IRRI Moisture Meter

The IRRI low-cost moisture meter for paddy

Although the resistance type moisture meters are not too expensive, farmers still cannot afford them. The IRRI low-cost moisture meter is a decision making tool for postharvest operations that costs half of the price of a more advanced moisture meter. It is designed as a decision-making tool in postharvest operations of paddy and is not intended for trade.

Typical applications are:

• Checking whether paddy in a dryer or in sun-drying is dry enough to stop the drying process
• Checking whether paddy intended for milling can be stored safely
• Checking whether rice seeds are dry enough to be stored safely. Especially when storing seeds in the hermetic storage systems it is recommended to use either this or any other moisture tester to determine the seed moisture content before sealing the storage container.

The IRRI moisture meter is used as any other resistance type moisture meters by crushing a small sample of grains.

Three light emitting diodes (LEDs) and a beeper visualize the results.

• Red – paddy is wet and needs to be dried (above 14%)
• Green – paddy is dry enough for safe storage and at optimum MC for milling (12−14%)
• Yellow – paddy is safe for seed storage (12% or below)

Within the range of 10−16%, the moisture content can be determined in 1% increments by observing the lighting patterns of the LEDs. For details see the photo below and the user manual.

The moisture tester is calibrated for paddy. Calibration functions for maize and other crops can be produced on request.