 (9.85 kg/ m3 in 2023 and 8.35 kg/ m3 in 2024), while T6 had the lower (1.83 kg/ m3 in 2023 and 1.35 kg/ m3 in 2024). Hence, this study recommends using stage-specific crop coefficients of 0.32, 0.63, 0.78, and 0.41 during the initial development, mid and final stages of 80% ETc to optimize water productivity and maximize yield in the greenhouse-grown okra.
Balancing Quality and Safety: Optimising Drying and Sodium Metabisulphite Use in Low-Fat Desiccated CoconutOriginal Paper
Indriati Cahyadewi, Waqif Agusta, Rumpoko Wicaksono, Tantry Eko Putri Mariastuty, Lusiana Kresnawati Hartono, Herdiarti Destika Hermansyah, Farah Nuranjani
Indonesia, as a leading coconut producer, generates substantial coconut pulp from coconut milk extraction, which can be further processed into low-fat desiccated coconut. However, the drying process induces browning, reducing its whiteness and overall quality. Sodium metabisulphite is commonly used to prevent browning, but excessive use raises health concerns. In this study, the optimisation of drying temperature and sodium metabisulphite concentration was conducted to minimise browning while maintaining the quality of low-fat desiccated coconut. Using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) with a Central Composite Design (CCD), responses such as browning index (BI), whiteness index (WI), moisture content, yield, free fatty acids (FFA), ash, fat, protein, total phenolic content (TPC), and crude fibre were examined. The results showed that both drying temperature and sodium metabisulphite concentration significantly influenced the physicochemical properties. The optimal conditions were identified at 62.505 °C and 380.059 ppm sodium metabisulphite, resulting in a whiteness index of 87.219, browning index of 5.1025, yield of 43.125%, moisture content of 2.3%, and free fatty acid content of 4.45%. These findings highlight an effective strategy for reducing additive dependency while maintaining the physicochemical quality of low-fat desiccated coconut.
Free electricity tandem-twin-hybrid solar-biomass dryer increased the performance of coffee cherry dryingOriginal Paper
Yuwana Yuwana, Syafnil Syafnil
A free electricity tandem-twin-hybrid-solar-biomass dryer comprising two drying rooms and operated with solar and biomass energy combustion of 10 kg rubber wood per hour separately to dry Robusta coffee cherry of 3, 6, 9, and 12 cm bed thicknesses were studied with drying completion time (tc), number of defects (ND), and colour parameter i.e. lightness (L*), hue-angle (H(o)), and chroma (C) used as performance indicators. The experimental results indicated that drying room, bed thickness, and drying room-bed thickness interaction affected significantly tc and ND and bed thickness only affected significantly C for both the solar energy drying and the biomass energy drying. The solar energy drying generated the drying air temperature of 44.6 ± 3.5 oC with tc of 70.9-90.2 h for the front drying room and 40.1 ± 2.8 oC with tc in 77.2-116.5 h for the rear drying room whereas the biomass energy drying produced the drying air temperature of 57.2±3.6oC with tc of 34.1-44.9 h for the front drying room and 45.6±6.0oC with tc of 56.3-96.6 h for the rear drying room. Both drying processes produced coffee beans of NDs less than 11 qualified for Grade 1 with similar colour characteristics.
Optimization of Temperature and Drying Time of Kaffir Lime Leaves (Citrus hystrix DC.) Using Response Surface Methodology.Original Paper
Asri Widyasanti, Sintia Nabila Putri, Rahmat Budiarto, Nor Nadiah Abdul Karim Shah
This study optimized the drying process of kaffir lime leaves (Citrus hystrix DC.) to extend shelf life and preserve quality by reducing moisture content. A Central Composite Design (CCD) under the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) framework was employed, with temperature (55°C, 60°C, 65°C) and drying time (5, 5.5, 6 hours) as variables. Experiments were conducted with a mechanical food dehydrator, and parameters evaluated included water content, and drying yields. The optimal condition was identified as 60°C for 5 hours, resulting in a drying yield of 33.3% and a final moisture content of 7.153 (%w.b.), which meets quality standards for dried products. The novelty of this research lies in the application of RSM to determine effective drying conditions for kaffir lime leaves, which are not widely used but have good economic potential. The research proved that drying with the right conditions can greatly the quality and stability of dried kaffir lime leaves.