Miller Magazine Issue: 139 July 2021

54 COVER STORY MILLER / july 2021 To have safe storage conditions we need to keep the product under certain temperature and moisture ranges as prescribed by the already mentioned safe storage charts. There are a combination of factors to consider, because an insects life is influenced mainly by temperature while mold activity is influenced by moisture. As the grain is hygroscopic, we can ensure the proper temperature and moisture content requirements by playing with the temperature and the relative humidity of the air surrounding our seed, taking advantage of the mentioned EMC chart (Fig. 4). As an example, in order to keep the wheat under the 12% moisture content, the action is to provide air with such conditions of the white regions. If air is provided with condi- tions on the red field, the moisture will increase. At this point the needed storage condition are known, and also the quality of the air that needs to be provided to the grains in order to guarantee the prescribed conditions. Outer environment The air might already be available in the atmosphere quite frequently, and this is the case of temperate climates where the aeration system might be designed for an airflow rate of 6 to 8 m3/h/ton of storage as a general rule. This is different for warmer regions, where fresh hours are limited and the airflow rate has to be doubled in order Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6