Seed Conditioning, Volume 2: Technology-Parts A & B PDF

Preface

Seed conditioning is a vital part of the technology needed to move higheryielding, cost-effective improved genetic materials from the plant breeder to the farmers who must produce food for the rapidly expanding world population. The modern farmer must have seed that is free of inert material, weed seed, other crop seed, and disease, to obtain maximum production. Seed must be sized for accurate planting, high in germination, and free of damage.

In recent years much information has been developed on improving seed through conditioning. Yet with all this, seed conditioning still remains the aspect of the seed industry which is something of an ‘art'. This book is a follow-on, major update to bring together, in a logical sequence, present knowledge—both old and new—of seed conditioning, to help seed managers, specialists, and conditioning operators reduce loss of good seed while improving seed quality and honing the efficiency of their operations.

It is impossible to make a complete or artificial separation of different aspects of seed conditioning. For this reason, many topics will often be discussed in different places herein. In such instances, what is an apparent duplication is in reality an essential discussion of a different aspect of the same topic.

Machines Described and Illustrated

For most seed conditioning machines, there are a number of models, brand names, and capacities available in different locations.

It was impossible to include in this guide, details of all models available. Information also was not available on all models and brands; Some companies did not provide materials, while others were quite generous in supporting this work. For each kind of machine, we tried to select a representative model, and then describe it as well as possible. While they differ in details and in operations, the basic principle of machines in a specific purpose group are similar. In general, the specialist can easily use the information included here as a guide to familiarize himself with, and properly use, any locally-available model of a particular machine. However, herein we are not recommending any specific brands or models, and are not downplaying any brands or models; we have tried to be completely unbiased. All have utility in certain installations.

We have assiduously avoided any bias toward particular models or brands. This has been a characteristic even of the industry specialists called upon for assistance.

Information Included and Organization

Over years of working with seed conditioning, the conditioning managers and operators have emphasized the need for specific information on specific topics. We have tried to cover these topics with concise information on the methods which have seemed to be most efficient, effective and useful.

Each chapter in this book has been included because one or more seed conditioners mentioned the need for information on the chapter's topic. Information is organized so that it will be readily available and "findable" when needed. Conditioners have indicated that "don't worry about duplicating information in different sections; make each section complete, so that we don't have to look back and forth to get complete information". We have tried to do this. To the extent possible, each discussion is complete, without requiring cross-references to other sections.

Illustrations play a very important role in presenting information on the machines. However, illustrations were selected so as to fit the entire presentation, rather than a single paragraph or item.