how do fungiments act on stored graims
Answers
Explanation:
How to store grain
Insects in stored grain
Insects in stored grain can cause much damage. The farmer may lose up to a third of the stored grain. It is therefore important to know exactly how and where to store grain.
If you eat the insects in stored grain, it does not necessarily mean that you will become ill, but you can lose a lot of money if you want to sell the grain. Sometimes grain containing insects can become mouldy and mildew is poisonous. If you eat meal with mildew you may die.
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Insects
Adult insects, such as beetles, and larvae or worms cause serious damage to stored grain products. Many different insects infest grain. Some of them are very small and are not seen easily.
Indian meal moth
Indian meal moth larva
Tropical warehouse moth
Tropical warehouse moth larva
Saw-toothed beetle
Flat grain beetle
Lesser grain borer
Rice weevil
Grain weevil
Confused flour beetle
Grain mites
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Lesser grain borer
Storage places
Grain can be stored in a variety of containers, such as clay pots, grass baskets, grain wells, bags, grain huts and ferrumbus.
Grain huts
Wheat, sorghum, dry beans and mealies are often stored in grain huts, in a room in the house, or in large containers in the kitchen. Grain huts should not be built too close to grain crops.
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Bags
Maize can be stored in bags. The bags must be placed in an ordinary hut or a clean, cool grain hut. Mealies in bags can also be hung in a tree or strung between the branches of a tree. Stored grained insects can, however, fly and will damage the grain stored in the tree.
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Clay pots (zefala)
Clay pots can be made from a mixture of ash and cattle manure.
They do not burn as easily as ordinary clay pots and the odour of the manure and ash wards off the insects.
The pots are used to store grain which will be used the next year.
Beans and lentils can also be stored in them.
They can be kept in an ordinary hut or under a roof.
Ferrumbu
Choose an open spot some distance from trees and grass to build the ferrumbu (see the sketch).
Make a circle with a radius of about 100 cm and build a foundation of stones and cement on that circle. The foundation should be about 60 cm deep. Put a bin with an outlet on the foundation inside a small hutlike construction.
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Grass baskets (izisulu)
Grass baskets can be weaved from bamboo splits and come in different sizes. They are made watertight to keep the grain dry.
Big baskets can be put on a framework. Smaller baskets can be stored in the kraal wall.
The baskets can also be buried in the soil.
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Grain wells (izisele)
The wells are dug in the kraal or against a steep incline. The opening is very small—just big enough for a man to enter. The well itself is a big hole which can be plastered with cattle manure or lined with wattle.
One well can keep up to ten bags of grain.
The opening is covered with the bark of a marula tree or with a stone. The sides of the cover are sealed tightly with clay. The clay is a mixture of manure and soil.
It is safest to store grain in a grain hut or in bags as it will then be easy to control insects and damage. A grain well could be dangerous because of the gas build-up from cattle manure. Persons climbing down the well have been enveloped by the poisonous gases and have died.