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Aeration Management
Project personnel: Frank
Arthur, Paul Flinn,
James
Throne, Dirk Maier, Charles
Woloshuk, Carl Reed
Simulated field research (Arthur
1994, 1995, Arthur and Throne 1995), and modeling
studies based on historical weather data (Arthur and Johnson 1995,
Arthur et al. 1998), have
demonstrated the potential for the expanded use of controlled low-volume
aeration on corn stored in the southern
United States and wheat in Kansas (Reed and Harner
1998). Modeling research has also shown the benefits of aeration for
corn stored in the northern United
States (Arthur and coworkers, unpublished data). In modeling studies
with stored wheat, an additional summer aeration cycle reduced
populations of the rusty grain
beetle below levels obtained with the standard autumn and winter cooling
cycles (Flinn et al. 1997, Arthur and Flinn
2000). These studies have demonstrated the benefits
of aeration, and provided practical guidelines for using aeration in
different geographic regions of the
U.S. to control insect pests in bulk grains. As part of the proposed
research, new modeling studies will be conducted specifically to
evaluate different aeration
management strategies for stored wheat and stored corn. Simulated
field research in small-scale bins will be
conducted to validate the population models.
By further understanding aeration and
its influence on the heat and mass transfer during
storage it is believed that food safety issues related to fungi,
mycotoxin and insect development can
be economically slowed to levels that do not require the application of
chemical pesticides to the stored product
itself. Crops that are harvested during the summer,
such as oats, wheat, and rice, can result in grain temperature during
storage of 20°-30°C
that are optimal for stored-product insects. In both of these cases
grain chilling may be an effective
alternative to ambient aeration (Maier, 1992). However, a substantial
amount of electrical energy is required to
chill a bin; however, costs are comparable or less
than fumigation costs. If a bin was cooled with ambient air in the fall
and winter, then partial chilling
could be used during the summer, and the electric energy consumption
of a chiller would be significantly reduced (Montross, 1999). |
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