Abstract
Abstract: The evaluation of seed deterioration is very important to control the quality of the seeds stored. This study aimed to investigate the potential of fast ethanol assay for seed quality assessment of maize stored under different conditions. The first experiment was to determine the incubating temperature, incubating time, and amount of seed used in the assay. The results showed that the best protocol for the detection of headspace ethanol was incubation of 3 g of maize seed with 20% moisture content (wet basis) in a 20 mL gas chromatography vial at 70 °C for 1.5 h. The assay induced approximately 200-700 µg.L-1 of headspace ethanol, which was sufficient to identify seeds with different vigour levels. In the second experiment, the optimal conditions were used for quality assessment in aged maize seed stored for 12 months under different storage conditions. The increase in the ethanol production of stored maize seed under the controlled conditions (15 °C and 20% RH in the hermetic seal) was lower than under ambient conditions. The ethanol production levels of maize seed samples at the start of storage was significantly lesser than at six months storage (p < 0.05). The test limitations in deteriorated seed with different cultivars and ages will be discussed.
Highlights
Maize is the world’s most important grain, based on production volume (STATISTA, 2017)
We report on the protocol optimization for preparing seed samples for the detection of seed deterioration using a modified ethanol sensor including investigation of the effect of natural ageing on the headspace ethanol and seed vigour in commercial maize seeds
Our experiments confirmed that an increase in the seed moisture content and temperature can accelerate the production of headspace ethanol and the results showed that maize seeds with different vigour levels can be differentiated by using this method (Figure 2)
Summary
Maize is the world’s most important grain, based on production volume (STATISTA, 2017). It is important in upstream protein and carbohydrate food production with direct and indirect utility (such as an animal feed mixture). This cause high demand for high quality and large quantity of maize seed. Fast and accurate methods for controlling seed quality are crucial in maize seed production. In the tropical zone, the potential storability, or seed vigour, of maize seed is lost faster than in the temperate zone (Doijode, 2001; Harrington, 1960). The vigour of seeds is reduced or lost during long-term storage, even when they are stored under low-temperature and low-moisture conditions, which leads to commercial and genetic losses (Yin et al, 2014)
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