Loss of Wheat Grains in Road Transport

Wheat is an important cereal crop in Brazil and one of the major source of carbohaydrates for baking. Grain losses on roads cause losses beyond the economic scope. Grains that fall around the highway are seeds with the potential to germinate, making it a "green bridge" for the transmission of diseases or hybridization between traditional, commercial and transgenic cultivars. The objective of this study was to establish the quantitative losses along the roads during the transportation of wheat grains in Paraná, as well as to verify the influence of short and long distance load on grain losses. The research was developed through a partnership between the National Supply Company (CONAB) and the Nucleus of Storage Technology, at the Federal University of Mato Grosso. at the Federal University of Mato Grosso. A survey of wheat grain losses was carried out in the BR-376, approximately 295 km distance between the Port of São Francisco in Santa Catarina and Ponta Grossa in Paraná between March and April 2018. A total of 26 collection points were established along the highway. At each collection point an area of 1 m2 was measured with the aid of a fixed frame of wood with the same area, at a distance of 1.3 m from the highway margin, in the north-south direction of the highway, which is the direction of the grain flow in BR-376 in the section considered). The grains were collected on the side of the road, along the gutters and near the lawn, with a broom, brush and dustpan. The collected material was placed in plastic bags properly identified and taken to the laboratory for separation and weighing. The experiment was carried out in subdivided plots, 26 plots (collection points), 4 subplots (collection times) and 3 replicates (collection areas at points). Statistical analyzes were performed using Assistat software. Differences among treatments were verified using analysis of variance (ANOVA) using the F test. When significant to the comparison of means for the treatments was performed by the Scott-Knott test. The section of the data referring to the short route that presented the highest loss index was the route in the interior of the city of Ponta Grossa-PR. The Ponta Grossa/Ponta Grossa destination also had the highest total loss, even though it was an average distance of 25 km. The route between the municipalities of Uraí/Ponta Grossa was the destination with the highest losses (122.55 kg of grains per trip). In almost all sections of the route denominated as long losses higher than acceptable in contracts (0.25%). The percentage of wheat grains lost is associated with the quality of the highways and trucks used in transportation.