Location: Stored Product Insect and Engineering Research
Project Number: 3020-43440-009-003-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2015
End Date: Aug 31, 2020
Objective:
Determine the effect of storage time, up to 12 months, with and without aeration on pack factors of wheat, corn, and barley during storage using field studies and computer modeling.
Approach:
These large-scale grain compaction effects require field tests to confirm laboratory and modeling results. A well-established approach to address complex physical processes like grain packing due to overbearing pressure is to measure fundamental properties (e.g., grain compressibility) in the laboratory and incorporate that in a computer model that is then validated in the field. This approach will be followed to achieve the objectives. For effect of storage time and aeration, we will use laboratory compressibility results for time under compression from our collaborators and incorporate this fundamental compressibility data into a computer model of compaction. The modifications to the computer model will be validated with field measurements of grain packing and aeration effects during long-term storage.
