Features Agronomy Canola
Tips for drying tough damp canola

Sept. 15, 2016 - No matter how good the harvest weather or how dry the harvested crop, all canola should be conditioned after it goes into the bin to ensure safe long-term storage — especially if it goes into the bin warm. For tough and damp canola, the spoilage risk is much higher.

Canola is considered “tough” at moisture levels between 10 per cent and 12.5 per cent. “Damp” is anything above that.

With tough canola, aeration can be enough to dry it to safe storage levels as long as air has capacity to dry: warm with low relatively humidity (RH). At RH values above 70 per cent, the equilibrium moisture content will be above 8 per cent to 9 per cent, meaning sufficient drying for safe long term storage is difficult to achieve.

Drying canola with aeration alone also requires sufficient air flow and time to move the drying front to the top of the grain mass. Damp canola will require heated air drying and rigorous management to condition it for safe storage. | READ MORE.

September 15, 2016  By Canola Watch