How to store corn well? A detailed guide to practical storage methods
The key to safe corn storage is to improve the quality of the grain going into storage and reduce its moisture content. Because temperature and humidity vary considerably from place to place, appropriate storage measures should be adopted according to local conditions.
?Grade separation: Store in bins according to moisture level. When corn goes into storage, it must be stored separately by moisture content and by grade. This lays the initial foundation for safe storage. Corn with a high moisture content should be dried before being put into storage.
?Low-temperature sealed storage: Based on the storage characteristics of corn, low-temperature, dry storage is suitable. There are two methods: one is dry sealed storage, and the other is low-temperature frozen sealed storage. In southern regions, corn after harvest can, where conditions allow, be thoroughly dried, and once the moisture has been reduced to a safe level, it is sieved and put into sealed storage. In northern regions, corn after harvest is limited by temperature, and it is very difficult to reduce high-moisture corn to a safe moisture level; apart from drying to reduce moisture where conditions allow, low-temperature frozen sealed storage can basically be adopted. The method is to take advantage of the cold, dry winter weather, spread the corn out to cool it down, with the grain temperature able to drop below -10°C, then sieve it to remove frost and impurities, and while the temperature is low and the weather clear, put it into sealed storage. But this is only temporary; before the temperature rises and rain comes in spring, the corn must be sun-dried or dried.
Corn ear storage: Without shelling the corn, ear storage is a relatively mature practice that was widely adopted by Chinese farmers long ago. Because the gaps within a pile of ears are large (up to 51.7%), ventilation is good, and since it is the low-temperature season, even though the respiration intensity of high-moisture corn ears is still very high, heat energy metabolism can be kept in balance and the pile temperature changes little. Under long-term ventilation conditions in winter and spring, the corn gradually dries. When the moisture content drops to 14.5%-15%, it can be shelled and transferred to grain storage. Bai Fengjun