CLIMATE-RESILIENT POST-HARVEST STORAGE STRATEGIES FOR CEREAL GRAINS IN ARID AND SEMI-ARID REGIONS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Tadjiyeva Mukhayyo Kudratovna

Authors

Tadjiyeva Mukhayyo Kudratovna Karshi state technical university, Karshi, Uzbekistan

Keywords:

Keywords: climate resilience, post-harvest losses, cereal grain storage, arid regions, semi-arid regions, hermetic storage, aflatoxin, Aspergillus flavus, solar drying, IoT monitoring, Central Asia, food security.

Abstract

The article presents a systematic review of climate-resilient post-harvest storage strategies for cereal grains under arid and semi-arid conditions. Rising temperatures, fluctuating relative humidity, and increasing climate variability create unique storage risks in regions such as Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and the Sahel. A total of 22 international and regional scientific sources published between 2010 and 2025 were analyzed across five technological pathways: hermetic storage adapted to dry-heat conditions, controlled atmosphere systems, insulated metal silos, IoT-based smart monitoring, and solar-powered drying integrated with storage.

Results indicate that climate-adapted technologies significantly outperform conventional storage. Hermetic PICS bags reduced grain damage from 27.9% to 1.6% under semi-arid conditions (χ²=64.8, p<0.001) and limited aflatoxin B1 accumulation by 84%. Insulated metal silos lowered internal temperature fluctuations from ±12 °C to ±3 °C and reduced post-harvest losses from 28% to 1.5%. Solar-assisted drying-and-storage combinations cut moisture-related fungal losses by 71% while requiring no grid electricity. IoT-based monitoring predicted Aspergillus flavus growth with 91% accuracy 7–10 days in advance. The correlation between climate-adaptive design and storage efficiency reached r=0.86, p<0.01. Findings justify the phased deployment of climate-resilient storage systems in Uzbekistan and analogous semi-arid wheat-producing regions to safeguard food security.

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