Location: Stored Product Insect and Engineering Research
2016 Annual Report
Objectives
Quality and quantity of grain and their products can be enhanced by application of engineering principles to cultivar development, crop monitoring, harvesting, marketing, handling, storage, and processing. Our objectives are the following:
1. Develop technologies and techniques to rapidly evaluate grain quality that increase breeding efficiency and improve marketability.
A. The application of automated single kernel deoxynivalenol (DON) analysis to aid breeders in studying Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance mechanisms in wheat.
B. Develop spectroscopic methods for rapid phenotyping to detect barley yellow dwarf (BYD) virus infection and resistance.
C. Develop fourier-transform near-infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy methods to measure grain traits.
D. Develop a rapid, non-destructive method to predict bread quality of hard red winter wheat (HRW) at the first point of sale.
E. Develop imaging and near-infrared and visible spectroscopy instrumentation for sorting haploid and hybrid maize seeds.
F. Develop integrated measurement systems for rapid and efficient phenotyping of seeds.
G. Develop automated single kernel and bulk analysis methods to determine damage levels in wheat kernels caused by the Sunn pest, Eurygaster integriceps.
2. Enable stored grain management practices that enhance grain quality, mitigate effects of changing climates, and prevent insect infestations.
A. Determine the accuracy, safety enhancements, and labor reduction of automated insect monitoring probe traps.
B. Develop improved grain aeration and fumigation strategies for insect-pest control in stored grain.
C. Determine the effect of time in storage and aeration on stored grain packing factors.
Pre-harvest quality can be improved through rapid phenotyping technology that relates phenotypic traits to plant genetics. Post-harvest quality can be improved though methods to measure grain traits and methods to enhance storage conditions. Changing climates are expected to produce extreme weather conditions, leading to a need for accelerated breeding programs and improved storage technology to maintain and improve yields and quality. Our unique facilities include the ability to study climate change influences on plant physical, physiological and morphological status through our expertise in instrumentation combined with use of our grain storage facilities and access to greenhouses.
Approach
United States farmers grow over 77 million metric tons of corn, wheat, soybeans, and other grains, worth over $115 billion annually, to supply the nation and the world with food, animal feed, and biofuels. Our goal is to improve U.S. grain quality and international competitiveness through the application of engineering principles to rapidly measure grain traits, and to maintain grain quality during storage. We propose to develop instruments to rapidly measure quality traits for inspection at the first point of grain delivery, for breeders when selecting traits for new lines, and for processors prior to grain buying or processing. We also propose to develop chemical-free technology to control insects and maintain quality during handling and storage. This research will lead to higher profits for the agriculture sector, higher-quality foods reaching consumers, and more food available for a growing world population.
Progress Report
This report documents progress for Project 3020-43440-008-00D "Impacting Quality Through Preservation, Enhancement, and Measurement of Grain and Plant Traits," which started Jun 2015. The project has two main objectives; 1. Develop technologies and techniques to rapidly evaluate grain quality that increase breeding efficiency and improve marketability and 2. Enable stored grain management practices that enhance grain quality, mitigate effects of changing climates, and prevent insect infestations.
Under Objective 1 the specific progress on sub-objectives was as follows. (1A) Samples with Fusarium Head Blight were obtained from field and greenhouse studies and scanned to correlate near infrared spectra to Type I, II and III resistance; (1B) Barley Yellow Dwarf samples were obtained from harvested samples, but the incidence of Barley Yellow Dwarf was low; (1C). Fusarium Head Blight samples were obtained and scanned using fourier-transfor near-infrared spectroscopy; (1D) Samples were obtained and separated into size fractions and analyzed for quality traits; (1E) Preliminary near infrared scans of haploid maize kernels was completed and discriminate models were developed to assess kernel segregation accuracy; (1F) An instrument to measure small seed compositional traits with NIR, morphological feature with imaging and mass was developed and is being used for breeder samples of wheat, barley and oats; (1G) Samples of Sunn pest damaged wheat were obtained and near infrared and visible spectra obtained to determine if damage can be quantified.
Under Objective 2 the specific progress on sub-objectives was as follows. (2A) Wheat was acquired and OPI Systems Inc. Insectors should be installed by the end of the FY2016; (2B1 & 2) Wheat was acquired and work on fumigation and moisture modeling has commenced. First year field trials have been postponed one year to align project plan schedules with collaborator. Subsequent future milestones need to be moved back one year to reflect this change; (2C) Wheat packing in the Agricultural Research Service 11,500 bu concrete silos were measured as well as in two 4000 bu metal bins. Collaborators storing grain for at least 6 months were contacted to conduct further field measurements.
