Design of bed dryer for sweet corn seeds (Zea mays saccharata L.)

One of the problems faced by corn farmers in Indonesia is the unavailability of corn dryers during rainy season. As the result, seed production decreased both in terms of quantity and quality. This study aims to design and introduce a bed seed dryer. Bed dryers are considered since it is simpler and cheaper. The dryer is designed for a capacity of 500 kg of corn, with corn cobs with a gasification combustion system as its fuel. This study also compared the effect of bed drying and sun drying (with two different floor materials; tarpaulin mat and concrete base) on dried-corn germination rate. The results showed that the designed dryer was able to reduce the moisture content from 22 (w.b.) to 14 (w.b) for 30 hours. The drying temperature is kept below 43 C and had no significant difference with the drying temperature of the sun drying. The germination rate of all samples has met the National standard for corn seed (SNI 01-03920-1995), which was 92. The self-fabricated bed dryer has the potential to dry corn seed as good as using sun while retaining its quality. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.