Influence of active ventilation on mycological contamination during grain drying

Commonly not driers but active ventilation is used for grain drying in small- and average-scale farms. It is a cheap and universal way of drying; however, grain in a mound becomes dry unevenly. The drying occurs in a narrow mound layer only, i.e. in the drying zone. Process of drying using active ventilation involves the formation of the zone at the air entrance location, the shift of the zone in the direction of the air flow, and its vanishing in the top layer of the mound where almost all the grain keeps the initial moisture till the end of the drying process. As a result, moist and warm medium that is hospitable for the development of the micromycetes forms. When selecting the active ventilation modes, the most important thing for the grain in the top mound layers is to become dry before it goes bad. It is the only condition for the successful drying using the active ventilationVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŽemės ūkio akademij