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Article
Performance of Farm-Type Moisture Meters
Transactions of the ASAE
  • Charles R. Hurburgh, Jr., Iowa State University
  • Lynn N. Paynter, Iowa State University
  • Steven G. Schmitt, Iowa State University
  • Carl J. Bern, Iowa State University
Document Type
Article
Publication Version
Published Version
Publication Date
1-1-1986
Abstract

Three farm-type moisture meters (Dickey-john DJMC, Dole 400-B, and Electrex DMT-2)* were compared to USDA-approved oven methods on 225 corn samples (10.4% - 33.8% moisturet) and 96 soybean samples (8.0% - 16.6% moisture) from the 1984 crop. In corn, the DJMC read ±0.5 percentage point of the oven up to 27% moisture. The 400-B read ±0.5 percentage point of the oven up to 28% moisture. The DMT-2 read equivalent to the oven at 11% moisture, but read progressively lower than the oven as moisture increased. At 25% corn moisture, DMT-2 read 4.4 percentage points less than the oven. In soybeans, DJMC tested a relatively constant 0.52 percentage points higher than the oven, 400-B read ±0.25 points, and DMT-2 varied linearly from 1.2 points high at 10% moisture to 1.5 point low at 17% moisture. Calibration correction equations are given for all three meters. Variability (with respect to the oven) of the farm-type meters increased as corn moisture increased, with an average coefficient of variation (CV) of 4.2%. Three trade-type meters, included for reference purposes, had an average CV of 2.4% on the same samples. In soybeans, variability was not a function of moisture content; the farm and trade meters had standard deviations relative to the oven of 0.37 and 0.26 points respectively. The major share of variability originated from sample-to-sample variations in electrical properties, followed by differences among individual units of the same brand then variations among replicate meter tests and oven tests on a sample.

Comments

This article is from Transactions of the ASAE 29 (1986): 1118–1123. Posted with permissino.

Access
Open
Copyright Owner
American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Citation Information
Charles R. Hurburgh, Lynn N. Paynter, Steven G. Schmitt and Carl J. Bern. "Performance of Farm-Type Moisture Meters" Transactions of the ASAE Vol. 29 Iss. 4 (1986) p. 1118 - 1123
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/cjbern/2/