Near-infrared Spectroscopic Measurement of Cotton Micronaire In-situ

Cotton is one of the most important crops in the United States. The USDA classes every bale of cotton produced in the country for key attributes including micronaire. Micronaire, a measurement of fineness and maturity, is typically measured via mass-compression and air permeability. Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has been employed to measure micronaire with over 97% accuracy in laboratory testing. Cotton warehouses do not have testing data to help organize bales when they arrive resulting in randomly arranged bales that require additional time and energy of multiple bale movements to assemble shipments. Additional bale movements increase labor and energy costs as well as the chance of damage to the bale and potential for contamination. Micronaire measurement on-line at the gin could allow for warehouses to organize bales according to micronaire before receiving official classing data. A device composed of multiple NIR spectrophotometers is to be utilized in a commercial cotton gin for the 2016 season to measure approximately 30,000 bales. The device must withstand the rigorous environment of a cotton gin including dust, temperature and vibrations, which are significantly different from the laboratory environments of previous research. Readings will take place at the bale press and take approximately 0.5 seconds. NIR-based readings and official micronaire results from USDA will be used to develop a model with correction factor for consideration of conditions will be established for laboratory micronaire readings to NIR in-situ measurements. Industry adoption of this technique could support US agriculture by curtailing logistical costs and product degradation