Temperature control for preventing postharvest plagues in grain conservation

Abstract

The postharvest insect plagues are the main cause of grain quality lost

during storage period, fundamentally in tropical climate zones due to the

high values of temperature and humidity. The storage in Refrigerated

Metallic Storehouses (RMS) is one of the principal technologies for the

conservation of large grain quantities during long time period. The atmospheric

variables are modified by using vehicles equipped with cool air

compressors which are shared among several storehouses. The inadequate

usage of these cold carts causes that temperature and/or humidity in the

RMS run out of the specifications for the maize conservation.

This research aims to analyse and forecast the temperature and humidity

behavior in a RMS in order to evaluate and to improve the cooling process.

A forecasting model for the temperature in the RMS is built using trend

lines, which is employed to plan the adequate usage of the cold carts.