Some Physical Properties of Jackbean Seed (Canavalia ensiformis)

Jackbean (Canavalia ensiformis) is a relatively new crop which is finding use in animal and fish nutrition. A lot of agronomic and nutritional research work has been carried out on the plant without any of its engineering properties studied. This work is an attempt on the study of some physical properties of the plant seed. The physical properties of the seeds measured were axial dimensions, weight and volume, sphericity, aspect ratio, particle and bulk densities and porosity at a moisture content of 6.0 ±0.73% (wb). Results show that the mean major, intermediate and minor diameters, weight and volume of the seed were 18.66±1.11mm; 13.14±0.85mm; 10.22±1.02mm, 1.59±0.15g and 1.34±0.13cm 3 respectively. The coefficients of variation (CVs) for these measured parameters were 5.97%, 6.50%, 9.98%, 9.50% and 9.88% respectively. Also calculated were the arithmetic mean diameter (AMD) 14.01±0.68mm, geometric mean diameter (GMD) 13.56±0.64mm, square mean diameter (SMD) 13.78±0.70mm and equivalent diameter (EQD) 13.78±0.70mm whose CVs were 4.42%, 4.72%, 4.76% and 4.76% respectively. The sphericity (Sph) 72.88±0.03%, aspect ratio (AR) 0.71±0.05 and particle density (Dp) 1.19±0.08g/cm 3 have CVs 4.31%, 6.97% and 6.86% respectively. The bulk density (Db) was 0.778±0.024g/cm 3 and porosity (Po) 0.326±0.001 with CVs 3.08% and 0.31% respectively.