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Aerobic stability is one of the important factors affecting the nutritive value of silages for livestock and determined by various methods. The aim of the current experiment was to design a microcontroller based low cost device using CO2 sensor for determination of aerobic stability of silage and compare with the conventional temperature measurement system. It was hypothesised that the time taken to increase the silage temperature by 2oC above room temperature and produce 10 g CO2 kg-1 DM might be similar or comparable for the same silages when the silage is exposed to air simultaneously. The microcontroller based low cost device was designed and allowed discrimination between silages in terms of aerobic stability as in the temperature measurement system. The data obtained by microcontroller based low cost device is consistent with data obtained by the temperature measurement system. The time taken to increase silage temperature by 2°C above room temperature and produce 10 g CO2 kg-1 dry matter (DM) of silage were similar in both measurement systems. It was also found that the high correlation coefficients between CO2 production and temperature until reflection point of temperature obtained and ranged from 0.990 to 0.995 for sugar beet pulp silage (SNPS) and corn silage (CS). The CO2 sensor has provided the opportunity in designing a simple and handy device with an affordable cost to measure the aerobic stability of silage as accurately as temperature measurement system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical analysis of CaCO3 contents of soils provide information about not only efficiency of soil for supplying plant with nutrients but also identification of factors affecting this efficiency in the soil. The aim of the current experiment was to develop new methods based on sensors and compare with conventional Scheibler method. The CO2 liberated by the action of HCl on CaCO3 content of the soil in a reaction bottle and an accumulation chamber was determined by pressure sensor and CO2 sensor, respectively. The CaCO3 contents of soils were estimated using the regression equation of standard curves. The CaCO3 contents of soils obtained using Scheibler calcimetric, pressure and CO2 sensor methods ranged from 0.20 to 54.74%, 0.25 to 54.10% and 0.55 to 53.05%, respectively. On the basis of linearity of calibration curve and high correlation with Scheibler calcimetric method it can be said that developed pressure and CO2 sensor methods appears to be very useful for quantification of CaCO3 contents of soils. The pressure sensor has provided the opportunity in developing a simple and handy device with an affordable cost to measure CaCO3 contents of soils as accurately as Scheibler calcimeter when compared with CO2 sensor method. Even if there is a good relationship between Scheibler calcimetric method and CO2 sensor method the cost of CO2 sensor method may limit the use in determination of CaCO3 contents of soils. However, CO2 sensor method can be used to monitor CO2 evolved in biochemical process such as respiration and fermentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]