Moisture Content Of Grain Research Articles

THE INFLUENCE OF ANAEROBIC CONDITIONS OF MAIZE GRAIN STORAGE ON THE CHANGES IN THE QUALITY PARAMETER “FALLING NUMBER”

In recent decades, at Ukrainian farms and grain-processing enterprises, the technology of storing grain in silo bags has become widespread. In this type of storage, anaerobic conditions are created due to the physiological respiration process, which ensures extended shelf life of freshly harvested grain. This, in turn, allows the use of low-power processing equipment for post-harvest grain processing, which is especially important for wet and moist maize as it requires powerful grain dryers. The article presents the results of a study of the effect that the initial moisture content of maize grain, the temperature and the duration of its storage under anaerobic conditions have on the Falling Number, one of the quality parameters depending on the amylase activity of the grain. The object of the study was grain samples of freshly harvested (in 2017) dent maize, the hybrid DKC 3705, with the average moisture contents 14%, 21%, and 28%, stored under anaerobic conditions for 3 months at temperatures of +18°C, +11°C, and +4°C. The Falling Number was determined by the standardized Hagberg-Perten method on a ПЧП-7 instrument (“Falling Number Apparatus”). Based on the results obtained, histograms of the kinetics of Falling Number changes have been constructed, the analysis of which made it possible to establish patterns of the changes in the Falling Number depending on the moisture content of the grain and the duration of its storage at different temperatures. It has been shown that in the maize grain samples with the initial moisture content 14%, regardless of the temperature conditions during storage for 3 months, there is a steady tendency to a gradual decrease in the Falling Number. In the maize grain samples with the initial moisture content over 14%, at the beginning of storage, there is a period of an increase in the Falling Number, the intensity of which depends on the initial moisture content of the grain and the temperature conditions of its anaerobic storage. After the completion of post-harvest maturation processes in freshly harvested maize grain, its further storage leads to a decrease in the Falling Number. To summarize the experimental data, a nonlinear empirical equation is suggested to describe the patterns of changes in the Falling Number depending on the factors studied: the moisture content of maize grain, the temperature conditions and duration of storage. Considering that the value of the Falling Number is determined by the activity of the amylase complex of the grain, it can be used as an express method of monitoring the state of grain stored in silo bags.

Assessing a dryer state using the parameters of a spent drying agent

The paper analyzes the control of regime parameters during grain drying in grain dryers. It has been established that direct monitoring of the heating temperature of grain and its humidity in the dryer column in the grain layer is complicated by the uncertainty of sensor readings placed in the layer, which is caused by a significant difference in the heating temperature of the grain as a thermolabile material and a high-temperature heat carrier. The work considers various methods of preventing fire-hazardous situations and deterioration of grain quality as a result of its overheating by traditional methods by mechanical sampling of grain from a column and measuring its temperature and humidity using dielectric, conductometric or microwave methods of measurement. In order to determine the heating temperature of the grain indirectly by the temperature of the spent drying agent, an installation has been developed. The results of its production tests, the prototype design and technical characteristics are presented. Additional production studies have been carried out to determine the change in the moisture content of grain during the drying process in the grain dryer columns by an indirect method based on the relative humidity of the spent drying agent, as well as laboratory tests on the created testbed. The studies were carried out on wheat grain, grain mixture of wheat and barley, and sunflower seeds. The studies have shown high convergence of results in temperature and good convergence in grain moisture. According to the results of joint mathematical processing of the results of production and laboratory tests, regression equations were obtained for calculating the heating temperature and grain moisture during the drying process using the parameters of the spent drying agent: temperature and its relative humidity.

A Novel, Portable and Fast Moisture Content Measuring Method for Grains Based on an Ultra-Wideband (UWB) Radar Module and the Mode Matching Method.

To perform fast and portable grain moisture measurements under field conditions, a novel moisture sensor was designed, which consisted of a coaxial waveguide, a circular waveguide, and an isolation layer. The electromagnetic characteristics of the sensor were simulated and measured. The analytical model, which represented the relationship between the reflection coefficient of the sensor and the complex permittivity of grain, was established by using the mode matching method. The reflection coefficient of the sensor was measured by using an ultra-wideband (UWB) radar module, and the moisture content of grains was calculated from the complex permittivity by using density-independent model. To verify the performance of the proposed method, wheat, rough rice, and barley were taken as examples. The measured results in the range from 1.0% to 26.0%, wet basis, agreed well with the reference values (R2 was more than 0.99), and the maximum absolute errors for wheat, rough rice, and barley were 1.1%, 1.0%, and 1.4%, respectively. In addition, the effect of isolation layer was discussed. Both the simulation results and the experimental results showed that the isolation layer improved the stability of sensor.

