Feasibility of a modelling suite for the optimised biomass harvest scheduling

Abstract

It has been estimated that 1/3 of forage grass is harvested drier than the optimum moisture content while another 1/3 is harvested while too wet This indicates that dedicated systems supporting decisions that affect grass quality are required Based on the development of a modelling suite for the scheduling of the grass harvest, a feasibility study was carried out to evaluate the functionality and viability of a potential integrated decision support system A usage scenario was designed to test the implementation of the modelling suite in a typical grass harvest situation considering its inherent operational and functional constraints The model uses input data from the weather forecast the expected yield the availability of required recourses and machinery related specifications It contains sub models for the prediction of the grass moisture content and provides as choice of three different possible quality levels for the grass, high quality reduced but acceptable quality and poor quality The equivalent suggestions from the decision support system can be considered as harvesting, harvesting with uncertainty, and no harvesting respectively Preliminary results showed that the use of dedicated decision support tools for the grass harvest has the potential of significantly reducing the costs and improving the quality of the harvested and stored produce The model was tested for a harvesting periods of two years and based on the analysis results the percentage of successful suggestions ranged from 83 33% to 94 61% (C) 2010 IAgrE Published by Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved