Storage of Paddy in Hermetically Sealed Plastic Liners in Sri Lanka
E. onahaye*, S. Navarro*, A. Ziv*, Yehudit Blauschild* and D. Weerasinghe†
*Department of Stored Products, Agricultural Research Organization. The Volcani Center, P.O.Box 6, Bet Dagan. Israel. and †Sarvodaya Economic Enterprise Development Services, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
Abstract: A trial was carried out in Sri Lanka on the outdoor storage for 6 months of locally grown paddy (type Nadu) in two hermetically sealed flexible liners termed 'storage cubes'. Insect infestations failed to develop in both cubes and TGM evaluations indicated a 0.33- 0.64% loss in dry weight due to metabolic activity. In one of the cubes, which contained paddy at higher moisture contents, a moisture condensation effect was revealed on the under-side of the upper liner. Losses by mould development resulting from this effect were estimated at 1.24%. Means for obviating this occurrence are proposed.
Key Words: paddy, rice, Oryza sativa, hermetic storage, plastic liners, storage in the tropics, loss-evaluation.
