Miller Magazine Issue: 121 January 2020

72 ARTICLE MILLER / JANUARY 2020 As the cognitive software correlates phosphine expo- sure with insect mortality, a methodology for planning precision fumigations can be established (Figure 4). Us- ers receive notifications for the fumigation duration and when success could be enabled. Information management As much as important is to create the information described above, it's also necessary to present it to the grain managers in a meaningful and us- er-friendly way. A web platform is an ideal way since data could be updated in real-time, 24/7. Furthermore, users could access the information from their pc or smart devices at any place. Figure 5 shows an example of a web plat- form user-interface presenting an overview of the storage facility. It includes a storage facil- ity representation showing the type of stored commodity, it's mass (which may be a user input or calculated automatically by an in- stalled fill level sensor) and the installed loca- tions of sensors. The user interface also pro- vides information on the current temperature and moisture content of the commodity, a proposed aeration plan, a geographical map of the storage facility location, the current weather conditions at the same location and notifications about the facility’s operation. THE BENEFITS Adopting as many as possible of the new technologies described in this article could transform a typical silo into an intelligent one. The benefits for the users could be unprecedented: • prevention of mold development and mycotoxin con- tamination • improved grain quality - higher grain market value • lower operating costs and reduced aeration fan run- ning times • supply chain transparency – defensibility against quality claims from retailers • cost reduction of the overall pest control application, avoiding excessive chemicals (e.g. overdosing, need to repeat failed fumigations) as well as excess labor References [1] Schwab et. al, "Vertical Loading of Temperature Ca- bles" (1991). Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Publi- cations. 110. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/abe_eng_pubs/110 [2] https://www.millermagazine.com/english/ensur- ing-postharvest-grain-quality-and-marketability-with-ad- vanced-software/.html [3] Kaloudis, E.; Bantas, S.; Athanassiou, G.; Agrafioti, P.; Sotiroudas, V. Modeling distribution of phosphine in cylin- drical grain silos with CFD methods for precision fumigation. Proceedings of the 12th International Working Conference on Stored Product Protection (IWCSPP) in Berlin, Germany, October 7-11, 2018. https://ojs.openagrar.de/index.php/ JKA/article/view/10771 Figure 5: A user interface of web platform that integrates all the relevant information concerning grain stored in a silo, e.g. current temperature and moisture content, a proposed aeration plan, user notifications and alerts.