Comparison of Moisture Determination Techniques over a Range of Sweet Corn Seed Maturities

Abstract

Table 1. Mean seed moisture content of ‘Florida Staysweet’ and ‘Crisp N’ Sweet 710’ as measured by three moisture determination methods.’ Seed moisture content, an estimate of kernel maturity, is commonly used by the sweet corn industry to determine optimal harvest date. Depending on environmental conditions, moisture in sweet corn seed can drop rapidly. Therefore, a rapid determination of moisture content was necessary to study the effects of seed maturity at harvest on germination and vigor of shrunken-2 sweet corn. A moisture analyzer (model AVC-80; CEM Corp., Indian Trial, N.C.) consisting of a microwave drying oven, electronic balance, and a microprocessor was used. The microprocessor computes moisture content based on percent weight loss of the sample after it has been dried by microwave radiation. We compared the efficacy of such a moisture analyzer (MA) across a range of 40% to 70% moisture (fresh-weight basis) in shrunken-2 sweet corn seed to two standard methods used by the seed industry, the air-oven (AO) and Brown Duvel distillation (BD). The moisture range was selected based on the industry’s harvesting guidelines for shrunken-2 sweet corn seed, which maximizes field performance (50% to 55% moisture on fresh weight basis). Seed of two shrunken-2 commercial hybrids, ‘Florida Staysweet’ and ‘Crisp N’ Sweet 710’, was produced by controlled hand pollinations of field-grown parental inbreds in southern Minnesota. Four harvests from each cultivar, each within a single pollination date, were made as seed moisture reached ≈70%, 60%, 50%, and 40%. Moisture was determined using seeds cut to cob level from the