The Accuracy of Cotton Bale Moisture Sensors Used in a South Texas Commercial Gin with Lint Moisture Restoration

Automated and manual moisture measurement systems were employed in a commercial gin located near El Campo TX.  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.  Data were collected with the systems for several hundred bales.  The readings from the systems were compared statistically with the oven-based readings and improved calibrations were obtained based on the data.  These data were compared with similar data obtained in 2011 and 2012 in other regions of the cotton belt.