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 Stored Products Research & Education Center |
Research Programs at SPREC
The Stored Products Research and Education Center (SPREC) is a facility that exists as a tool to be used by faculty and staff with existing programs and budgets to conduct their research and/or educational and extension programs. Listed below are projects that will utilize SPREC in the short-term for which there is current funding and staff in place to conduct the work.
Proposed activities that will require future funding are also listed and are designated as long-term objectives.
Short-Term Objectives at SPREC
- Evaluation and implementation of the Electronic Grain Probe Insect Counter (EGPIC) for estimating insect infestation in grain and use of such information for IPM decision-making.
- Simulated field trials of an attracticide (pheromone + low dose insecticide) to suppress populations of the Indian meal moth.
- Commercial-scale disinfestations of bulk or packaged commodity using low pressure (vacuum) and flexible gas-tight storage containers.
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Conduct yearly grain grading schools, fumigation applicator training, and elevator pest management workshops for members of the grain industry and affiliated government agencies in Oklahoma and neighboring states.
Long-Term Objectives at SPREC
- Electronic monitoring and automated aeration control for temperature and moisture management of stored wheat.
- Evaluation of factors contributing to shrink and quality loss of wheat in long-term post harvest storage.
- Field trials of new residual grain protectants for stored wheat that represent alternatives to chemicals lost due to regulation or biological resistance.
- Field trials of a phosphine gas generator and other external application methods for effective fumigation of bulk wheat.
- Investigate the feasibility of using controlled or modified atmospheres for disinfesting bulk-stored wheat.
- Develop and/or evaluate rapid and accurate chemical or physical methods for detecting and quantifying internal (hidden) insect infestation in grain destined for milling.
- Conduct studies on quality of water due to run-off from grain storage operations.
- Develop special grain storage training courses on topics such as automated temperature management, grain quality sampling and improved application of pesticides.
