Safe Storage Of Sunflower Seed

Safe storage of sunflower seed — aeration drying and cooling

Sunflower growers can use aeration drying and cooling to successfully manage a range of seed moisture contents (MC) and temperatures during harvest and storage.

Key points

• Aeration drying and cooling enables safe storage of sunflower seed across a broad range of moisture contents and ambient temperatures.
• Optimal sunflower seed storage occurs below 9 per cent MC at 40 per cent oil content. For higher
• oil contents (≥50 per cent), store sunflower seed at 7.5 per cent MC.
• Moisture content can be lowered two to three per cent in less than a week with aeration drying.
• Reliable aeration drying requires fan airflow rates in excess of 15 litres per second per tonne (L/s/t), while aeration cooling requires airflow rates of between 2 to 4 L/s/t.
• Aeration cooling fans can reduce seed temperatures in storage by more than 10°C in two to three days.
• Sunflower oil quality can be maintained with well-managed aeration drying and cooling systems.

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GRDC Project Code PAL00019

Region North

• 506.69 kb Safe Storage of Sunflower Seed Sunflower growers can use aeration drying and cooling to successfully manage a range of seed moisture contents (MC) and temperatures during harvest and storage.