To reduce the expense of dry preparation and storage, I investigated the storage containers and locations necessary for year-round room temperature storage of dried brown rice for feed rice. The results showed that storing brown rice in storehouses at room temperature in outer polypropylene bags only caused the proliferation of stored grain insects inside the containers. This in turn lowed the crude protein and ether extracts content of the rice. Storing paddy rice in the same conditions did not result in insect proliferation. Combining the outer bag with an inner 0.15-mm-thick polyethylene bag prevented insect damage both in room-temperature storehouses and outdoors, as well as changes in moisture levels, dry matter weight, feed compositions, and nutritional value. The results indicated that storing brown rice in both inner and outer bags makes year-round storage possible both in room-temperature storehouses and outdoors.

We utilized Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and image analysis to develop an effective and objective evaluation method for individual plant/plot selections in a grass breeding program. Using an established orchardgrass field nursery, we compared a professional breeder’s rating of individual plant canopies with Green Red Vegetation Indexes (GRVI) obtained from a UAV. Correlation was high (r＝0.80) between the two rating systems. In additional rating comparison experiments using orchardgrass and Italian ryegrass, correlations between breeder’s scores and GRVI remained high (r＝0.80 and 0.76). Correlations were not affected due to sunny weather or when images were captured from 20 to 100m. These results indicate that GRVI is a useful index in a grass breeding program.