HARVEST AND STORAGE
The period of post-harvest storage is potentially benign, potentially devistating. It is primarily a period of quality loss. The degree of loss in quality during this period is driven by the crop health pre-harvest, harvest practices, and the storage environment.
OPPORTUNITIES WITH HARVEST AND STORAGE
The payment model sugar beet is delivered to strongly incentivises well conducted storage – it can be profitable.
From a research professional perspective, the biggest opportunties include:
- a lot of untapped protention within the horticultural sector
CHALLENGES WITH HARVEST AND STORAGE
From a research professional perspective, the biggest challenges include:
- a small field of peers
- the working environemt: besides cold, wet and windy, it is very difficult to measure what is happening within a clamp with a resolution higher than before vs after.
NBR AND HARVEST AND STORAGE
NBR has achieved a lot of progress both individually and through its collaboration within COBRI. Recent projects have focused on:
- storability and root marc content (proxy for cell wall content)
- storability and mechancial properties
- measurement of mechanical properties
- measurement of varieties and rates of post-harvest respiration
The longer-term trends and concerns driving decisions around what to research includes:
- deregulation of the industry in Europe and the potential for more production and longer storage
- a changing climate
The immediate concerns that pop-up on occassion includes:
- forst protection, which and when,
- large losses late,
- balancing cleaning, spill, and dirt-tare,
- particular varieties experiencing large losses.
ME AND HARVEST AND STORAGE
This has been my main focus at NBR
CURRENT PROJECTS
NBR640: Stoils – The impact on storability of soil microbiology, physical, and chemical properties.
NBR650.02: Clamp Environment Modelling – CFD v2; Soil, Natural convection, Moisture.
NBR651: Clamp Temperature Modelling – Digital Shadow
NBR652: Harvest and Storage Economic Model
COMPLETED PROJECTS
NBR650.01: Clamp Environment Modelling – CFD v1; Airflow and Temperature.