Moisture effects on robustness of sorghum grain protein near‐infrared spectroscopy calibration

AbstractBackground and objectivesA near‐infrared (NIR) spectroscopy method was developed for rapid and nondestructive evaluation of protein content of intact sorghum grains. Effect of grain sample moisture variation on the robustness of protein calibration was investigated.FindingsAn initial NIR protein calibration model with sorghum grains in 7.28%–11.57% moisture content range with coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.94 and standard error of cross‐validation (SECV) of 0.41%, predicted protein content of an external validation set of different varieties with R2 = 0.90, root‐mean‐square error of prediction (RMSEP) = 0.42% and bias = −0.02%. However, when grains with a wider range of moisture content (7.50%–17.75%) were used for validation, prediction errors increased with R2 = 0.72 RMSEP = 0.87% and bias = −0.32%. Inclusion of grains with a wider moisture range to the calibration set improved the performance of the calibration model with a R2 = 0.83, RMSEP = 0.67% with a bias of −0.04%.ConclusionsVariation of moisture content in grains affected the performance of the NIR protein calibration model. Likewise, inclusion of moisture variation in the calibration sample set improved the robustness of the model.Significance and noveltyIn addition to the traits of interest, variation of other physical or chemical traits should also be considered for inclusion into the calibration sample set to improve the robustness of NIR calibration models. This is especially important when NIR spectroscopy methods are developed for evaluation of breeding populations as the future grain samples from numerous crosses may be substantially diverse.

Implementing the ‘dry chain’ during storage reduces losses and maintains quality of maize grain

Maize grain quality is dependent on seed moisture content as high seed moisture leads to attack of stored grain by pests and to contamination by aflatoxin. Dry Chain is an economically viable and environmentally friendly option to overcome these problems. Dry Chain implies an initial drying of a commodity to low moisture and maintaining the low moisture throughout the supply chain. The quality of maize grain was experimentally evaluated after 4 months storage at 8, 10, 12 and 14% seed moisture content (SMC) in traditional packaging materials (paper, woven polypropylene, jute and cloth) and in hermetic bags (Super Bags) at Faisalabad, Pakistan. Results revealed significant changes in moisture content of grain stored in traditional packaging materials with varying environmental relative humidity, but moisture contents remained stable and low in the hermetically-sealed bags. Grain stored in Super Bags with 8% and 10% moisture content maintained high germination (93% and 88% after 2 and 4 months storage, respectively) and high starch and crude protein content. Higher concentrations of malondialdehyde (a measure of oxidative damage) and aflatoxins were observed in seeds stored at 14% SMC in both the sealed Super Bags and traditional packaging materials. The main benefit of the hermetically-sealed bags was reduction in incidence of the lesser grain borer (Rhyzopertha dominica). Damage and storage losses caused by the borer over a period of 4 months were 10% higher in conventional storage bags. In conclusion, insect populations and associated storage losses, and deterioration of maize seed quality with respect to loss of germination, food reserves and increased aflatoxin contamination can be controlled by maintaining the Dry Chain through hermetic storage of maize grain at 8% and 10% SMCs.

Effect of moisture content on some physical properties of HQPM 5 quality protein maize (Zea mays)

This study on HQPM 5 quality protein maize was performed to investigate the effect of moisture content on the selected physical properties, as the knowledge about the physical properties of this grain is important for designing processing machineries. For this purpose, moisture content of grains was varied from 9% to 25%, wet basis (wb). In this study moisture content range, the average length, width, thickness, surface area, volume, geometric mean diameter and arithmetic mean diameter of quality protein maize grains increased significantly (PË‚0.01) from 9.2476 to 10.2033 mm, 7.8684 to 8.2641 mm, 3.8572 to 4.7139 mm, 138.433 to 158.0703 mm2, 107.40 to 138.83 mm3, 6.6445 to 7.0822 mm and 7.1304 to 7.5485 mm respectively, with increase of moisture content. A nonlinear significant increase of grain sphericity from 68.7438 to 76.2248 was observed in the studied moisture range. Thousand grain weight, true density, porosity and angle of repose increased linearly (P<0.01) from 223 to 253 g, 1110 to 1290 kg/m3, 22.2087 to 34.4594 and 24o to 37.03o, whereas bulk density decreased linearly (P<0.01) from 982.4 to 812 kg/m3. In the considered range of moisture content, all of these physical properties exhibited moisture dependence according to linear relationships except the sphericity.

