Silo bags are a recently-developed temporary grain storage system that is becoming more widely used in Western Canada without any scientific information about the effect of changing conditions over time on seed quality. The main goal of this study was to examine the conditions that would allow safe storage of canola in these bags in the Canadian Prairie provinces. Canola at three different moisture contents (m.c.) 8.9, 10.5 and 14.4% (wet basis), which represent dry, straight and damp classifications, were stored in silo bags for 40 weeks and seed germination, free fatty acid value (FAV), and moisture content of canola were analysed every 2 weeks along with carbon dioxide concentrations of intergranular air and temperature of canola. For dry grade canola, the germination was maintained above 90%, and FAV stayed within 1.5 times the initial value. However, the germination of damp canola dropped to below 80%, and FAV doubled its initial value within 8 weeks of storage. Another study was conducted for two storage years (2011-12 and 2013-14) to determine the changes in grain quality over time while storing 12% moisture content canola seeds in silo bags. The germination of canola seeds at most parts of the silo bags stayed above a safe level up to the end of the winter season. At the top layer of the silo bags, germination of canola seeds decreased to below 30% and FAV increased more than 2-fold of initial values during summer storage. A polynomial regression model was developed using field data to predict CO2 concentration inside a silo bag with canola. The coefficient of determination of this regression model was 0.76 and had a root mean square error (RMSE) value of 0.196. The standardized coefficients indicated that initial moisture content was 3.9 times more important than storage temperature for CO2 prediction. Permeability to CO2 and O2 of the silo bag material was determined using a specially designed testing unit and the permeability of silo bag material to CO2 was 21.61 ±1.50×10-6 m3 m d-1m-2atm-1, and for O2 was 1.95 ± 0.36×10-6, m3 m d-1m-2atm-1 at room temperature. / May 2016

In this work we investigated the in vivo and in vitro ecological conditions that can favour the fumonisin production, both free and hidden forms, in the maize-Fusarium verticillioides pathosystem. Samples of different maize hybrids have been collected from dough to the harvest maturity to follow the trend of fungal incidence and both fumonisin forms contamination, but also the changes in chemical composition. Differences in the level of contamination have been found among hybrids during the growing season. Furthermore, the production of fumonisins has been found correlated to the total lipids content, another parameter that changed during the growing season. This finding underlined the existence of a relationship between toxin contamination and fatty acids composition of the hybrids. Recently the existence of a cross talk between plant and pathogen has been demonstrated, based on some oxidized signal molecules (oxylipins) produced from fatty acid precursors. This result was also confirmed by the molecular analysis on the in vitro pathosystem that showed differences in the activation of the genes involved in plant and fungal oxylipins production during the incubation time. Also post-harvest contamination of maize was investigated in this study, with particular attention to the effects of the drying treatment, a common post-harvest practice aimed at decreasing the water availability, and to the storage capacity of a new low cost storage system, silo bag. The drying treatment was showed to affect fumonisins content, in particular an increased fumonisins contamination was detected after heat treatments. This increment seemed to be produced by chemical changes of matrix components, caused by high temperature, that produced the release of hidden fumonisin in free form. Silo bags were shown to be an effective system to store cereals because no significant change occurred in fungi or toxins contamination during a 9-month storage. Therefore, being more flexible and less expensive than traditional store houses, they should be very useful for farmers.

