Response of Germination Rate to Variable Drying Conditions and Moisture Contents for Storage of Dehisced Korean Ginseng Seeds

Abstract

-We compared the germination rate of dehisced ginseng (Panax ginseng) seeds that were dried under two different conditions, slowly at 15℃ [relative humidity (RH) 10-12%] and rapidly under a laminar airflow cabinet at 25℃ (RH 22-25%). The measurements showed that drying rate and seed moisture content (SMC) play important roles in storage ability and vigor. The seeds that were dried rapidly at 25℃ showed high GR compared with the seeds that were dried at 15℃ after 6 and 12 months of storage at -80℃ irrespective of MC. Seeds dried slowly at 15℃ with MC higher than 7.0% showed high GR maintenance after storage at -18℃ and at 4℃ in comparison with rapidly dried seeds. However, the GR of the slowly desiccated seeds decreased as mean SMC was reduced to less than 5.0%, whereas the rapidly dried seeds were distinguished by significantly high GR irrespective of the storage conditions. The ginseng seeds desiccated under different conditions showed differences in storage performance. Seeds with 7-9% MC that were dried slowly at 15℃ for 5-7 days showed high GR after 4℃ and -18℃ storage; however, longer periods of desiccation decreased the germination level remarkably compared with that of rapidly dried seeds.

Determination of Moisture Content of Single Maize Seed by Using Long-Wave Near-Infrared Hyperspectral Imaging (LWNIR) Coupled With UVE-SPA Combination Variable Selection Method

“…Moisture content (MC) is one of the critical factors to assess seeds quality. It directly affects the storage [2,3]. During storage, high moisture levels will accelerate respiration, thus, the excessive water and heat can be produced, which may cause seeds to be infected by some fungi [4,5].…”