February 2006 

The NRCS Plant Materials Program newsletter for the conservation community 

New Porthole Device Eases Inspection and Cleaning of Combines 

We all know that keeping equipment clean can 

greatly increase its lifespan, and this is especially 

true for the complicated machine known as the 

combine. With thousands of moving parts 

combines create lots of areas for seed and crop 

residue to lodge and eventually choke the system. 

And getting to these areas through the provided 

access panels is often difficult and time consuming. 

quality seed for distribution to commercial growers, 

any device that can improve this process is 

welcomed and can be put to good use. 

“It is critical that this material be removed to avoid 

contamination between crops, and is imperative 

when harvesting foundation seed as well as seed 

increase, and for scientific yield studies,” said 

Longren. 

Adding to this gunkfilled problem is a mess 

called crop residue. 

Crop residue contains 

moisture and, if left in a 

combine, this moisture 

leads to corrosion. This 

corrosion can attract 

rodents that cause a 

variety of problems from 

disease to chewedhydraulic hoses and 

frayed-electrical wiring. 

Installed Port Hole 

source: Manhattan, Kansas Plant Materials Center 

Many species of native 

plants mature at roughly 

the same time, creating a 

short window of 

opportunity for harvest. 

A faster turn-around 

time between harvests 

will increase yields by 

decreasing the amount 

of crop losses from 

‘shattering’ (the process 

of seeds falling out of a 

seed head before 

“Cleaning combines is important for those 

interested in harvesting a variety of crops,” said 

Jerry Longren, a biological science technician at the 

Manhattan, Kansas, Plant Materials Center (PMC). 

“To aid in the cleaning of the combines at the PMC, 

I developed the “porthole” to provide access into 

hard to reach areas.” 

These ‘hard to reach’ areas may not be as important 

to a farmer who only harvests wheat and corn, but 

to those harvesting a variety of small grains, native 

grasses, or native forbs, it becomes especially 

important, simply because leftover crop residue 

contains a substantial amount of seed material. 

And since all the National Plant Materials 

Program’s 26 PMC’s strive to produce the highest 

harvest), and by 

avoiding unfavorable environmental conditions that 

inhibit harvest. 

“These portholes can be placed strategically on the 

combine to aid in the inspection and cleaning, 

before and after harvest,” said Alan Shadow, an 

agronomist at the Manhattan Kansas, PMC. “This 

increases efficiency by decreasing the amount of 

down time for cleaning in between harvests, and 

allows for a more thorough cleaning, which 

decreases cross contamination between crops.” 

For more information on constructing portholes 

contact: Jerry Longren, 

Jerry.Longren@ks.usda.gov, or Alan Shadow, 

Alan.Shadow@ks.usda.gov, Manhattan, KS PMC 

Plant Materials Program

Visit us: http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov 
Great Basin Plant Materials Center in Fallon, Nevada Closer to Reality 

A proposed Great Basin Plant Materials Center, to 

be located at the University of Nevada, Reno’s 

Newlands Field Laboratory, is one step closer to 

reality. 

A lease agreement and memorandum of 

understanding between the University’s Nevada 

Agricultural Experiment Station and the USDA’s 

Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), 

which will operate the center, were signed in 

December. The agreements define the terms of the 

lease and operational details between the University 

and NRCS. 

Fallon, NV Plant Materials Center Service Area 

“This agreement is very good news,” said Senator 

Harry Reid (D-NV). “It will allow us to move 

forward on projects that will protect the fragile and 

beautiful environment in the Great Basin and across 

Northern Nevada.” 

The existing PMCs that serve Nevada are too far 

away and too overloaded to provide adequate and 

timely assistance. Having a PMC located in Nevada 

will accelerate the revegetation, restoration and 

environmental enhancement efforts taking place in 

the Great Basin. 

“We are pleased to be working with the University 

and other partners to build this plant materials 

center,” said Richard Vigil, state conservationist for 

NRCS. “This center will focus on keeping the 

Great Basin ecosystem healthy.” 

Plant materials generated by the center will be used 

for purposes such as restoring lands after fires and 

preventing the spread of invasive weeds. 

The Great Basin Plant Materials Center is the first 

plant materials center to be opened by the NRCS in 

17 years. Sen. Reid secured federal appropriations 

to help create the center. 

The University is working with NRCS to hand over 

the property. The University will retain the use of 

28 acres of the property for its own use. The Plant 

Materials Center is in the planning stages. Though a 

lease agreement has been signed, it may take some 

time before the center is fully operational. 

For more information on the new PMC go to: 

http://www.nv.nrcs.usda.gov/Great_Basin_PMC. 

html 

Contact: Liz Warner, NRCS Nevada 

(775) 857-8500 ext. 105, Liz.Warner@nv.usda.gov

Our Mission Statement: Deliver plant-science technology to meet the nation’s natural resources conservation needs. 

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Visit us: http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov