Improving the efficiency of mechanized wheat harvesting in Iraq using polyethylene hoses

Wheat production is a critical component of Iraqi agriculture, accounting for 54.6% of total agricultural output. However, grain harvesting suffers from significant losses and extended timelines due to a combination of factors: an insufficient number and low productivity of combine harvesters, limited mechanization (31.63%), and excessive idle time for combines (61% of working hours). Further exacerbating the problem is a shortage of adequate grain storage facilities; elevators can only accommodate 70-80% of the harvest. This study proposes a system optimization approach to increase the efficiency of wheat harvesting, combining an improved harvesting and transport system with the use of polyethylene hoses as temporary storage. The applicability of this technology was assessed in the Essaouira area of Iraq. The number of optimal temporary storage facilities was determined based on the average grain transport radius from combines by reloading trailers, security costs, and operating expenses for filling and emptying the hoses. The proposed solution utilizes Qirgdao polyethylene hoses with a 200-ton capacity, costing 54,000 rubles per unit. The effectiveness of different harvesting schemes was evaluated based on total operating costs. The operating cost of the existing conventional technology – employing one New Holland TC5040 combine harvester, trucking grain 72 km to an elevator, and storing 49,000 tons – was estimated at 2,136.9 rubles per ton. The proposed harvesting and transport system, incorporating four New Holland TC5040 combine harvesters and two BPZ-16 reloading trailers (16-ton capacity), yielded significantly lower operating costs of 618.9 rubles per ton. Simulation results indicated that the lowest operating cost (1015.7 rubles/ton) was achieved with eight storage locations, utilizing 30 hoses to store 6,120 tons of grain. The improved productivity of the combine within the optimized system was 7.34 tons per hour, representing 71% of its potential productivity (10.21 tons/hour). The study confirmed the economic benefits of integrating polyethylene hose-based grain storage into wheat harvesting operations in Iraq.

1. Ahmed A.F., Almo-sabbeh I.A. An economic analysis of the role of agricultural foreign trade and exchang rates in the growth of agricultural output in Iraq (1990-2020). Anbar Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2024;22(2):1260. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/387938295

2. Turky T., Momtaz I., Hassan N., Sabah K. Mechanization status, its technical indicators and impact on the wheat crop production in Iraq. Agricultural Engineering. 2023;27(1):75-85. https://doi.org/10.2478/agriceng-2023-0006

3. Al-Ansari N., Abed S.A., Ewald S.H. Agriculture in Iraq. Journal of Earth Sciences and Geotechnical Engineering. 2021;11(2):223-241. https://doi.org/10.47260/jesge/1126

4. Man N., Кadhim Z., Latif I., Wong K. Transactions costs analysis of agricultural machinery hiring decision in Iraq. Management Science and Engineering. 2016;10(4):75-86. https://core.ac.uk/reader/236302543

5. Amer K.Z., Muter S.A. The impact of two types of tillage machines on the tillage dates and numbers of durum wheat, Triticum durum yield (Waha Iraq). International Journal of Agricultural & Statistical Sciences. 2023;19(1):231-237. https://doi.org/10.59467/IJASS.2023.19.231

6. Al Jabouri A.A.N., Al-Akili R.N.K. Industrial agriculture and its role in realizing the dream of self-sufficiency in Iraq (Theoretical conceptual design of food manufacturing infrastructure and innovation in the food industry to boost the Iraqi economy). Ishtar journal of economics and business studies. 2022;3(2):39-55. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360439493

7. Yakoub Hilal Y. An investigation of the amount of grain loss–using plant density and reel index of two popular brands of combine harvesters. Agronomy Research. 2022;20(1). https://doi.org/10.15159/AR.22.011

8. Madgul N.S., Al-Najjar E.Y., Baker Y.T., Irhaim F.I. Using the Arima models to predict wheat crop production in Iraq. International Journal of Agricultural and Statistical Sciences. 2020;16(1):121-127. https://eurekamag.com/research/071/044/071044512.php?srsltid=AfmBOoot-rl_0QVQYiR_7CPQYpJHq6prCWP8pe4jopejdnS_9liksrsQ

9. Musa A.Al.Kh.N., Hussein I.A., Levshin A.G. On the state of wheat production in the conditions of small-scale agriculture in the Republic of Iraq. Technologies of the Food and Processing Industry of the Agro-Industrial Complex – Healthy Food Products. 2024;1:116-119.

10. Alsudani A.A. Postharvest management practices of wheat in Iraq: A review. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 2025;1487(1):012015. IOP Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1487/1/012015

11. Hussein I.A.H., Alshabebi al –Kh.N.M., Al-Gaylani A.A.A. A study of the productivity of a threshing machine during harvesting and the possibility of reducing losses. Journal of agriculture and environment. 2023;1(29). https://doi.org/10.23649/jae.2023.1.39.001

12. Mahdi R.S., Omran F.K. Determination of heavy metals concentration of local and imported wheat grains storage and wheat flour in some silos of Baghdad City. Iraqi Journal of Agricultural Sciences. 2021;52(5):1139-1149. https://doi.org/10.36103/ijas.v52i5.1452

13. Ziegler V., Paraginski R.T., Ferreira C.D. Grain storage systems and effects of moisture, temperature and time on grain quality – A review. Journal of Stored Products Research. 2021;91:101770. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2021.101770

14. Pavlov S.B., Novikov M.A., Smelik V.A. The project of grain storage technology in polyethylene sleeves in the conditions of the Novgorod region. Innovatsionnoye razvitiye agropromyshlennogo, khimicheskogo, lesnogo kompleksov i ratsionalnoe prirodopolzovanie [Innovative development of the agro-industrial, chemical, and forestry complexes and rational use of natural resources]: Proceedings of the II All-Russian scientific and practical conference, Veliky Novgorod, April 20, 2023. Veliky Novgorod: Yaroslav the Wise Novgorod State University, 2023. Pp. 103-108.