New testing set to reveal back pressures for Australian grain under aeration. Achieving sufficient airflow is essential for effective grain aeration, and back pressure – the resistance to airflow through the grain – is one of the important variables determining success. But much of the information used to determine aeration back pressure is outdated and was generated under Northern Hemisphere conditions.
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Ground-level fumigation offers safety benefits to growers but takes a new set of skills to get right
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Fumigation results rely on a gas-tight sealable storage to achieve the required gas concentrations and exposure times (C x T) to kill all insect pest life stages. In larger silos (150 to 2000 tonnes) recirculating gases using a small fan during the fumigation ensures rapid, uniform distribution of phosphine gas
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Explore the GroundCover Supplement: Grain Storage (Issue 119, Nov–Dec 2015), featuring the latest research, grower case studies, and practical strategies for on-farm grain storage. Topics include phosphine resistance, aeration cooling, nitrogen storage technology, grain hygiene, and tools helping growers improve grain quality and profitability.
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Independent engineers and grain storage specialists have demonstrated that the sun’s energy can be harnessed to keep silos that are located away from a mains power supply cool and insect-free. Tests in a 75-tonne silo at Wyalkatchem, Western Australia, 200 kilometres northeast of Perth, by independent engineers. Ben White and Josh Giumelli and grain storage specialists Chris Warrick and Peter Botta showed it is possible to build an energy-efficient, solarpowered. aeration-cooling system.
Continue readingNew insights into the ecology of three major
insect pests of stored grain have implications
for farm hygiene practices
WA growers will put controlled-atmosphere technology through its paces this harvest,
as part of research into chemical-free alternatives for stored-grain insect control
It seems unlikely there will be a single solution to replace the highly effective phosphine. Rather, a suite of alternatives will be required, applied with tactical precision to extend the life of phosphine and maintain Australia’s export commitment of nil live insects in grain shipments
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Replacing oxygen in grain storage silos with nitrogen has proven an effective way to remove insects at all stages of their life cycle, leaving stored grain – be it wheat or canola – preserved, residue-free and subject to no withholding periods.
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This GRDC GroundCover feature brings together two articles exploring the benefits of aeration cooling in grain storage, including solar-powered aeration systems and research showing how cooler grain temperatures can reduce insect pressure and help slow phosphine resistance development.
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