Post-harvest treatment of cereals

Post-harvest conditioning (PUO) is the task of conditioning the grain (or all grain brought in from the harvesters from the field) to a condition suitable for long-term storage or for subsequent sale.

The post-harvest grain treatment, or post-harvest line (PL) designed for primary production consists of :

• Revenue basket (PK)
• Cleaning - pre-cleaning (Č - Pč)
• Drying (S)
• Expeditions (E)
• Storage (U)

1. Receiving basket

The size and design of the PK depends on the performance of the harvesting line and the performance of the grain supply from the field to the PL, on the hydrogeological conditions of the PL location and on the PL's own grain treatment organisation.

According to the method of emptying, the revenue baskets can be divided into:

• Self-emptying baskets - suitable for places where the water table is not high
• baskets emptied by means of a conveyor

According to the passability we divide PK into:

• impassable
• half empty
• passable

According to the location we divide PK into:

• freestanding with roof PK
• located in the reception hall or the PL hall
• mobile PK

2. Cleaning - pre-cleaning

For post-harvest lines intended for primary production, our company recommends the use of universal cleaning or sorting machines from BUHLER, PETKUS or ZANIN, based on circular or straight oscillating movement of screens supplemented with active air separation, which we recommend to be supplemented with an air pre-cleaner of our production.

The air pre-cleaner is very useful especially in corn drying, to remove the husks from the corn husks, which are released after the grain is dried when drying corn with high humidity.

3. Drying

In recent years, grain drying has become an essential post-harvest operation, especially in the context of increasing areas of crops such as rapeseed, sunflower, maize and now also soya beans.

PREMETAL MON, s.r.o. therefore offers you a new range of highly efficient and economical EcoSeries dryers from the renowned world manufacturer Mathews Company. These dryers are particularly suitable for small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises of primary production, as well as for smaller commercial companies engaged in trade with agricultural commodities - grains.

4. Expedition

The most efficient way of dispatching grain from the post-harvest line is by means of expedition hoppers. These bins ensure smooth operation of the post-harvest line and at the same time fast filling of transport vehicles for transporting the treated grain to the appropriate warehouses or to the next user.

Dispatch bins are an indispensable element of PL for customers who want to offer post-harvest treatment as a service to businesses or private farmers who do not own their own PL.

Shipping bins may be square or circular and may be placed on the ground (in which case they must be fitted with an emptying conveyor) or at a height to allow for a driveway.

5. Storage

Grain imported from the field and treated at PL to a suitable purity and moisture content is ready not only for direct sale, but especially for longer-term storage, which makes it possible to achieve a better realisation price and thus better efficiency in the cultivation of all types of cereals and oilseeds.

For the storage of clean and dry grain the most common storage methods are floor storage and, in recent years, increasingly popular storage silos.