Evaluating rice quality produced in the Mbam rice hub in Cameroon and its association with pre- and post-harvest practices

Rice is a staple food in Cameroon, but its production remains relatively low to meet up local quantitative and qualitative needs. This work evaluated the current situation in regards with the physical and physiological quality of rice produced in the Mbam rice hub. Pre- and post-harvest practices were assessed by using a structured questionnaire as part of a survey during which rice samples were collected from rice actors. Physical and physiological parameters including the germination rate, moisture content, varietal purity, immature grains, fissured, whole, and broken grains percentages were assessed on rice samples in the laboratory using specific rice quality evaluation instruments and methods. A total of 80 rice samples including rice seed, paddy, and different types of milled rice were randomly collected during the survey from rice actors in four localities. The survey revealed nine rice varieties (Nerica 8, Nerica L56, Touh-Mba, Tox3145, Madam, Nerica 3, Mbankou, Sophie, and Bakala) cultivated in the hub and three major sources of rice seed, namely previously harvested paddy (69.2%), gift (23.1%), and both sources (7.7%). The analysis of physical and physiological attributes of rice seed used revealed a significant P 0.05 decline in the varietal purity among farmers of Badounga (81.94%) and Nyokon (77.39%) compared to Nkolbisson (97.56%). A similar trend was observed for paddy, though with high proportions (75 to 80%) of fissured grains. Broken grains in milled rice were very high, 50.02 to 62.11%, but impurities were low in all rice samples ˂0.5%. A significant correlation (r = -0.93, P 0.0001) was observed between the varietal purity of paddy and the level of broken grains. Overall, the physical quality of rice produced in the Mbam hub was poor and research innovations should be effectively used for improvement.