This first version of an ISTA Handbook on Moisture Determination provides additional help to Chapter 9: Moisture of the International Rules for Seed Testing. Its detailed instructions, interpretations of Rules sections, and examples of how to calculate results in detail should prove to be of value to those concerned with Seed Moisture Testing.
 
The main chapters of the handbook are:
-         Moisture in seed (seed physiology, moisture testing during several stages in a seed's life, non-orthodox seeds).
-         Methods of moisture testing (Karl Fischer, Phosphorus pentoxide, ovens, capacitance and conductance type meters, NIR, NIT, NMR, RH)
-         Sampling and sample preparation (examples, quality assurance)
-         Reference method (including detailed procedure and examples of how to do the calculations)
-         Constant temperature oven method (around 50% of the Handbook; contains detailed instructions, photographs, flow charts, examples of SOP's, …)
-         Moisture meters (detailed information, including monitoring and calibration)
-         Reporting results (calculations, tolerances, validation of new methods)
-         References
 
In addition, the Handbook contains a list of abbreviations and a glossary.
 
The chapters on 'moisture in seed' and 'methods of moisture testing' are aimed mainly at the trainee seed analyst, trainers and students, and contain background of information on moisture in seed.