The Accuracy and Calibration of Three Cotton Bale Moisture Sensors Used in a Commercial Gin with Lint Moisture Restoration

Two automated and one manual cotton bale moisture measurement systems were employed in a commercial cotton gin. Data were collected with all three systems for several hundreds of bales. Lint samples were also obtained from the same bales and returned to the Cotton Ginning Research Unit of the USDA-ARS for moisture content analysis by the oven method. The readings from the three systems were compared statistically to the oven-based readings and improved calibrations were obtained based on the data. These data will be thoroughtly compared with similar data obtained in 2011.  The 2012 data set has a wider range of lint moisture restoration and moisture contents.