Methods and results of identification of natural interconnection of grain and an ear during ripening and complete ripeness

The new and complete scientific knowledge and information on the physical and mechanical characteristics and morphological traits of the ear of plants are necessary to design and develop less energy-intensive and less injurious threshing methods. The purpose of the research is to establish a change in the coupling strengths of kernels and ear during a ripening period, taking into account the grain moisture and varietal characteristics of winter wheat. It was established that the maximum values of the coupling strengths of spikelet scales and kernels with an ear during the daytime were 17.84 N for the variety “Admiral” and 11.6 N for the variety “Luchezar”. The coupling strengths of kernels and ear and the force of kernel separation effort from the ear significantly depend on: 1) varietal traits of winter wheat (more than in 2 times); 2) humidity of plants during the period of ripening and harvesting time, depending on the variety from 30 to 100%; 3) changes in the moisture content of grain and an ear due to precipitation in 1.5–2.0 times.

Microcontroller-based control system for safe grain storage in silo

This study developed a control system that could continuously monitor temperature and relative humidity, measure moisture content non-destructively, and control storage condition to a safe level. The developed control system used Arduino program because it is an open source and the components of the hardware are locally available. It was evaluated using small-scale metal silo during wet season at the University of the Philippines - Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. During the evaluation, the average temperature, relative humidity, and dewpoint temperature of the ambient air were 27 °C, 87 %, and 24 °C respectively. These parameters are not favourable for safe grain storage, however, the developed control system monitors the storage condition inside the silo and regulate the environment by switching on and off a fan and heater. The average temperature and water activity of the stored grains were 34°C and 0.65 respectively. Though there was an increase in relative humidity and decrease of temperature inside the silo, the condition was still within the safe level for storage. This was proven by the low moisture content (12.0%) of the stored grains in the controlled silo. During the evaluation period, the moisture content of the grains stored in the conventional silo was maintained at its initial 14% moisture however, it showed a fluctuation trend. The developed device which also reads moisture content with a mean difference value of 0.25% meets the acceptable tolerance of 0.5% for a meter to like-type meter standard. Hence, this confirms the acceptable reading of the device.

Grain quality in wheat—Impact of disease management

Abstract Winter wheat is commonly attacked by a range of major leaf diseases like septoria tritici blotch (Zymoseptoria tritici) (STB), yellow rust (Puccinia striiformis) (YR) and powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis) (PM), which have significant negative impacts on yields. Fungicides can mitigate these yield reductions and stabilize yields, mainly by helping to maintain green leaf area during grain filling. Trial data collected in the period 2007–2017 were analysed for links between disease control, yields and impact on grain quality parameters. The fungicides applied in this study were typically appropriate rates of mixtures of fungicides belonging to azoles, strobilurins and SDHIs and data represent different fungicide strategies carried out in different varieties, seasons and localities. Yield correlated positively to grain quality parameters such as thousand grain weight (TGW), specific weight (TW) and grain starch content (GSC). A negative correlation between yield and grain protein content (GPC) was found, while a strong positive correlation was measured between GPC and grain gluten content (GGC). Yield also correlated to % STB severity and % green leaf area (GLA). Overall, fungicide control strategies increased grain yields, TGW, TW and GSC significantly compared to untreated. No significant differences were measured between these parameters for three different strategies using either one or two treatments or treatments according to a decision support system. When treated and untreated plots were compared, a small but still significant reduction of GPC from 10.5% in untreated to 10.2% in fungicide treated plots was measured. Specific trials investigating impact from three dose rates of fungicides showed that full rate increased yield, TGW, TW and GSC significantly compared with the 25% of standard rate, while no significant differences for untreated and the three tested dose rates could be measured for GPC, GGC or grain moisture content (GMC). In four specifically analysed varieties with similar yields, TGW, GPC, GSC, TW and GMC were genotype specific and varied significantly between the four analysed varieties. In 57 trials with severe attack of either STB, YR or PM fungicides provided similar yield responses. Control of all three diseases reduced the GPC significantly. Control of YR and PM were found to have similar impacts on GPC, while STB had a steeper negative impact on GPC.

