SENSING ALLIED TO MONITORING THE CONSERVATION OF STORED GRAINS

Abstract

Grain production in Brazil presents quantitatively and qualitatively irregular harvests, highlighting the need for knowledge about the dynamics of bottlenecks and post-harvest strategies due to loss rates, a reflection of cultural problems and historical deficiencies in the country's agricultural policy. With difficulties in establishing processing units and storage structures on properties, there has been a regional centralization of warehouse locations, which requires planning for logistics operations to flow production. Thus, the objective of this research was to demonstrate the importance of monitoring the temperature and relative humidity of soybean (Glycine max L.) grain mass during storage and the influence of Sitophilus zeamais infestation on the temperature and relative humidity parameters of corn (Zea mays) grain mass. The tests were conducted in the Agricultural Products Postharvest Technology Laboratory at the State University of Maringá (UEM), main campus in Maringá, Paraná. To monitor the evaluated parameters (temperature and relative humidity) of the intergranular air and storage environment, a Data Logger, model RC-61 Elitech®, was used. Soybeans were stored in a prototype metal silo under uncontrolled conditions, and corn grains were stored in polyethylene bags at a constant temperature, with two treatments (with and without Sitophilus zeamais infestation). The use of digital sensors proved efficient for monitoring the temperature and relative humidity of the air in the granular mass, representing a viable and applicable tool in this segment, enabling the adoption of preventive measures aimed at better preserving the physical and chemical quality of stored grains.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56238/edimpacto2025.051-016