W3 - Lecture 1 - Cereal Quality/Grain quality Flashcards
define quality
Quality - the suitability of the crop product for the end purpose for which it is intended
what is producers of grain quality be rewarded/ penalised in line with?
is rewarded/ penalised in line with
published criteria
secondary characteristics
it is a secondary characteristic; not
quantifiably determined by price but, on account of a poor quality level, may cause the produce to be rejected or the market niche to be lost
General grain quality criteria (4)
- sweet and sound
- acceptable moisture content
- absence of impurities
- well-filled
- sweet and sound (4)
- Grain should be free from objectionable smells and pest infestation;
- Grain not overheated ( drying method)
- free from ergot and other injurious material
- Grain free from animal faeces (rodents)
Key Grain Quality Parameters (5)
- Moisture Content
- Hectolitre weight
- Protein Content
- Sprouting (Hagberg falling no.)
- Screenings
does all or some of the grain quality parameters influence price?
Depending on the market some, or all, of the quality parameters can influence price
- Moisture Content (4)
- moisture content will determine the capacity to handle and store grain without loss or damage.
- maximum for safe storage is 16%
- maximum for intervention is 14.5%
- maximum for safe threshing is 26%
what is the max moisture content % for safe storage
16%
what is the max moisture content % for intervention
14.5%
what is the max moisture content % for safe threshing
26%
what is one reason why producers may be get penalised
Moisture Content too high
Moisture Content - grain drying and weight loss problems ( 2 )
- actual water loss, as grain is dried from 20% down to 15% = 5.88%
- invisible loss, includes dust, respiration etc. and = 11.9%
total loss is 6.88 to 7.78% (7.3%)
how much is it to dry a Tonne of grain
how much is the cost of the weight loss
for a tonne of grain the drying cost is Euro 20- 30
the cost of the weight loss is Euro 20-25
Irish Grain trading standards for
Green Grain – moisture content - Feed Wheat and Feed Barley
(current- 2023-2024)
Moisture Content % Euro/Tonne
15.0 +15.00
16.0 +12.00
17.0 +9.00
18.0 +6.00
19.0 +3.00
20.0 Base Price
21.0 -3.00
22.0 -6.00
23.0 -9.00
24.0 -12.00
25.0 -15.00
examples of impurities
small grain, dirt, weed seeds
screenings:
Screenings : Small poorly filled grain
100 grams of grain shaken in a sieve for 2 minutes
2.0 mm sieve for wheat
2.25 mm sieve for barley (malting)
- Well-filled Grain ()5
- Specific weight indicates, primarily the degree of fill of the grain
- It is the weight of a given volume of grain, viz. of a 100 litres volume of grain
- Hectolitre weight in kilograms
- Determined by specific weight apparatus -
Hectolitre weight = bushel wt. x 1.25 - (bushel wt. = kg/hl x 0.8)
what is the equation for bushel weight
bushel wt. = kg/hl x 0.8
what does specific weight indicate
what is specific weight
Specific weight indicates, primarily the degree of fill of the grain
It is the weight of a given volume of grain, viz. of a 100 litres volume of grain
equation for hectolitre weight
Hectolitre weight = bushel wt. x 1.25
what are Hectolitre Weights for
- Wheat,
-Barley and
-Oats
- water
- Wheat – higher Hl. Wt. - 75
- Barley – medium Hl. Wt. – 66
- Oats - lower Hl Wt. – 50
- Water = 100 (kg/ Hectolitre)
name the 2 Hectolitre weight standards
- European Union ( Intervention )
- Irish Grain Trade
Hectolitre weight standards
1. European Union ( Intervention )
- For barley base price is at 64 kg/hl with no bonuses for grain of higher quality
- For wheat base price is at 76 kg/hl ; from 76 kg/hl to 72 kg/hl a 0.5% reduction in price for each kg.
Hectolitre weight standards
2. Irish Grain Trade
- Barley base price is for grain over 63 kg/hl
- if 61-63 kg/hl no deduction
- for 58 kg/hl - 3.81 Euro
- For wheat base price is at 72 kg/hl
there is a Price deduction for each kg/hl lower - e.g.
69 kg/hl : - 1.27 Euro
66 kg/hl : - 5.08
62 kg/hl : - 10.0
58 kg/hl : - 15.24
and below 62 kg/hl the price is negotiable
what is hectolitre weight influenced by (4)
a. Variety
b. size, shape, maturity
c. Grain density
d. Moisture content
Hectolitre Weight
* A. Variety effects
Variety effects :
- varieties differ in many characteristics (size, shape, etc) as well as moisture retention capacity, surface
smoothness
Hectolitre weight
- B. Sixe, shape, maturity
B. Size, shape maturity : round grains pack less well than oblong ; therefore more space and lower Hl. wt.
* small grains pack better = Hl. wt. up
* shrivelled grains are less dense = Hl.wt. down
* immature grains are rounder, higher MC = Hl. wt. down
do small grains increase or decrease HL Wt
why?
increase
- small grains pack better = Hl. wt. up
do shrivelled grains increase or decrease HL Wt
why?
decrease
- less dense
Hectolitre weight
* C. Grain density
Grain density : worse in shrivelled grain, the variety differences are small in weight per volume of a single grain
hectolitre weight
- Moisture content
Moisture content : Hectolitre weight /
density decreases as moisture content increases and changing shape - intergrain air space increases
Hectolitre Weights across Different Crops slide 23/24
Yield and Quality Studies on Wheat
Variety - Savannah
-Yield and hectolitre weight is much higher in treated crops
site 1 untreated:
- yield - 4t/ha
- hectolitre weight - 61kg/hl
site 1 treated:
- yield - 9 t/ha
- hectolitre weight - 72kg/hl
Hectolitre Weights – Wheat, Barley and Oats
- Wheat – higher Hl. Wt. - 75
- Barley – medium Hl. Wt. – 66
- Oats - lower Hl Wt. – 50
in which crops is it most important to select varieties which have a higher HI WT characteristics
wheat and oats
what helps give higher HL WT
- Good crop management with minimum disease levels gives higher Hl Wt
- Timely Harvesting with avoidance of lodging / sprouting gives high Hl Wt
what does higher HI WT mean and what is it linked to
Higher Hl Wt means better grain fill and is linked to higher feeding quality
