The cost of inadequate postharvest management of pulse grain: Farmer losses due to handling and storage practices in Uganda

Table 9 Farmer methods of testing grain for dryness

Practice/ method	Percent of farmers	MC of grain at ≤ 90 days of storage
		Mean	SD	Min	Max
Biting the grain	51.0	15.23	3.13	9.5	26.3
See and feel	21.8	14.83	3.14	8.1	26.8
Shake and hear	17.5	14.63	2.99	9.1	21.7
Press and feel	2.9	13.78	1.84	11.1	17.0
Base on drying period	2.7	14.04	1.03	12.3	16.5
Bottle method	1.4	12.90	2.39	10.0	15.5
I don't know	0.7	17.10	1.97	15.5	19.7
Moisture meter	0.7	19.25	1.26	18.1	20.4
Ensure harvest when grain is dry	0.7	12.33	2.57	10.1	15.7
Tell from the leaves in the field	0.4	–	–	–	–
When beans begin to shatter	0.2	14.40	0.00	14.4	14.4

Farmers who used the moisture meter had no bean samples at time of the interview. Source: Field study, 2019

ISSN: 2048-7010