A study on the quality of wheat grain stored in straw-clay bin

The adoption of poor storage techniques usually results in tremendous post-harvest losses and leads to the shortage of grains to feed the overwhelming population. The straw-clay bin was developed as one of the viable solutions to obtain a high quality stored wheat and higher income to the farmer by storing wheat at harvest and sell it in the off-season at higher rates. Straw-clay bin was evaluated by storing wheat for one year and showed promising results. Fungal damage and grain weight loss were limited to 9% and 1.27%, respectively. Germination capacity, protein, fat, starch and ash of wheat grains decreased from 94 to 74%, 12.46 to 11.78%, 3.03 to 2.4%, 65.55 to 64.87%, and 2.04 to 1.76%, respectively. The study has revealed that straw-clay bin provide a safe and convenient method for farmers to preserve their agricultural commodities. Hence, the adoption of straw-clay bin must be encouraged in the developing countries

Impact of concrete block bin on wheat storage losses and food security

Farmers in Pakistan face many storage problems leading to huge losses in the stored wheat. It is therefore, utmost important to protect our food reserves and prevent losses caused by pest’s infestation and improper storage management. Wheat grain stored in concrete block bins for 12 months retained germination capacity, weight of 1000 grain and fat/lipid content significantly better than grain stored in traditional bamboo/straw bins. Concrete block bins prevented major damage caused by insects, while grain stored in bamboo/straw bins suffered severe losses. Concrete block bins maintain low temperature and moisture conditions for extended periods of time better than traditional bamboo/straw bins. Thus, concrete block bins have shown potential to positively impact the economy of wheat farmers in tropical climate like Pakistan. Concrete block bins have proven to be a promising solution to reduce deterioration of wheat grain and retain high quality of grain for extended period of time

Effects of storage methods, storage duration and different geographical locations on quality of stored wheat (Triticum aestivum) in Sindh, Pakistan

Wheat grain stored in traditional structures was sampled from four selected districts of Sindh from July 2013 to July 2014 at 3 months interval and was analysed for quality deterioration over time. The maximum ambient temperature was noted in district Shaheed Benazir Abad followed by Sukkur, Hyderabad and Badin districts whereas the maximum relative humidity was observed in district Badin followed by Sukkur, Shaheed Benazir Abad and Hyderabad. The grain temperature followed the pattern of the ambient temperature and was higher than the ambient temperature during whole storage period. Moisture content, insect infestation and aflatoxin content showed an increasing pattern with prolonged storage. Among the storage structures the lowest grain temperature and moisture content were recorded in earthen bin whereas the highest in room structure and bulk covered, respectively. The highest percentage of insect infestation and aflatoxin content was observed in grains stored in room structure whereas, maximum test weight and seed germination capacity were recorded in grain samples taken from earthen bin. The levels of aflatoxins detected in stored wheat from survey districts were far above the internationally accepted standards and that the farmers were at risk of ill health through consuming contaminated wheat. It was concluded that the quality of wheat stored using traditional storage methods in surveyed districts was low and that these storage methods were inadequate for protecting stored wheat from pests. Modification of these structures or replacing with better designed storage structures can stop deterioration and improve grain quality and storability

Studies on the Nutritional Characteristics of some Commercial Wheat Varieties of Dry Land and Wet Land Grown in Sindh Province

The present research was carried out to investigate the nutritional characteristics of some commercial wheat varieties of dry land and wet land grown in Sindh province during 2011-12 at Institute of Food Sciences and Technology, Faculty of Crop Production, Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam. Four irrigated land (Inqulab, TD-1, Sarsabz and kherman) wheat varieties and four dry land (TK-3, Marvi, PK-85, Sassi) wheat varieties were collected from their respective areas and subjected to chemical analysis.The bio-chemical characteristics of dry land and wet land wheat varieties differed significantly. Chemical analysis indicate that moisture (13.06%), protein (14.83%), dry gluten (9.03%), wet gluten (35.66%), gluten index (73.8%), starch (75.83%) and zeleny (68.66%) contents were recorded higher in wet land wheat varieties than those of dry land wheat varieties with moisture (12.66%), protein (11.9%), dry gluten (8.2%), wet gluten (32.93%), gluten index (64.53%), starch (68.66%) and zeleny (58.33%). This study reveals that availability of water and environmental factors are directly related with the nutritional characteristics of wheat varieties. This study clarify that wet land wheat varieties are better in the context of nutritional qualities

Analysis of Nutritional Components of Horse Radish Tree Flowers (Moringa oleifera) Wildly Grown in Sindh Province

The present research study was aimed at determining the proximate and mineral composition of horse radish tree flowers by utilizing standard methodologies. The mean moisture content in fresh, thermally dehydrated, curry, shade dried and boiled fresh /processed samples of horse radish tree flowers was 80.98, 5.40, 68.07, 5.84 and 86.26%, respectively. The vegetable had the highest pH, carbohydrates, total solids, nitrogen free extracts and calorific values in thermally dried samples and crude fiber, ash and protein values were higher in shade dried samples. Whereas, fat and total fatty acids were found higher in curry samples. There was a significant presence of dietary essential micro-nutrients. It was therefore revealed that horse radish tree flowers(Moringa oleifera) when consumed in curry form could also be a good source of nutrients. The inclusion of horse radish tree flowers into the diet could potentially address some of the challenges, such as health benefits, food security and increase life expectancy in Sindh, Pakistan

Study on Cultivators Associating Post Harvest Losses of Onion Vegetable in Sindh’s Mirpurkhas District

A study was carried out in Mirpurkhas District of Sindh Province during the year 2015-16, aiming to observe post-harvest losses of onions associated with the cultivators. Following the random sampling 60 respondents were selected from 12 villages of 06 Talukas in the District. Interviews were conducted for the collection of data. Problems expressed were as; high cost of fertilizers (93.33%), high cost of pesticides (93.33%), hand weeding is labour consuming and expensive (91.66%), labour problems during harvesting (85%), ineffective and costly weedicides (80%), lack of knowledge about recommended fertilizers doses for onion crop (80%) and lack of knowledge about improved varieties (68.33%). The problems in marketing of onion include lack of remunerative price (96.66%), fluctuation in market price (93.33%) and high charges of transportation (20%). The present study suggested that training/ awareness programs should be conducted for cultivators regarding establishing technical storage and handling onion problems