Study how Insect pests spoil Food Grains

Our Objective

To study how insect pests spoil food grains.

 

The Theory

Food Grain Storage

Storage of the food grains is an important task after harvesting. After harvesting the food grains should be packed and stored carefully without any damage. The grains must be dried to prevent  spoilage by organisms.

Grain spoilage

The deterioration or damage of grain is generally known as grain spoilage. The bacteria, fungi and insects play key role in spoilage. Post-harvest spoilage may occur during harvesting, processing, transportation and storage. Changes in colour, smell, taste and loss in nutrients etc. are the reasons for the losses of food grain quality. Grain loss is a measurable decrease in total grain yield that can affect both the quantity and quality of grain yield. In the case of insect pests commonly Weevils causes food grain spoilage. For example, Rice weevil and the Granary weevil (Wheat weevil) are commonly visible food spoiled grains.

 

 

Prevention

The grains are properly dried in the sunlight to prevent the spoilage by insect pests, other organisms and also for long time storage. Neem leaves were generally used for long time storage in home. And for the large-scale protection of grains farmers usually use big go-downs, silos and they use some chemical treatments to protect the grains from insect pests. Using moisture meter to evaluate the grain's moisture content before sending to storage is essential for grain producers, traders, and aggregators

 

 

Learning Outcomes

  • Students learn about storage.
  • Students learn about grain spoilage and the reasons for spoilage.
  • Students learn about the prevention of grain spoilage.