For decades commercial silos in South Africa was the only option in which maize could be delivered and sold. After deregulation in the late 1990s commercial silo owners came to face the challenge of alternative storage solutions and loss of market share. The reasons are determined for a shift from commercial storage to on-farm storage. The extent to which on-farm storage will change the current maize storage industry is discussed. The study commences by describing the birth and rapid growth of maize production in South Africa. Soon after maize became a major role-player in the export industry, it was characterised by regulation. The rationale why the market was regulated and how it influenced grain storage is explained. The deregulation process and the objectives of the new Marketing of Agricultural Products Act, No. 47 of 1996, are paraphrased. In the deregulated market, current and future, maize prices are determined by supply and demand. Incentives for storage emerged and cheaper substitutes with various other advantages began to propose alternative storage solutions to farmers. These concurrences of circumstances then lead to fragmentation of grain storage in South Africa. As a relatively young free market, the maize value chain is described to illustrate the position of each role-player in relation to the silo owner. The new price determination factors, price movement rationale and the use of market instruments are subsequently explained. Naturally, a critical assessment of the main different storage solutions available for farmers, are investigated next. Fragmentation is defined and discussed in terms of market equilibrium. A comparison is drawn between the South African and the Australian as well as the US maize storage industry. The empirical research was conducted on two sample groups of farmers in the Free State. The first group is farmers that already make use of an on-farm storage facility. The second group is farmers that annually produce more than 5000 tons of maize and currently do not make use of an on-farm storage facility. Seven important reasons for an on-farm storage facility are determined in the literature study as well as a qualitative study that preceded the quantitative study. Respondents are asked to rank the reasons in order of, in their opinion, importance. A generalized profile of a respondent in each sample group was compiled. Hereafter the outcome of the reasons ranked by both sample groups is discussed. It appeared that Flexible Marketing Option was the most important reason for farmers that already make use of on-farm storage. Farmers did not indicate that Handling and Storage costs are the most important reason why they would invest in an on-farm storage facility. Correlations are drawn between groups and the significance of differences is determined. It is concluded that on-farm storage is sustainable and there will be an increase of the phenomenon over the next three years. Recommendations are given for commercial silo owners to regain market share. Costs analyses and effective cost management along with the promotion that marketing options are just as flexible within commercial silos, as it is outside, are some of the recommendations made. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

For decades commercial silos in South Africa was the only option in which maize could be delivered and sold. After deregulation in the late 1990s commercial silo owners came to face the challenge of alternative storage solutions and loss of market share. The reasons are determined for a shift from commercial storage to on-farm storage. The extent to which on-farm storage will change the current maize storage industry is discussed. The study commences by describing the birth and rapid growth of maize production in South Africa. Soon after maize became a major role-player in the export industry, it was characterised by regulation. The rationale why the market was regulated and how it influenced grain storage is explained. The deregulation process and the objectives of the new Marketing of Agricultural Products Act, No. 47 of 1996, are paraphrased. In the deregulated market, current and future, maize prices are determined by supply and demand. Incentives for storage emerged and cheaper substitutes with various other advantages began to propose alternative storage solutions to farmers. These concurrences of circumstances then lead to fragmentation of grain storage in South Africa. As a relatively young free market, the maize value chain is described to illustrate the position of each role-player in relation to the silo owner. The new price determination factors, price movement rationale and the use of market instruments are subsequently explained. Naturally, a critical assessment of the main different storage solutions available for farmers, are investigated next. Fragmentation is defined and discussed in terms of market equilibrium. A comparison is drawn between the South African and the Australian as well as the US maize storage industry. The empirical research was conducted on two sample groups of farmers in the Free State. The first group is farmers that already make use of an on-farm storage facility. The second group is farmers that annually produce more than 5000 tons of maize and currently do not make use of an on-farm storage facility. Seven important reasons for an on-farm storage facility are determined in the literature study as well as a qualitative study that preceded the quantitative study. Respondents are asked to rank the reasons in order of, in their opinion, importance. A generalized profile of a respondent in each sample group was compiled. Hereafter the outcome of the reasons ranked by both sample groups is discussed. It appeared that Flexible Marketing Option was the most important reason for farmers that already make use of on-farm storage. Farmers did not indicate that Handling and Storage costs are the most important reason why they would invest in an on-farm storage facility. Correlations are drawn between groups and the significance of differences is determined. It is concluded that on-farm storage is sustainable and there will be an increase of the phenomenon over the next three years. Recommendations are given for commercial silo owners to regain market share. Costs analyses and effective cost management along with the promotion that marketing options are just as flexible within commercial silos, as it is outside, are some of the recommendations made. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.