Вихід високоякісного насіння кукурудзи в залежності від густоти стояння рослин

Studied the question of the optimal density of standing plants parent forms of corn, as the self-pollinated lines and simple interline hybrids in areas that affect hybridization yields and their seed productivity. The research was conducted during 2014-2017 in the Right-bank Forest-steppe of Ukraine in the LLC Agrofirma Kolos of the Skvyra district of the Kyiv region. Field experiments included options for studying the effectiveness of the plant density of parental forms of corn: simple hybrids, Rist SV, Rushnik SV, Richka S (75, 85 and 95 thousand / ha), self-pollinated lines UR 9 zS, UR 331 SV, UR 12 zS 85, 95 and 105 thousand hectares). According to research results, the density of plant standing significantly influences the formation of individual productivity of parent forms (hybrids) of corn. It was established that the highest values of the mass index of 1000 grains were all formed by the density of stems of 75 000 / ha. Increasing the density resulted in a reduction in the mass of 1000 grains. The analysis of the results shows that there is a connection not only between the moisture content of the grain and the density of the seed, but also the morphological characteristics of the hybrids of corn. It was noted that when the density of sowing increased, the moisture content of corn grain was naturally elevated. The lowest percentage of moisture was low in grain with a density of 75 000 / ha, and the most humid one was a density of 95 000 / ha. It has been established that the recommended plant densities contribute to the formation of higher yields, low harvesting moisture and increased yield of conditioned seeds. Key words: corn, sowing norms, parental forms, self-pollinated lines, hybrids, seed productivity, seed moisture, weight of 1000 grains, yield of conditioned seeds, climatic conditions. Conclusions: As a result of studies found: - optimum standing thick which makes it possible to get the highest yield of certified seed of hybrids for Rist SV and Rushnyk SV, density is 75 thousand / ha; - for hybrid Richka S, self-pollinated lines UR 9 zS and UR 12 zS- 85 thousand / ha; - for self-winded line UR 331 SV - 95 thousand / ha; To obtain high yields of corn seeds, the above hybrids and self-pollinated lines should be grown at the recommended standing density.

Maize Grain Stored in Hermetic Bags: Effect of Moisture and Pest Infestation on Grain Quality

Maize (Zea mays) is an important staple food crop produced by the majority of smallholder farmers that provides household food security through direct consumption and income generation. However, postharvest grain losses caused by insect pests during storage pose a major constraint to household food security. Hermetic storage technology is an alternative method that minimises postharvest losses by depleting oxygen and increasing carbon dioxide levels within the storage container through metabolic respiration of the grains, insects, and microorganism. Maize grain was stored for 180 days in hermetic bags or open-weave polypropylene bags to compare quality preservation when subject to initial grain moisture contents of 12, 14, 16, and 18 percent and infestation by Sitophilus zeamais. The moisture content of grain in hermetic bags remained unchanged while in polypropylene bags decreased. Dry grains (12% moisture content) stored well in hermetic bags and suffered 1.2% weight loss while for equivalent grains in polypropylene bags the weight loss was 35.8%. Moist grains (18% moisture content) recorded the lowest insect density (7 adults/kg grain) in hermetic bags while polypropylene bags had the highest (1273 adults/kg grain). Hermetic and polypropylene bags recorded the lowest (0–4 adults/kg grain) and highest (16–41 adults/kg grain) Prostephanus truncatus population, respectively. Discoloured grains were 4, 6, and 12 times more in grains at 14, 16, and 18 than 12 percent moisture content in hermetic bags. Grains at 18% moisture content recorded significantly lower oxygen (10.2%) and higher carbon dioxide (18.9%) levels. Holes made by P. truncatus in the hermetic bags were observed. In conclusion, storage of moist grains (14–18% moisture content) in hermetic bags may pose health risk due to grain discolouration caused by fungal growth that produces mycotoxins if the grains enter the food chain. The study was on only one site which was hot and dry and further investigation under cool, hot, and humid conditions is required.

