Drying rate of hemp conditioned with a forage conditioner

Mechanical conditioning experiments of hemp were conducted at two growth stages (fibre stage and seed stage) with a forage mower-conditioner consisting of two intermeshing rubber rolls. Conditioned hemp was placed on a mowed lawn in a yard to be naturally dried. Drying rates of hemp were examined by measuring the moisture losses through a three-day drying period at each stage. Drying curves for the two stages showed similar trends. However, a higher drying rate was observed for the hemp at the fibre stage which was initially wetter (71 % versus 59% moisture content on wet basis). Four different roll pressures between 0.3 and 6.6 N/mm were used for conditioning. Conditioning was effective in increasing the drying rate of hemp. A roll pressure of 2.4 N/mm appeared most effective for drying at the fibre stage and 4.5 N/mm at the seed stage.