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Parallel-Plate Capacitance Moisture Sensor for Hay and Forage

A parallel-plate capacitor connected to an integrated circuit timer (LM555) was used in a 
static mode to estimate the moisture content and the total amount of water in chopped forage placed 
in a plexiglass box (0.10 m x 0.20 m x 0.20 m). Experiments were performed with a first set of 
whole-plant corn at five levels of moisture content, a second set of corn at three levels of moisture 
and alfalfa at three levels of moisture. Forage samples were prepared at two levels of density (low 
and high) and at four levels of capacitor volume fill (25, 50, 75 and 100%), and repeated randomly 
three times. The output was expressed as the timer’s frequency drop from the reference frequency 
(average 854 kHz). The frequency drop increased as volume fill and total amount of water 
increased. The coefficient of determination R2 between frequency drop and amount of water was 
0.92 for corn-set-1, 0.87 for corn-set-2 and 0.67 for alfalfa. The frequency drop was more highly 
correlated with mass of water at low water density than at high water density in the capacitor’s 
volume. The frequency drop was not well correlated with moisture content alone. The moisture 
content could be determined by measuring the total wet mass and the mass of water.