Barley: Effect of airflow reversal on fixed bed drying

This study evaluated drying barley in a fixed bed dryer either reversing the airflow every 10 min or with a conventional airflow input, with no reversal, and investigated the moisture distribution along the fixed bed and the effect of temperature and initial moisture content on the drying rates. Drying experiments were carried out under two air temperatures (40 °C and 50 °C), one air velocity (4.0 m/s), and three initial moisture contents (25%, 20% and 13.5% in a wet basis). The drying rates varied through the fixed bed height. As expected, for a high initial moisture content of grains, the process heterogeneity was higher than with grains at a low initial moisture content. At 50 °C, drying with an airflow reversal presented a better process homogeneity, and conventional drying led to improved energy performance. These results can be attributed to the shorter time required to achieve moisture content around 12% at 50 °C.

STUDY OF GRAIN DRYING IN THE AUTOMATED GRAIN DRYING UNIT

Mine and column grain dryers are a fairly complex object of control in the production line. The process of grain drying is characterized by a large number of parameters, quantitatively and qualitatively characterizing the dryer operation. First of all, this includes the criteria of maximum performance and minimum deviations of the moisture content of the dried grain from the standard values. These criteria, as studies show, are interconnected with each other: an increase in the performance П of the dryer leads to an increase in the moisture content of the grain coming out of it, and, conversely, an attempt to reduce the moisture content of grain causes the need to reduce the performance П. (Research purpose) The research purpose is to develop the expression for the transfer functions of the of grain flow control depending on perturbations of the initial moisture content and the maximum grain temperature, as well as to conduct experimental studies. (Materials and methods) The authors have developed simplified mathematical models of moisture perturbation compensation of grain coming in for drying and its heating temperature in a drying chamber by changing the dryer performance on the basis of theoretical-and-experimental studies. (Results and discussion). The authors have obtained expressions to control the process performance when the current humidity and temperature change through the dryer performance parameters as a function of grain moisture flow and heat used to grain heating up to an acceptable temperature. Farm tests of developed transition management functions have been implemented for dryer SZT-16 controlled by PLC S7-1200 Siemens and operating in an automatic mode. Tests have been conducted on the “Babachev” farm, Karachev district of the Bryansk region in the process of drying food wheat grain. (Conclusion) It has been confirmed that the dryer performance is determined not only by the rated capacity but also by the deviation of the current moisture content of grain from the specified values and by the ratio of the amount of heat used for evaporating and heating. The dryer performance at constant initial humidity is determined by its rated performance, the maximum specified difference of grain temperatures, as well as the ratio of the amounts of heat used for evaporating and heating.

Gacela H72: híbrido de maíz precoz para áreas de temporal y riego del Altiplano Central de México

Debido al cambio climático que se manifiesta en distribución irregular de la precipitación pluvial menor cantidad de ésta o su incidencia en temporal retrasado y mayor temperatura, surge el problema de falta de híbridos de maíz precoz sobre todo para regiones de bajo y mediano potencial productivo de la mesa central de México, las cuales cubren 1 200 000 ha de la superficie cultivada. El híbrido de maíz precoz Gacela H72, se generó para responder a esas condiciones del cambio climático, ya que es un híbrido doble de ciclo precoz y gran rusticidad, presenta crecimiento y desarrollo vigoroso en la etapa vegetativa inicial, por lo cual supera en porte de planta a otros híbridos de maíz durante los 30 días después de la emergencia, es tolerante a la sequía en etapa vegetativa y reproductiva y rinde bien en condiciones de baja fertilización química. Su rendimiento tiene un rango de 3 a 11 t ha-1 el cual supera a las variedades criollas 50% y a híbridos comerciales privados 20%. Presenta su periodo a espigamiento entre los 95 y 100 días a altitudes de 2 600 m donde otros híbridos y variedades lo alcanzan a 110 y 115 días. Es resistente al carbón de la espiga (Sphaceloteca reiliana) y a la pudrición de la mazorca (Fusarium spp.) y tiene calidad nixtamalera-tortillera. Gacela H72, por ser híbrido doble, posee progenitores de mayor productividad en semilla que otros híbridos, su progenitor hembra rinde 7.5 t ha-1 en Valles Altos, lo cual concede 25% más rentabilidad en la producción de semilla registrada y certificada respecto a otros híbridos. Su porte de planta facilita la siembra intensiva con 70 000 plantas ha-1 y con siembra a doble hilera a 100 000 plantas ha-1 se logran rendimientos de 10 a 11 t ha-1. La cosecha se realiza a 150 días con una humedad en grano de 25%, por lo que la mazorca debe someterse a un proceso de secado (14% humedad). En áreas de riego y buen temporal tiene potencial para la producción de forraje. El principal impacto económico del Gacela H72 es la diferencia de 3 a 4 t ha-1 sobre el rendimiento de la variedad criolla, lo cual representa de 12 000.00 a 16 000.00 pesos ha-1, lo que hace rentable la producción de maíz.