Accomplishments
1. Near infrared spectroscopy used to discriminate gluten containing grains. U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Commission of European Communities requires that gluten-free oats or products can only be labeled as non-gluten if it contains less than 20 ppm gluten, the established safe consumption limit for people with celiac disease. The need for testing samples for gluten products is highly sought by industry to assure a gluten-free product can be delivered. In response to this need a near-infrared instrument, developed in-house, was compared with commercial near-infrared instrument to classify grain types on a single seed basis. Both instruments could distinguish oats and groat kernels from other grains with excellent accuracy, 95% to 100%. The in-house instrument had somewhat better accuracy but the commercial instrument was a magnitude faster and thus provides an excellent method to evaluate commercial samples for gluten containing products.
2. Impact of overburden pressure on stored grain compression determined. Stored grain compacts in a storage structure due to the overburden pressure created by the cumulative weight of overlying grain, thus increasing the stored grain bulk density. The mathematical relationship between overburden pressure and bulk density must be determined experimentally with compression tests to accurately predict compaction in storage bins with existing models based on Janssen’s equation. Compression tests were conducted on twenty-seven different varieties of hard red wheat, at three moisture levels, over the range of pressures typically encountered in storage structures (0-20 psi). A mathematical model was used to describe the behavior. This new compressibility data set is more robust than previously published data and should lead to improved predictions of compaction in grain bins, particularly with larger bins with higher internal pressure.
None.
Review Publications
Hacisalihoglu, G., Gustin, J.L., Louisma, J., Armstrong, P.R., Peter, G.F., Walker, A.R., Settles, A. 2016. Enhanced single seed trait predictions in soybean (Glycine max) and robust calibration model transfer with near infrared reflectance spectroscopy. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 64(5): 1079-1056. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.5b05508.
Peiris, K.S., Bockus, W.W., Dowell, F.E. 2016. Near-infrared spectroscopic evaluation of single kernel deoxynivalenol accumulation and Fusarium head blight resistance components in wheat. Cereal Chemistry. 93(1):25-31. doi: 10.1094/CCHEM-03-15-0057-R.
Boac, J.M., Bhadra, R., Casada, M.E., Thompson, S.A., Turner, A.P., Montross, M.D., Mcneill, S.G., Maghirang, R.G. 2015. Stored grain pack factors for wheat: comparison of three methods to field measurements. Transactions of the ASABE. 58(4):1089-1101. doi: 10.13031/trans.58.10898.
Kinzer, M., Wagner, H.C., Peskoller, A., Moder, K., Dowell, F.E., Arthofer, W., Schlick-Steiner, B.C., Steiner, F.M. 2015. A near-infrared spectroscopy routine for unambiguous identification of cryptic ant species. PeerJ. 3:e991. doi: 10.7717/peerj.991.
Tilley, D.R., Casada, M.E., Langemeier, M.R., Subramanyam, B., Arthur, F.H. 2015. Economic analysis for commingling effects of insect activity in the elevator boot area. Journal of Economic Entomology. 108(6): 2800-2807. doi: 10.1093/jee/tov222.
Brabec, D.L., Rosenau, S., Shipman, M. 2015. Effect of mixing time and speed on experimental baking and dough testing with a 200g pin-mixer. Cereal Chemistry. 92(5): 449-454. doi: 10.1094/CCHEM-02-15-0021-R.
Sikulu, M.T., Maia, M.F., Milali, M.P., Henry, M., Mkandawile, G., Kho, E.A., Wirtz, R.A., Hugo, L.E., Dowell, F.E., Devine, G.J. 2016. Rapid and non-destructive detection and identification two strains of Wolbachia in Aedes aegypti by near-infrared spectroscopy. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 10(6):e0004759. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004759.
Omobowale, M.O., Armstrong, P.R., Mijinyawa, Y., Igbeka, J.C., Maghirang, E.B. 2016. Maize Storage in Termite Mound Clay, Concrete, and Steel Silos in the Humid Tropics: Comparison and Effect on Bacterial and Fungal Counts. Transactions of the ASABE. 59(3):1039-1048. doi: 10.1303/trans.59.11437.
