Development of an electro-mechanical meter for maize.

Abstract

Water content is key to grain stability during harvest, handling, storage, and shipment, and is typically referred to as the “grain moisture content.” The moisture content affects the grain’s physical properties, chemical properties, dielectric characteristics, grain quantity and biological processes, as well as “storability”: wet grain deteriorates faster than dry grain, due to the growth of mould. The grain losses in the stores is approximated to be 13% out of 30% the total post-harvest losses encountered in The handling of the grains. The existing Primary methods of moisture and temperature determination using dry oven and Karl Fischer methods are time consuming. Destructive in the way that sample used cannot be altered to its initial state, and be used for its intended purpose, require use of chemical reagents that are expensive to buy and disposal The purpose of this project was to make a friendly and time saving and non-destructive device that can detect both moisture and weight of Maize grains with a minimum skill to operate. So the development of electro-mechanical moisture meter for maize requires. Identification of suitable components, assembling and coding of the prototype, and testing of the prototype of the project.