Abstract
To improve the process of seed extraction, new solutions have been investigated in an attempt to develop guidelines for the construction of small seed extraction equipment. One of the solutions proposed in this field is the use of electromagnetic radiation in the first stage of hulling cones, reducing their initial moisture content, which will result in quicker scale opening. It is proposed that cones should be irradiated for a relatively short period in the first stage. This operation will allow a quicker loss of moisture from the cones that are still closed, which will result in a more intensive opening of cone scales and will also positively affect the exposure of seeds for the next phase of hulling. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of microwave irradiation of pine cones on the quality of the seeds obtained. Cones were exposed to microwaves produced by an 800 W generator. The research was performed in several modes, in which the variable parameters were the duration of microwave irradiation, arrangement of cones with the apex pointed towards either the inner or outer part of the turntable, and the number of cones. The temperature distribution on the surface of and inside the cones was determined using the THERM v2 (Vigo System SA, Ożarów Mazowiecki, Poland) thermal image processing software. We also assessed the energy (vitality) and germinability (quality class) of seeds that were not exposed and those after microwave treatment. The results of the research allowed us to state that, with the assumed parameters of the process, it is possible to obtain second quality class seeds after exposure to microwaves for 5 s. This result was comparable to the quality of seeds obtained without the use of microwaves. When the irradiation time was increased above 5 s, the vitality of seeds decreased and their quality was not satisfactory.
Highlights
Significant progress has been made in recent years in the field of seed science, which has contributed to the modernisation of existing technical infrastructure facilities or construction of new facilities used for seed collection, quality assessment, and storage
The physical characteristics of the study material were found to be within the typical range for Europe, where the length of Scots pine cones ranges from 19 to 70 mm, their thickness ranges from 12 to 35 mm [33,34], and their weight ranges from 5 to 18.4 g [1,35]
The analysis demonstrated a positive correlation between the thickness (D, mm) and length (H, mm) of cones in the study batch
Summary
Significant progress has been made in recent years in the field of seed science, which has contributed to the modernisation of existing technical infrastructure facilities or construction of new facilities used for seed collection, quality assessment, and storage. Due to the high processing capacity that these facilities require, the need for regular deliveries of large amounts of cones is high in order to reduce extraction costs. This is often not easy to achieve as the availability of cone crops depends on seed years [1]. Various attempts were made to minimise the time of seed extraction These included raising the temperature of extraction [2], lowering pressure in a drying chamber, mechanical cone trimming (e.g., by cutting off the base), sorting cones by size, or soaking cones in water during the stepwise extraction process [3]. One of the reasons for this was the high sensitivity of seeds during drying to external factors, such as excessive temperature or inappropriate air humidity [1]
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