Comparison of hermetic and conventional bags for maize seed preservation in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan

Abstract

Maize (Zea mays L.) is a major cereal crop used as a staple food worldwide for decades. Farmers store their produce in porous polypropylene bags under humid conditions which negatively affects their quality. In this study, maize seeds were stored in hermetic and conventional bags with an initial seed moisture content of 13.5% (wet basis) and 96.3% germination for 8 months at four major maize growing districts (Athmuqam, Hattian Bala, Muzaffarabad and Rawlakot) of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. Due to high ambient relative humidity conditions (>80%), an increase in moisture was observed in seeds stored in porous conventional bags (14. 7%). This increase was because of high initial relative humidity conditions (79–85%) in conventional bags. Seed moisture content remained unchanged in hermetic bags and internal humidity was 59–60%. As a result of hermetic conditions, germination and seed integrity were maintained in hermetic bags compared to conventional woven bags. Germination drastically decreased in conventional bags and fell to 9 % (Athmuqam), 13 % (Hattian Bala), 11 % (Muzaffarabad) and 12 % (Rawlakot). Higher physical quality losses of maize in conventional bags were because of infestation activity of live insect pest populations (S. zeamais, R. dominica and T. castaneum) that initiated 21.7–23.7 % weight loss in polypropylene bags. Hermetic bags protected seeds from insect pest attack and maintained seed quality. Higher contamination of aflatoxin B1, G1, B2 and G2 (ppb) was recorded in seeds stored in conventional bags as compared to hermetic bags. Aflatoxin B1 was maximum in conventional bag at Hattian Bala (8.93 ppb) followed by Muzaffarabad (6.68 ppb), Athmuqam (5.02 ppb) and Rawlakot (0.71 ppb). In conclusion, the use of hermetic dry chain storage preserves maize seed quality and thus can have a significant impact on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers of humid areas.