Abstract
The purpose of this study was to develop a procedure to determine seed moisture content from intact pelleted seeds. Samples of `Sentinel' onion and `Salinas' lettuce were pelleted by the following companies; Asgrow, Germains (Seed Systems), Harris Moran, Incotec, Peto and Seed Dynamics. Physical characteristics of the various pellets were quantified including weight, volume and density. Measurements were made on intact pellets and densities ranged from 0.84 to 1.67 g/cc. Seed drying curves were obtained on the different pellets under controlled environmental conditions. Pellets were first equilibrated at 85% RH, and then dried at 25C and 18% RH. In general drying rates were similar among pellet types within crops. With regards to seed moisture content determination, neither the electronic moisture meter, based on measuring capacitance, nor oven methods were able to accurately measure seed moisture from intact pellets. Measurement of the head space RH from pre-equilibrated intact pellets (water activity) resulted in an accurate method to assess seed water status for all samples. The actual seed moisture content could be determined by using the moisture isotherms for each seed lot at a given temperature.
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