Principles And Practices Of Seed Storage

The book provides wide range of information on seed storage. In the beginning the biology of seeds and factors which influence seed viability and storage is explained. How the seed storage can be made more effective from the initial selection and dryingof seeds to protective measures, packaging and transportation is explanied. All type of illustrations are provided in respect of machinery and facilities commonly used in the treatment and storage of seeds. Among many other, short accounts are given of varietal variation in viability of seeds variation in tolerance of mechanical injury sustained during handling, and cytological changes which take place during storage, including the spontaneous appearance of mutations and occurrence of chromosomal abnormalities. A Well produced and thorough book likely to be valued by all PG, researchers, seed societies botanist and Agriculturists and all those who are interested about seed storage.

The book provides wide range of information on seed storage. In the beginning the biology of seeds and factors which influence seed viability and storage is explained. ow the seed storage can be made more effective from the initial selection and drying of seeds to protective measures, packaging and transportation is explained. ## All type of illustrations are provided in respect of machinery and facilities commonly used in the treatment and storage of seeds. Among many other, short accounts are given of varietal variation in viability of seeds variation in tolerance of mechanical injury sustained during handling, and cytological changes which take place during storage, including the spontaneous appearance of mutations and occurrence of chromosomal abnormalities.

Purpose and significance of safe seed storage; The seed, a fragile, living organism; From harvest to sowing; Decline and death of seeds; Scope of publication; Seed factors that affect storage life; Effects of storage environment on seed longevity; Effect of pests and chemicals on seed deterioration in storage; Changes associated with seed deterioration; How seeds are dried; Seed storage structures; Packaging and packaging materials; Monitoring seed storage enviroment and seed condition; Some practical information for storing and transporting seeds at ambient conditions; Theories regarding seed deterioration; Old and ancient seeds.

Plant breeders continue to make significant advances in developing high yield ing, adaptable, disease-free crops. These advances, however, are not realized until an efficient seed production system is in place that rapidly increases geneti cally superior crops and makes them available to the consumer in large quantities at a reasonable cost. Successful seed production requires seed to be genetically pure, free of admixtures, and able to establish rapidly a uniform stand. Seed production is a complex process. Rigorous production criteria are followed by both seed producer and seed companies to ensure that high-quality seed is produced and marketed. These criteria become even more stringent in hybrid seed production. This volume identifies the factors most critical in a successful seed production operation. The fundamental considerations common to all seed crops are established in Part I, Principles of Seed Production. From this founda tion, the practices of seed production are provided in detail in Part II, Seed Production of Specific Crops.

Seeds are the vehicle for delivering the improvements in a crop to the farmer’s field. They are therefore a critical input in agricultural production. Seeds are also unique in that they must remain alive and healthy when they are used and that they are also the input that farmers can produce by themselves. It is estimated that 25–33% of the world grain crop, including seeds, is lost each year during storage. To avert this obvious drawback to food security and nutrition, this module provides the underlying principles for effective seed storage and the associated practices. The module provides guidance on the preservation of seeds under controlled environmental conditions so as to maximize seed viability for the long periods that may be required from harvesting through processing to planting.

This Third Edition of Principles of Seed Science and Technology. like the first two editions. is written for the advanced undergraduate student or lay person who desires an introduction to the science and technology ofseeds. The first eight chapters presentthe seed as abiologicalsystemand coverits origin. development. composition. function (and sometimes nonfunctionJ, performance and ultimate deterioration. The last seven chapters present the fundamentals ofhow seedsare produced. conditioned. evaluated and distributed in our modern agricultural society. A new chapter on seed enhancement has been added to reflect the significant advancements made in the last 10 years on new physiological and molecular biology techniques to further enhance seed performance. Because of the fundamental importance of seeds to both agriculture and to all of society. we have taken great care to present the science and technology of seeds with the respect and feeling this study deserves. We hope that this feeling will becommuni cated to our readers. Furthermore. we have attempted to present information in a straight-forward. easy-to-read manner that will be easily understood by students and lay persons alike. Special care has been taken to address both current state-of-the-art as well as future trends in seed technology. . We believe this Third Edition represents a new level in presenting information that appeals to advanced undergraduate students as well as to those desiring more fundamental information on seed form and function. At the same time. it continues to havethestrengths ofthe firsttwoeditions.initsreadabilityaswellas itscomprehensive coverage of the broader area of seed science and technology.

From prehistoric times man has had a pecial s relationship with seed plants - as a source of food, materials for tools, buildings, clothing and pharmaceuticals, and for ornamenting his surroundings for his own delight (probably in that chronological order which, incidentally, also gives some indication ofthe priorities oflife). Today man's most important staple foods are derived directly from seeds as they have been since neolithic times. (It is a sobering thought, as Harlan* has pointed out, that nothing significant has been added to his diet since then. ) From those times he must have learned to collect, conserve and cultivate seeds; and the accumulated experience has been handed down. This book then is part of an ancient tradition, for here we are still primarily concerned with these skills. Seeds are plant propagules comprised of embryos in which growth has been suspended, usually supplied with their own food reserves and protected by special covering layers. Typically they are relatively dry structures compared with other plant tissues and, in this condi tion) they are resistant to the ravages of time and their environment. But resistant is a relative tenn and seeds do deteriorate: the type, the extent and the rapidity of the deterioration, and the factors which control it are important to agronomists, horticulturalists, plant breeders, seedsmen, seed analysts, and those concerned with the conservation of genetic resources.