Improve Sugar Beet Storage in Open Piles by Efficient Aeration

莱斯布里奇学院(LC)正在建设采后技术的研究能力，以开发工程解决方案，将谷物、园艺和块茎作物的采后损失降至最低。南艾伯塔省是加拿大最肥沃和最高产的地区之一，拥有多种作物生产，包括小麦、油菜籽、豆类、玉米、土豆、甜菜以及大量牲畜和乳制品生产，农业收入超过31.1亿美元(艾伯塔省西南部，2019年)。南艾伯塔省农场为莱斯布里奇地区120多家成熟的农业食品企业提供高质量的原材料，其中包括世界领先的食品加工商。 朗蒂克公司位于AB塔伯尔的S糖厂是加拿大唯一的甜菜精炼厂。该工厂100%加工艾伯塔省(艾伯塔省农林，2017年)种植的甜菜。阿尔伯塔省南部地区的甜菜生产受到高度关注。收获后和冬季的几个月里，甜菜被储存在露天堆放的土地上，然后进行加工。由于呼吸引起的自我加热，这些未充气的甜菜堆会产生重大损失。目前的项目旨在通过温度监测和甜菜堆的自动通风来提高甜菜的储藏性。

Lethbridge College (LC) is building research capacity in postharvest technology to develop engineering solutions for minimizing postharvest losses of grains, horticulture, and tuber crops. Southern Alberta, which is among the most fertile and productive regions in Canada with diverse crop production including wheat, canola, pulses, corn, potatoes, sugar beets in addition to significant livestock and dairy production, generates farm revenues of over $3.11 billion (Alberta Southwest, 2019). Southern Alberta farms provide high quality raw material for over 120 established agri-food businesses in the Lethbridge Region, including world leading food processors. Lantic Inc.'s plant in Taber, AB is the only sugar beet refinery in Canada. This plant processes one hundred percent of all sugar beets grown in Alberta (Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, 2017). There is an intensive focus on sugar beet production in the southern Alberta region. After harvest and during the winter months, sugar beets are stored in open ground piles before processing. Significant losses occur in these non-aerated piles due to self-heating caused by respiration. The current project aims to improve storability of sugar beets by temperature monitoring and automated aeration of sugar beet piles.