Maize postharvest losses during storage in smallholder farming systems in Mexico, data from 109 locations

CIMMYT and its network of collaborators in Mexico, conducted a series of experiments across agroecological zones of Mexico in 2017 and 2018 to evaluate the effect of different storage technologies on postharvest losses of maize. Experiments were conducted under “controlled” (i.e., managed by researchers) and “non-controlled” conditions (i.e., on-farm managed by extension agents). Each experiment compared the conventional storage technology (polypropylene bag with and/or aluminum phosphide or deodorized malathion) commonly used by farmers in the area to one or more other storage technologies (selected from hermetic metal silos, hermetic bags, recycled plastic containers, silage plastic bags, polypropylene bag with standard lime-calcium hydroxide- polypropylene bag with micronized lime). Data collected at the beginning and the end of each experiment included: (1) characteristics of the site of experiments (elevation, municipality, state, type of climate); (2) storage technologies evaluated; (3) grain characteristics (type of variety-hybrid or native-, moisture content, temperature); (4) grain damage data (percentage of grain impurities, percentage of insect-damaged grain, percentage of fungi-damaged grain, percentage of total damage, weight losses); (5) number of live insects per 500 g of sample (Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky, Prostephanus truncatus Horn, Sitotroga cerealella Olivier); (6) storage time (in days and months) and average climatic data during storage period (minimum and maximum temperature, minimum and maximum relative humidity).