When air temperatures rise in the spring the grain must be heated slowly to maintain the 10 F differential. Keep rice temperature as low as possible during the spring to reduce insect damage. Higher air flow rates, which are often provided by drying fans, allow faster temperature equalization. Fan operation should be controlled by maintaining less than a 10 F difference between grain temperature and average outside air temperature. 2 shows that, in an average year, rice should be cooled to below 50 F by December.
Improper aeration leads to mold development.
Early signs of mold growth can be detected by smelling the first air that is exhausted from a storage after fans are turned on. Average air temperature in the Sacramento Valley. Rice is cooled in fall, kept at low temperature in the winter and warmed in the spring. Under many conditions, fans are operated about two times per week. Table 2 in the bin drying chapter describes the specific air temperatures and humidities suitable for aeration at given rice moistures.