Qualidade de sementes de trigo secas sob utilização de energia eletrica e associada a gás liquefeito de petróleo

Abstract

This study aimed at analyzing the quality and costs of seeds wheat production using electric power and LPG as sources of energy at drying seeds process. The suggested hypothesis is that the adoption of LPG can reduce production costs and maintain wheat seeds quality. This study was accomplished in two stages in order to compare the worn-out consumption of energy on wheat seeds drying process. The first one consisted on determining the amount of consumed energy, during the seeds drying process, for two producing companies (A and B) in Cascavel-PR area, since they use different sources of energies and compare each one. It must be pointed out that these two companies used drying silos for aeration. The second one aimed at determining the dry seeds quality for both dryers and so checking if the energy reduction influenced on seeds quality. This trial was carried out at the Laboratory of Seeds and Plants Evaluation from Sciences and Technological Center of UNIOESTE, campus of Cascavel. Company A used a non-warm air at ventilation, while company B heated up the air, using as energy source, Liquefied Gas of Petroleum (LGP). The air temperature was also controlled at the dryer entrance. Before and after the drying process, seeds from both producing companies were evaluated to check if the different energy sources influenced on their quality. Therefore, seeds trading patterns were used as reference. At last, the LPG use did not affect on wheat seeds quality, on the other hand, it was economically available and reduced the time of drying process.