• Home
• Science Strategy
• Science Teams
• Projects
  • Theme: Post-Harvest Technology
• People
• Publications
• Acronyms

Theme: Post-Harvest Technology

'Rotronic' equipment for measuring seed water status - equilibrium relative humidity

The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation calls for enhanced conservation, particularly for threatened plants, for species with recalcitrant seeds (Target 8) and for sustainable use species (Target 9). However, conservation success can be compromised by inappropriate post-harvest handling, especially rapid drying of immature collections and exposure to unfavourable environmental conditions during transit from the field. Strategic studies of the relative timing of the acquisition and loss of desiccation tolerance across species and data capture on in-coming collections will be a priority to guide the development of new and improved seed processing techniques. We need to: accurately capture data at the point of harvest and during subsequent transfer; improve methods for drying seeds for banking and / or for desiccation tolerance screening; and use this information to identify species for further investigation in Preservation Technology. In addition, a better understanding of the physiological and biochemical changes associated with improvements in seed quality during post-harvest treatments will be sought.

Working with partners and community groups in partner countries we will also analyse the constraints to the effective handling, processing and storage of seeds and develop appropriate solutions through participatory research.

Predictive models will be applied, backed up where necessary by physiological screening, to identify non-orthodox species amongst MSB partners’ lists of conservation priority species. Strategic studies of the occurrence of desiccation sensitivity will also continue in selected families of high conservation and/or economic importance.

Significant achievements (2001-2005)

Two reviews on seed processing and a review on handling seeds of aquatic species have been delivered. Based on our strategic studies of seed development we have developed a decision-making framework for seed handling based on moisture content at harvest and ambient conditions. An MSBP funded PhD on post-harvest handling methods and seed quality has begun in Western Australia.

We have shown that seed size heterogeneity masks the critical moisture content for seed viability loss and have assessed the desiccation tolerance for > 100 dryland species and palms, a key ‘flagship’ species group (data published on 20 species).

Systematic and evolutionary patterns in seed desiccation tolerance have been revealed and we have published a test for seed desiccation sensitivity using few seeds and co-edited a book on plant / seed survival of drying.

We have pioneered the routine use of hygrometers for non-destructive moisture testing of seeds and defined the main factors affecting measurement accuracy.

Projects on this theme:

• Frequency of Desiccation Tolerance in Targeted Taxa, including Palms: Ecological Associations and Predictions
• Investigating Seed Drying: the Development of Low Technology Drying Options and Methods for Measuring Seed Moisture Status
• Maximising Seed Quality
• Rehydration / Priming Treatment Effects on Seed Quality
• Review and Improvement of Farm-based Post-harvest Handling and Seed Storage Technologies

Kew Home | Science Directory | Copyright & Privacy