GENERAL PRINCIPLE OF SEED STORAGE & TYPES OF SEED STORAGE

1. ODISHA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE & TECHNOLOGY
SUBMITTED BY:
Name: Tanaya Bala
Regd No: 211222408
M.Sc Ag 1st year ,SST
SUBMITTED TO:
Miss Sarita Pradhan
Asst. professor
Dept. of SST

2. Introduction
Type of storage (time)
1.Commercial seed
2.Carry Over seed
3.Foundation seed
4.Germ Plasm seed
Method of storage
1.Traditional Storage
2.Commercial Storage
Research Paper
Reference

3. SEED STORAGE:
It is the process to maintain the seed in
good physical and physiological condition
from the time they are harvested until the
time they are planted.

4. Principles of seed storage:
a) Seed storage conditions should be dry and cool.
b) Effective storage pest control.
c) Proper sanitation in seed stores.
d) Before placing seeds into storage they should be dried to safe moisture limits,
appropriate for the storage system.
e) Storing of high quality seed i.e., well cleaned, treated as well as of high
germination with vigour and good pre - storage history.
f) Storage condition - in view of location or length of storage time, climatic
condition of the area during storage period.

5. Type Of Storage
(According to the time of storage)
Storage of
commercial seed
Storage of Carry -
over seeds
Storage of
Foundation Seed
Stocks
Storage of Germ
Plasm Seed

6.  The largest storage (75 to 80 %) seed from harvest until planting or the next year.
 The storage period ranges from few days to 8 to 9 months.
 Seeds must be dried to a moisture content less than 14% for starchy seeds, and less than 11% for
oily seeds.
 Seeds placed in storage must be cleaned - free from trash, undamaged.

7. Carry - over seeds
 It is the remaining 20 to 25 per cent of storage seed.
 Carry over through the one growing season to the
second planting time.
 Storage period is between one year to one and a half
years.
 Storage of seed in metal bin with tight fitting lids or in a
moisture proof bag reduce moisture penetration
provided seed should be dry enough for storage.
 In warm humid areas seed deterioration is rapid then
dry area. Seeds of soybean, cotton, onion, loose
germination capacity rapidly. So proper substantial
storage required.

8. Foundation seed stocks
 It is desirable to store foundation and enforcement seeds for several years since genetic drift are
minimized by reproducing foundation or stock seeds.
 Quantity of seeds is not large, the storage room is a small part of the total storage area or a
small room within a large warehouse.
 Relative humidity and temperature combination has to be provided for maintaining the viability.
 An combination of 25 % RH at 30°C temperature or less or a RH of about 45 % at 20°C or less will
be ideal.
 The required RH can be achieved by making the room moisture proof and by using a
dehumidifier.

9. Germ - plasm seeds
 Germplasm seed are kept for many years, perhaps very long periods.
 Basic requirements is the coldest temperatures and seed moistures in equilibrium with 20 to 25%
RH.
 Germ plasm Storage room has to maintain at 5°C to 10°C at 30 % RH.
 Longevity of seeds is intimately related with good seed storage facilities.
 Storage sample should be dry up to perfect moisture level.

11. A. TRADITIONAL METHODS OF STORAGE
 Pusa Bin
 RCC Bin
 Circular steel Bin
 Stone Bin
 Metal Bin
 Hopper Bin

12. 1. Pusa Bin
 It is a conventional mud bin.
 Simple in design, easy to construct and inexpensive
commonly used in villages.
 When filled to capacity and properly closed, damp proof
structure preventing conductivity.
 To provide moisture proof and airtight conditions,
polyethylene film of 700 gauge thickness has been embedded
at the top, bottom and on all the sides of the mud bin.
 The embedding process provides mechanical support and
safety to polyethylene film.
 The bin is constructed with unburnt bricks on burnt bricks or
concrete floor to avoid rat burrowing.
 The grain and seed both remain safe in the bin for more than
one year with proper precautions.

13. 2. RCC Bin
 The reinforced cement concrete bin is circular, sturdy,
weather - proof and suitable for both indoor and
outdoor storage.
3. Circular Steel Bin
 This bin has an opening at the top for filling and a spout at the
bottom to remove seed.
 This structure can be easily assembled on the farm site and can
be taken apart when not in used.
 It prevents from uneven temperature which lead to moisture
migration and deterioration of seed quality.

14. 4. Hopper Bin
 Durable outdoor structure with a sloping roof.
 A main hole for filling and a hopper bottom
with a sliding door for discharging seeds.
 The bin is provided with natural aeration to
prevent heating, increase of moisture and
deterioration of seed.
 It stand on a firm support, creating a distance
of 60cm at the bottom.
 A ladder or pully are provided to facilitated the
process of seed storage.

