Comparison of a 1 t and a 55 t container when storing spelt grain in mild climate of the Czech Republic

Maintaining a suitable microclimate inside the storage space is the most significantfactor in maintaining good quality of stored grain for small farmers. This article is aimedat evaluating the influence of outdoor climatic conditions on the storage conditions, specificallythe temperature of stored grain in two storage containers. One structure was a 4 × 6 m cylindricalcontainer (55 t capacity) with a steel wire mesh wall lined with a textile shell. Spelt grain(Triticum spelta) was also stored simultaneously at the same location in a fabric intermediate bulkcontainer (FIBC) bag with maximum capacity of 1 t. Neither structure was mechanically aerated.Grain moisture and temperature were monitored during the spring and start of the summer periodof the year 2017 because of the biggest differences between the night and day temperatures.For monitoring of the grain microbiological changes samples were taken for laboratory testsduring the whole experiment. Grain quality parameters measured during storage included the bulkdensity, crude protein, falling number, germination, gluten content, sedimentation indexand contamination by mycotoxins. Monitored outdoor environment parameters weretemperature, dew point and relative humidity. Results showed a strong dependence of the storedmaterial temperature on the outside temperature in the case of FIBC bags (coefficient ofdetermination R2 = 0.927), whereas the dependence was weaker in the larger structure(R2 = 0.625). Mycotoxins monitored during the period were below the detection limit in bothcases.