A thorough understanding of the interactions among biological and physical elements in stored-grain ecosystems is key to protecting grain from damage caused by insects and molds. Controlled laboratory studies paired with mathematical modelling are used to predict changes in the entire stored-grain ecosystem as storage time progresses for developing scientific solutions for sound grain storage practices.
Current research activities include studies on insect biology, detection of insects and molds, control of insects and molds, measurement of physical properties of grain, and development of mathematical modelling of the stored-grain ecosystem.
This lab collaborates and shares equipment with the Stored-Products Lab (Drs. Noel White and Paul Fields, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) and Imaging and Food Quality Assessment Lab (Dr. Jitendra Paliwal, Department of Biosystems Engineering) under the leadership of Dr. Digvir Jayas (Grain Storage Research Lab).