15. B. Commercial large scale storage
 Bulk storage: Structure should well constructed with water - proof wall, however, sidewall insulation
is more important in a bulk storage structure.
 Seeds stored in bulk requires frequent turning to prevent deterioration due to heating.
 A motor - driven fan with a suitable duct system supplies the small amount of air needed for
aeration.
 Ventilation should be encouraged within and between stocks.

16.  OPEN STORAGE - :
 No difficulty in loading and unloading of grain.
 No need to purchase storage containers like
gunnies.
 Insect incidence is less than bag storage, even this
can be eliminated by fumigation.
 Avoids waste from leaking bags.
 Easy inspections - saves labour and time.

17.  Bag storage: Warehouses should be constructed with
water - proof walls, roofs and floors. Other
requirements like ventilation, sanitation, fumigation
should be followed .
 The seed bag should be placed on wooden planking
erect above the floor to provide insulation against floor
temperature and moisture.
 Building must be rodent, birds and insect proof.
Bag Storage

18. Commodities are mostly stored in gunnies.
 Initial investment on permanent structures and
equipment occur.
 Requirement of labour is high.
 It is for short - term storage.
 Easily handled for marketing purpose.
 There is no sweating of bags as they are arranged in racks
with proper in bag space.

19. IMPROVED STORAGE STRUCTURES
(Copeland and McDonal recommended 4 principle types of seed storage)
Conditioned Storage Cryogenic storage Hermetic storage
Containerized seed
storage

20. Conditioned storage
 Aim is to storing seed carefully, controlling temperature and relative humidity.
 Too costly for storing seed lots of agricultural crops, but it is extremely valuable to
preserve germplasm and other valuable seed stocks.
 According to Harrington – In the tropics, conditional storage is necessary to maintain
seed viability.
 Welch and Delouche consider the following factor while evaluating the economics of
seed storage.
1. Types of seeds to be stored
2. Length of the storage period
3. Quality of seed stored
4. Loss of seed weight during storage.

21. Cryogenic Storage
 Seeds are placed in liquid nitrogen at - 196°C.
 There is little detrimental physiological activity,
prolonging the storage life of seeds.
 Safe and cheaper than conditioned storage.
 Limited in storage capacity.
 Long term storage of valuable germplasm.

22. Hermetic Storage
 Packaging seeds in an air - tight, moisture - resistant
containers or hermetically sealed containers for storage
and marketing.
 Laminated polyethene material were moderately
effective then the paper and cloth containers.
 Metal cans were completely effective in maintaining
seed moisture at the initial 5% level.
 The ambient air from seed can be replaced with
specific gasses like CO2 and N2 by decreasing O2
concentration.
 Using this method seeds can be stored upto 10 years or
longer.

23. Containerized Seed Storage
 When storing small samples, chemical desiccants can be
used to regulate moisture.
 Humidity is regulated in a closed container by use of
chemical desiccants like sulfuric acid (H2SO4), saturated
salt solutions, silica gel treated with cobalt chloride,
which serves as an indicator dye, turning from blue to
pink when RH exceeds 45%.
 This type of storage system is cheaper and insects -
rodent and moisture proof.
 The seed remain undamaged by storage fungi science as
they are maintained at 45% RH.

24. Neem oil encapsulated electrospun polyurethane nanofibrous bags for seed storage: A step
toward sustainable agriculture
Mrunalini K. Gaydhane Sampada P. Pudke, Chandra Shekhar Sharma
Abstract:
For higher crop yields, availability of good quality healthy seeds is a major challenge which is
directly related to post - harvesting proper seed storage. Various reasons for significant seed
storage losses includes varying temperature, humidity and presence of rodents, insects and
microbial infestation. In this study, a new type of seed storage bag is produced using electrospun
polyurethane (PU) nanofibers encapsulated with neem oil. The effect of neem oil loading (3, 5,
and 10% w/v) on fiber morphology, wettability, and water vapor permeability is studied. The
interaction of neem oil with PU is investigated and correlated with thermal stability and
mechanical strength. The physico - mechanical characteristic then compared with commercial
polypropylene storage bags to confirm its applicability. The real time storage experiment carried
out for 75 days infers that 90% seeds stored in nanofibrous bags were uninfected, whereas 70%
seeds in commercial bags found to be infected with storage fungi. These nano fabric bags show a
great potential toward reducing seed storage losses and may be a game changer for achieving
food security as one of the goal for sustainable development.

25. REFERENCE
 Book: Seed Technology by R L Agrawala
 http://eagri.org/eagri50/GPBR112/lec30.html
 https://agritech.tnau.ac.in/seed_certification/seed%20storage_Structures.html
 Picture taken from – Kakkar Commercila pvt ltd. , Alamy , Pin intrest , rishfibc ,
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