The grain temperature at harvest is generally around 30°C. Moulds and storage insects can develop rapidly. Lowering the grain temperature is the only readily available guarantee of good grain storage quality.
To ensure the quality and preservation of the grain, it must be cooled as quickly as possible to protect it from insect pests.
In order to achieve this, a silo cooling or ventilation strategy needs to be put in place as soon as the crop is harvested, to lower the temperature of the grain to around 5°C at the beginning of winter.
Stored grain has a high thermal inertia, meaning that it will stay warm for a long time if we wait for it to cool down on its own. Cold air is inserted into the storage in stages, as it is impossible to cool it down to 5°C immediately after harvesting unless cold is generated mechanically using a cooling unit.
The temperature is therefore lowered in three phases:
- The first round of ventilation takes place as soon as the crop is harvested. The aim is to cool the grain to around 20°C in August. At this temperature, grain respiration, and therefore self-heating, is reduced.
- In autumn, a second round of ventilation is carried out to bring the grain to a temperature close to 12°C in November in order to block the reproduction cycles of insect pests.
- A third ventilation session is carried out at the start of winter to bring the temperature of the batches down to around 5°C or less in January. This level of temperature keeps the grain fresh in early spring and, if the cold exposure times are long enough, starts to generate mortality of insect pests.
How does Javelot meet the needs of the silo ventilation phases?
The automated ventilation by choosing the correct ventilation ranges enables you to reach the different ventilation levels more efficiently, while keeping energy consumption under control.
Keep in mind that the ventilation phases help to:
- Optimise energy, consume less but more efficient.
- Reduce the risk of condensation.
- Reduce the insect pests risk.
"We chose Javelot to optimise our ventilation and improve efficiency.
Raphael COMPTE - Oxyane
In terms of quality, it is a real plus: there are far fewer insects and less insecticide to be used.
Jean-Charles COURCOUL - Pelé Agri Conseil