PRC ABE key terms

A licensed engineering discipline in the Philippines that applies engineering principles to agricultural production, processing, irrigation, environment, and rural infrastructure, integrating biological systems with engineering design and management.

Living systems and their interactions with the physical environment, including plants, animals, microorganisms, soil, and water, treated as engineering systems for analysis and design.

Mechanical equipment used in farm operations such as tillage, planting, harvesting, threshing, and transport, designed for field conditions and crop-specific performance requirements.

The formal process of measuring a machine's performance, safety, and durability against published standards, producing test reports used for certification and farmer information.

The horizontal force needed to pull an implement through soil or crop, determined by soil resistance, working width, depth, and speed, and used to size tractors and match implements.

The rate at which a machine completes a field operation per unit time, expressed as area per hour and adjusted for turns, loading, and other non-productive time.

Mechanical manipulation of soil to prepare a seedbed, control weeds, or improve aeration and infiltration, using primary implements that break soil and secondary implements that refine it.

A farming system based on minimum soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, and crop rotation, aimed at reducing erosion, conserving moisture, and maintaining soil health.

The planning, design, and management of systems that supply water to crops and remove excess water from land, covering canals, pumps, pipes, and drainage structures.

The total water needed by a crop over its growing season, usually estimated from reference evapotranspiration multiplied by a crop coefficient and adjusted for local conditions.

The combined loss of water from soil and plant surfaces by evaporation and from plants by transpiration, driven by solar radiation, temperature, humidity, and wind.

The fraction of water delivered to a field that is beneficially used by the crop, accounting for losses in conveyance, distribution, and application.

The design rate of water removal from a field or watershed, expressed as depth per day or flow per unit area, used to size drains and outlets.

The water content held in soil pores, described by gravimetric or volumetric measures and by tension, which determines water availability to plants and irrigation timing.

Detachment and transport of soil particles by water or wind, influenced by slope, cover, soil texture, and rainfall intensity, and controlled by vegetative and structural measures.

An empirical model estimating long-term average annual soil loss as the product of rainfall erosivity, soil erodibility, slope length and steepness, cover management, and support practice factors.

Handling, drying, storing, and processing operations applied after harvest to preserve quality, reduce losses, and add value to agricultural products.

The amount of water in a product, expressed on a wet or dry basis, which governs storage stability, drying time, and product weight for sale.

Removal of moisture from harvested grain by heated or unheated air to reach a safe storage level, using batch, continuous-flow, or solar dryers.

The moisture level at which a product neither gains nor loses water to surrounding air at a given temperature and relative humidity, used to set safe storage conditions.

An uninterrupted series of refrigerated storage and transport steps that keeps perishable products within a required temperature range from harvest to consumer.

Production of crops inside structures where temperature, humidity, light, and carbon dioxide are regulated to optimize growth and extend growing seasons.

Structures and ventilation systems designed to provide livestock with adequate space, air quality, temperature control, and waste management for health and productivity.

Collection, storage, treatment, and land application of animal wastes to reduce pollution, control odors, and recover nutrients or energy.

A combustible gas, mainly methane and carbon dioxide, produced by anaerobic digestion of organic wastes and usable for cooking, heating, or power generation.

Energy from sources that are naturally replenished, such as solar, wind, hydro, and biomass, applied in rural and agricultural settings to reduce fossil fuel dependence.

Radiant energy from the sun captured by thermal collectors or photovoltaic panels for drying, heating, pumping, or electricity generation on farms.

The study of the occurrence, movement, and distribution of water in the environment, including rainfall, runoff, infiltration, and streamflow used in water resources design.

An area of land that drains all precipitation to a common outlet, used as the unit for planning water resources, erosion control, and land use.

The portion of rainfall that flows over the land surface or through the soil to streams, estimated from rainfall, soil, land cover, and watershed characteristics.

Buildings and facilities such as barns, sheds, silos, and greenhouses designed to resist wind, seismic, and gravity loads while serving agricultural functions.

A structured study predicting the environmental effects of a proposed project and identifying measures to avoid, reduce, or offset significant adverse impacts.

Management of farming using sensors, positioning, and data analysis to vary inputs within a field and improve efficiency and crop outcomes.

Planning and design of systems for handling crop residues and animal wastes through reuse, composting, treatment, or disposal while protecting water and air quality.

Application of engineering principles to convert raw agricultural materials into safe, stable food products through unit operations such as heating, cooling, and drying.