A grain moisture model based on capacitive sensor

This study starts with the principles of the variable dielectric-type cylindrical capacitive sensor, conducts the theoretical analysis after dielectric is divided into three phases (solid, liquid and gas), determines the relation between dielectric constant and other influence factors through the least squares fitting method, makes compensation for such factors as temperature, grain variety and air void ratio, builds the mathematical model of grain moisture content(GMC) through the variable dielectric-type cylindrical capacitive sensor, and suggests the capacitance measurement method based on pulse-width modulation. The experiment result shows that the suggested capacitance measurement method can accurately measure micro-(pF-class) capacitance, and the theoretical value of GMC as produced by this mathematical model falls within an allowable error range when compared to actual value, so this model proves to be rational.

Theoretical rationale and identification of heat and mass transfer processes in vibration dryers with IR-energy supply

The paper contains theoretical substantiation of the processes of radiation-convective heat and mass transfer between all the defining objects inside the vibration dryer with IR energy supply. The presented equations, developed on the basis of the heat and material balance, describe the basic dynamic characteristics of the drying mode for oil-bearing grain material in a continuously operating IR dryer.Since there is no exact analytic solution of the presented mathematical model shaped as a system of differential equations with partial derivatives, the authors propose an approximate solution. The latter allows identifying the dependences between the distribution of temperature and moisture content of grain and oil-containing materials along the length of the dryer for any moment of time.The numerical solution of the reduced mathematical model is possible only with the presence of certain interconnected kinetic coefficients. The kinetic coefficients can not be found experimentally by direct measurements; therefore, the article proposes a method to overcome these difficulties. The presented approximate analytical solution of the synthesized mathematical model, with the use of the method of inverse problems, has allowed determining sets of coefficients by the results of the experimental identification of dehydration. In the future, experimentally identified parametric complexes of the model can be used in the analysis of the drying process for approximate solutions or for further exact numerical solution.Experimental studies of dehydration of grain material have proved that when the power of an IR source is increased from 400 to 500 W, the time for drying from the initial moisture content of 11 % to 8.75 % decreases from 9 to 7 minutes. It is determined that the Rebinder effect characterizing the dampness and thermal properties of the material decreases with a decrease in the moisture content from 0.04 at 11 % to 0.01 at 9 %. This is interesting from the practical point of view as the obtained results and the developed mathematical model can be used for increasing the energy efficiency of the processes of thermal drying in typical facilities that prepare oil-bearing grain materials for their processing.

Modeling of urease thermal inactivation processes in soybean at high-temperature micronization

The use of soybean, in particular in forage production without preliminary heat treatment is not appropriate, and sometimes dangerous, because of the presence of antinutrients. As a marker in assessing safety of cakes and meals, there is often used urease in forage production. This paper describes the results of thermal inactivation of urease in soybean during the process of high-temperature micronization (heating of grain in the flux of infrared radiation). There have been obtained the empirical dependencies of the degree of its inactivation on time of heat treatment and energy exposure (the product of irradiation by the time of treatment). The similar dependences of urease activity on grain temperature are invariant to infrared heating (irradiation and time) regimes, but their nature is affected by the initial moisture content. The paper proposes the models of inactivation of antinutrients based on of the first-order equations of chemical kinetics with the reaction rate constant in various forms (Arrhenius and Hinshelwood, the transition state theory). The models have been tested on literature data on the inactivation of a trypsin inhibitor at a constant temperature. The models are further refined taking into account the variable (increasing) temperature and are reduced to the simplest form: Y= k [Exp (-εR/T) - T0 еxp (-εR/T0)], where T, T0- are the current and initial temperatures of grain, k, εR - theempirical coefficients. The identification of the model coefficients was carried out based on the results of inactivation of urease during heating in the flux of infrared radiation. It has been established that the results of thermal inactivation of soybean do not depend on the IR processing regimes and are determined only by the initial moisture content of grain, and by the end heating temperature. The efficiency of inactivation is higher the higher is the used irradiation. There is a compensating effect - with the growth in one coefficient, another is also increased. The considered models can be used for the thermal degradation processes and other thermolabile substances.

