Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
4517048 | Journal of Stored Products Research | 2015 | 6 Pages |
Abstract
Hermetic storage containers are often used by farmers to protect their harvested grain from insect damage and ultimately stop insect population development. Sometimes holes in a storage container are created by insects or by accident; such holes may reduce the effectiveness of the hermetic storage unit. Using cowpea grain and the cowpea bruchid, Callosobruchus maculatus (F), we investigated the degree to which holes in a hermetic storage container wall affect the level of grain damage. When there were low numbers of holes, seed damage increased markedly with each additional hole. The grain itself contributed a barrier to oxygen diffusion through the grain mass. If holes in the container wall were patched with a single layer of HDPE film, grain damage was indistinguishable from that seen under full hermetic conditions. We provide evidence that a single layer of woven polypropylene contributes a small but measurable barrier to oxygen penetration into the container.
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Authors
D.T. Martin, S.B. Williams, D. Baributsa, L.L. Murdock,