EFFECT OF SWATHING AND MOISTURE CONTENT ON SEED PROPERTIES OF LAIRD LENTIL
The influence of harvest date and time in the swath on seed moisture content, physical characteristics and cooking quality of lentil was detemined over a 22-d harvest period in August 1988. Swathing effectively reduced seed moisture content from nearly 60 to 14% in 10 d except under conditions of prolonged rainfall. Reductions in moisture content resulted in increased bulk density along with proportional decreases in seed mass. Susceptibility to seed breakage also increased with decrease in moisture content, especially at seed moisture levels below 15% or when the experiment was conducted at −25 °C. Harvest date and seed moisture content had no apparent effect on cooking quality or kernel density.Key words: Lentil, harvesting, swathing, cooking quality, breakage susceptibility, bulk density, kernel density