ANALISIS RAGAM GENETIK, HERITABILITAS, DAN SIDIK LINTAS KARAKTER AGRONOMIK JAGUNG HIBRIDA SILANG TUNGGAL

The success of selection in plant breeding program is determined by genetic variabiliities, heritability values and the correlation between agronomic characters and yield. The study aims to determine the genetic variability, heritability and the effec of agronomic characters to grain yield. The experiment was conducted in February to May 2016 in Grobogan, Central Java. The experiment consists of twelve genotypes of maize hybrids, arranged in a randomized block design with three replications. The characters observed were plant height, ear height, number of harvested ear, shelling percentage, moisture content of grain harvested, weight of 100 grains, ear length, ear diameter, number of rows per ear, number of seeds per row per ear, and grain yields. The results showed that the genetic variability of agronomic characters was broad, except ear diameter. Almost all of the heritability values of yield components were high, except harvested ear weight and ear diameter. The characters of plant height, ear height and as the genotypic gave high of a direct effect on the yield higher, while direct effect of the phenotypic character of ear hairves on grain yield are higher.

High Humidity Grain Periodic Drying

Grain of high humidity, as a rule, is characterized by the excessive non-homogeneity of this indicator. (Purpose of research) Calculation and experimental verification of the handling capacity of the grain drying facility with the original unaltered humidity and the capacity of the binning bunker. In the dryer of continuous functioning uneven drying is not as large as in the dryer of periodic action, the dried grain is get mixed in the reloading and transporting devices. The degree of mixing, and hence the degree of equalization of the dried grain mass by humidity depend on the type and design of these devices, but the moisture content of individual grains is not equalized. (Materials and methods) It was noted that the most effective drying uniformity is achieved by recycling method. It is used in agriculture rarely, but circulation method is used often, especially in periodical drying. During circulating drying of grain in the over-drying bunker there is a bin, in which the moisture content of individual grains is leveled. Assuming that the moisture content is leveled by means of contact mass transfer, mathematical modeling of the grain drying process with higher initial unevenness is carried out. (Results and discussion) It was found that, when one dries grain with less homogeneous humidity, to obtain high quality grain, it is necessary to reduce the input bandwidth of the plant or equip it with a bin with a higher grain capacity. (Conclusions) The input bandwidth capacity of the periodic plant for grain is a function of the capacity of the brew hopper, the speed of the contact mass transfer, the number of cycles and the unevenness of the initial moisture content of the grain. The capacity of the binning hopper is equal to the product of the initial irregularity of the drying, and the capacity of the drying chamber divided by the contact mass transfer. Business analysis of grain drying with unaligned initial humidity is done

On-farm comparison of different postharvest storage technologies in a maize farming system of Tanzania Central Corridor

Seven methods for storing maize were tested and compared with traditional storage of maize in polypropylene bags. Twenty farmers managed the experiment under their prevailing conditions for 30 weeks. Stored grain was assessed for damage every six weeks. The dominant storage insect pests identified were the Maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais) and the Red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum). The moisture content of grain in hermetic conditions increased from 12.5 ± 0.2% at the start of storage to a range of 13.0 ± 0.2–13.5 ± 0.2% at 30 weeks. There was no significant difference (F = 87.09; P < 0.0001) regarding insect control and grain damage between hermetic storage and fumigation with insecticides. However, the insecticide treatment of polypropylene yarn (ZeroFly®) did not control the insect populations for the experimental period under farmers' management. Grain damage was significantly lower in hermetic storage and fumigated grain than ZeroFly® and polypropylene bags without fumigation. No significant difference in grain damage was found between airtight treatment alone and when combined with the use of insecticides. During storage, S. zeamais was predominant and could be of more economic importance than T. castaneum as far as maize damage is concerned. At 30 weeks, the germination rate of grain stored with insecticides or in hermetic storage (68.5 ± 3.6% to 81.4 ± 4.0%) had not significantly reduced from the rate before storage (F = 15.55; P < 0.0001) except in ZeroFly®, also in polypropylene bags without treatment. Even though such bags did not control storage pests, farmers still liked this cheap technology. Hermetic storage techniques can be recommended to farmers without the use of insecticides provided they are inexpensive, and the proper application of technologies is ensured.