Care of Freshly Harvest Pulse Critical

LONDON - Sep 18/08 - SNS -- Pulse producers in the United Kingdom need to take care to properly condition and dry this year's pulse crops to avoid losing value because of unintentional damage, warns Alan Wymer, of Saxon Agriculture Ltd in a release from the British Edible Pulse Association (BEPA).

"At prices for large blue peas ranging from £240 - £275 per metric ton (MT) subject to quality, it is essential growers ensure peas are held dry in store – where possible at 15% moisture.

"If growers believe they will struggle with drying peas in the short term, they would be better to outsource drying or storage, or sell them wet for immediate uplift, rather than run the risk of losing quality while they await drying. If left too wet, too long they will go mouldy and be reduced to feed or worse," he adds.

Steve Belcher at PGRO comments: "The large seed size of peas and beans makes drying difficult as they have a low resistance to air flow. It takes time to move moisture from the inside to the outside and slow, gentle drying with ambient air is ideal.

"Where quality is important, high temperatures in continuous flow driers may cause cracking. Floor ventilated bins are also suitable. When the initial moisture content is high, transfer of crop from bin to bin and the use of warmed air together with adequate ventilation may be necessary to avoid mould developing in the upper layers. Radial ventilated bins allow faster drying than floor ventilated bins but care must be taken not to overheat. On-floor drying using ambient or warmed air is also successful but care must be taken not to load too deep if moisture content is high and if lateral ducts are spaced wider than 1m.

"Considering too that a significant portion of this year’s crop may be sown as seed, extra care should be taken to avoid cracking the seed coat with rapid drying. It is even more important that pulse seed is tested for germination. To avoid discoloration of stored beans for export, or bleaching of peas, they should be stored in the dark and or covered to exclude light."