TECHNOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF SUPPRESSION OF INSECT PESTS OF GRAIN BY AERATION
Introduction. The article presents the historical prerequisites for aerating grain as a low-cost method that ensures its safety. It is shown that insufficient knowledge about grain and its components limited the development and effective use of grain aeration plants. Grain aeration was widely used in the world only in the 70s - 80s of the 20th century, and is now widely used in all grain-producing countries of the world. Insufficient efficiency of aeration systems is due to incomplete knowledge about the accompanying components of grain materials, for example, insects. But despite these aspects, grain cooling in order to reduce the biological activity of the grain mass and, first of all, harmful insects and mites based on aeration is finding increasing use. The risks of loss of quality of stored grain due to insect activity are given. The purpose of the article is to analyze the features of the development of pests of the grain stock, during storage and their suppression during grain cooling by aeration. Materials and methods. An analytical method was used to generalize the development of harmful insects in grain materials. Research materials were obtained in the course of long-term experimental studies of the aeration of grain materials of the main agricultural crops in different climatic conditions. To assess the destruction of grains, a standard set of manual sieves was used, as well as a pneumatic classifier of grain materials RPK-30. Results and conclusions. The main types of harmful insects in grain and their boundary conditions of reproduction in grain mounds are given. The conditions of the grain mass content inside the granary are analyzed as factors affecting the development of harmful grain insects. The minimum values and optimal critical ranges of temperature and relative humidity for the main insect species in stored grain are given, determining the phases of pest development (egg laying and egg sterility, larval growth and mortality). The conceptual provisions of grain cooling by aerating to suppress harmful insects are presented. The materials of the article can be used in design organizations developing technical means for storing seeds and grain, as well as by operators of machine systems for post-harvest processing and grain storage.