Seed drying and storage on farm and in artisanal structures.
Solution
Background knowledge and practical recommendations to efficiently dry and store seeds on farm and in artisanal structures.
Description
The germination rate and vigour of seeds affect how well a crop emerges and establishes. They are a crucial aspect of seed quality, as poor seed vigour will result in seedlings that are more sensitive to abiotic stress (for example soil compaction or drought) and biotic stress (pathogens, especially soil-borne ones) and might even affect the final performance of the crop!
During seed storage, seeds age and their quality declines by oxidation. This is influenced by seed moisture level, presence of oxygen, and temperature, in decreasing order of importance. This guide-booklet explains and highlights the main issues to look out for when drying and storing seed. It proposes cost- and time-saving solutions for on-farm drying and storage. It namely addresses how to dry the seeds efficiently, how to ensure they stay dry during storage and how to protect them from oxygen.
The fact that seeds must be properly dried after harvesting and stored in a dry, cool and dark environment is known to many seed producers. Yet, experience shows that these obvious precautions are not always taken, due to lack of time and resources or because of organisational difficulties. By providing practical examples, cases and guidance to reflect on your own context and objectives, we hope this booklet will help to lift some of the practical challenges associated with the drying and storing of vegetable seeds in small-scale seed enterprises and on-farm.
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In order to use the comment function, you must register with the third-party provider "Disqus".
When you activate this function, your browser establishes a direct connection with the servers of the third-party provider. We would like to point out that data is transmitted to the third-party provider after activation, and the latter may set cookies that can also be used for analysis and marketing purposes. For more information, please refer to our privacy policy.
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