Objective JUTE SACKS ARE BEING REPLACED BY SACKS MADE FROM WOVEN POLYPROPYLENE TAPE FOR STORAGE AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD GRAINS. REASONS INCLUDE SUBSTANTIAL SAVINGS IN FOREIGN EXCHANGE AND LOWER STORAGE COSTS. POLYPROPYLENE BAGS ARE ALSO MORE RESISTANT TO MOISTURE MOVEMENT AND COMMODITIES STORED IN THEM MAY BE LESS SUSCEPTIBLE TO MOULD GROWTH. HOWEVER, THEIR INTRODUCTION HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH NEW PROBLEMS (ALTHOUGH A DIRECT CAUSE AND EFFECT HAS NOT BEEN PROVEN). UNUSUAL DISCOLOURATION OF THE PERICARP AND EMBRYOS OF WHITE AND YELLOW MAIZE, KNOWN LOCALLY AS STACKBURN, HAS BEEN EXPERIENCED IN BOTH INDOOR AND OUTDOOR BAGSTACKS IN ANGOLA, GHANA, MALAWI AND ZIMBABWE. STACKBURN WAS ESTIMATED TO HAVE CAUSED LOSSES OF AT LEAST ECU 0.75 MILLION FOR ONE AFRICAN ORGANISATION DURING 1990-91. THIS PROJECT WILL IDENTIFY THE CAUSES OF STACKBURN; DETERMINE THE CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP, IF ANY, BETWEEN STACKBURN AND THE INTRODUCTION OF GRAIN BAGS MADE FROM WOVEN POLYPROPYLENE TAPE; AND EXAMINE POTENTIALLY EFFECTIVE METHODS OF MINIMISING THE INCIDENCE OF STACKBURN. EFFICIENT, EFFECTIVE AND APPROPRIATE MAIZE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES WILL BE IDENTIFIED AND COMMUNICATED TO MANAGERS OF NATIONAL FOOD STOCKS THROUGH PUBLICATIONS, SEMINARS AND TRAINING PROGRAMMES. THE WORK REPRESENTS A MAJOR INNOVATION BECAUSE IT FEATURES MULTIDISCIPLINARY FIELD AND LABORATORY BASED SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION OF THE COMPLEX BIOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS LEADING TO DETERIORATION OF GRAIN IN THE TROPICS. IT WILL BE THE FIRST IN-DEPTH INVESTIGATION INTO TECHNICAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF SUBSTITUTING JUTE WITH POLYPORPYLENE FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SACKS FOR STORING GRAIN. THE PROJECT WILL BE UNDERTAKEN BY RESEARCH INSTITU TIONS IN GHANA, ZIMBABWE, PORTUGAL AND THE UNITED KINGDOM. Fields of science agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturegrains and oilseedsnatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiological behavioural sciencesethologybiological interactionsmedical and health sciencesclinical medicineembryology Programme(s) FP3-STD 3 - Specific research and technological development programme (EEC) in the field of the life sciences and technologies for developing countries, 1990-1994 Topic(s) Data not available Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator Natural Resources Institute EU contribution No data Address Central Avenue Chatham Maritime ME4 4TB Chatham United Kingdom See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data Participants (3) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical Portugal EU contribution No data Address 9,Travessa Conde Da Ribeira 1300 Lisboa See on map Total cost No data University of Ghana Ghana EU contribution No data Address Legon See on map Total cost No data University of Zimbabwe Zimbabwe EU contribution No data Address 167,Mount Pleasant 167 Harare See on map Total cost No data
