Development and Application of the Intelligent Seed Processing Technology and Equipment

Seed processing is an important link in the seed industry chain. Crop seed industry is a national strategic and basic core of industry. Drying, cleaning, selecting, grading, coating, packaging and storage of crop seeds are the main measures to realize the precision sowing of crops and the increase of grain yield and income. Continuously improving the intelligence and fi ne level of seed processing equipment is of great signifi cance to ensure the production and supply of excellent seeds and the stability of agricultural production. This paper describes the development status of modern seed processing equipment technology in China, introduces the establishment of seed processing equipment engineering technology research center, taking maize, rice, wheat and cotton seed processing technology and machinery as an example, describes the key technologies and technological process of the breakthrough in the major crop seed processing, analyzes the existing problems of seed processing equipment in China at this stage as well as the development trend in the future, provides a reference for government decision makers in resolving the problem of mechanical damage in the process of seed processing and further improving the intellectualization level of seed processing, promotes the common progress of the global seed processing equipment technology.

Osmopriming with Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) for Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Germinating Crop Seeds: A Review

Abiotic stresses such as drought, extreme temperature, and salinity can negatively impact seed germination and plant growth and have become major limitations to crop production. Most crops are vulnerable to abiotic stress factors during their early growth phase, especially during seed germination and seedling emergence. Rapid crop seed germination and seedling establishment is known to provide competitive advantages over weeds and improve yields. Seed osmopriming is defined as a pre-sowing treatment in which seeds are soaked in osmotic solutions to undergo the first stage of germination, but radicle protrusion has not occurred. The process of osmopriming involves prior exposure of seeds in low-water-potential solutions. Osmopriming can generate a series of pre-germination metabolic activities, increase the antioxidant system activities, and prepare the seed for radicle protrusion. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a popular osmopriming agent that can alleviate the negative impacts of abiotic stresses. This review summarizes research findings on crop responses to seed priming with PEG under abiotic stresses. The challenges, limitations, and opportunities of using PEG for crop seed priming are discussed with the goal of providing insights into future research towards effective application of seed priming in crop production.

Weed seed contamination in imported seed lots entering New Zealand

Imports of seeds for sowing are a major pathway for the introduction of contaminant seeds, and many agricultural weeds globally naturalised originally have entered through this pathway. Effective management of this pathway is a significant means of reducing future plant introductions and helps minimise agricultural losses. Using a national border inspection database, we examined the frequency, origin and identity of contaminant seeds within seed for sowing shipments entering New Zealand between 2014–2018. Our analysis looked at 41,610 seed lots across 1,420 crop seed species from over 90 countries. Overall, contamination was rare, occurring in 1.9% of all seed lots. Among the different crop types, the arable category had the lowest percentage of seed lots contaminated (0.5%) and the forage category had the highest (12.6%). Crop seeds Capsicum, Phaseolus and Solanum had the lowest contamination rates (0.0%). Forage crops Medicago (27.3%) and Trifolium (19.8%) had the highest contamination rates. Out of 191 genera recorded as contaminants, Chenopodium was the most common. Regulated quarantine weeds were the rarest contaminant type, only occurring in 0.06% of seed lots. Sorghum halepense was the most common quarantine species and was only found in vegetable seed lots. Vegetable crop seed lots accounted for approximately half of all quarantine species detections, Raphanus sativus being the most contaminated vegetable crop. Larger seed lots were significantly more contaminated and more likely to contain a quarantine species than smaller seed lots. These findings support International Seed Testing Association rules on maximum seed lot weights. Low contamination rates suggest industry practices are effective in minimising contaminant seeds. Considering New Zealand inspects every imported seed lot, utilises a working sample size 5 times larger than International Seed Testing Association rules require, trades crop seed with approximately half of the world’s countries and imports thousands of crop seed species, our study provides a unique overview of contaminant seeds that move throughout the seed for sowing system.

An Untargeted Metabolomics Approach for Correlating Pulse Crop Seed Coat Polyphenol Profiles with Antioxidant Capacity and Iron Chelation Ability

Pulse crop seed coats are a sustainable source of antioxidant polyphenols, but are typically treated as low-value products, partly because some polyphenols reduce iron bioavailability in humans. This study correlates antioxidant/iron chelation capabilities of diverse seed coat types from five major pulse crops (common bean, lentil, pea, chickpea and faba bean) with polyphenol composition using mass spectrometry. Untargeted metabolomics was used to identify key differences and a hierarchical analysis revealed that common beans had the most diverse polyphenol profiles among these pulse crops. The highest antioxidant capacities were found in seed coats of black bean and all tannin lentils, followed by maple pea, however, tannin lentils showed much lower iron chelation among these seed coats. Thus, tannin lentils are more desirable sources as natural antioxidants in food applications, whereas black bean and maple pea are more suitable sources for industrial applications. Regardless of pulse crop, proanthocyanidins were primary contributors to antioxidant capacity, and to a lesser extent, anthocyanins and flavan-3-ols, whereas glycosylated flavonols contributed minimally. Higher iron chelation was primarily attributed to proanthocyanidin composition, and also myricetin 3-O-glucoside in black bean. Seed coats having proanthocyanidins that are primarily prodelphinidins show higher iron chelation compared with those containing procyanidins and/or propelargonidins.

Weed seed contamination in imported seed lots entering New Zealand.

Seed for sowing imports provide a major pathway for the introduction of contaminants, and many agricultural weeds that have now naturalized globally originally entered through this pathway. Management of this pathway is a significant means of preventing future plant invasions and helps minimize agricultural losses. This study examined frequency, origin and identity of contaminant seeds within seed for sowing shipments entering New Zealand between 2014-2018. Considering that seed lots imported into New Zealand are inspected at a higher intensity than required by other international agencies, data provide a window view of contaminants that move throughout the seed for sowing system. Contamination was rare, occurring in 1.9% of 41,610 seed lots across 1,420 crop seed species. Among the different crop types, arable had the lowest contamination rate (0.5%) and forage had the highest (12.6%). Of the commonly imported crop seeds, Capsicum, Phaseolus and Solanum, all had contamination rates of 0.0%. Crop seeds Medicago (27.3%) and Trifolium (19.8%) had the highest contamination rates. Out of 191 genera recorded as contaminants, Chenopodium was the most common. Regulated quarantine weeds were the rarest contaminant type, only occurring in 0.06% of seed lots. Sorghum halpense was the most common quarantine weed and was found only in vegetable seed lots. Vegetable crop seed lots accounted for approximately half of all quarantine weed detections, Raphanus sativus being the most contaminated vegetable crop. Seed lots from Italy had more quarantine weeds than other countries. Larger seed lots were significantly more contaminated and more likely to contain a quarantine weed than smaller seed lots. These findings support International Seed Testing Association rules on maximum seed lot weights. Low contamination rates suggest industry practices are effective in minimizing contaminant seeds. By characterising risks associated with crop seed importation, findings will help inform border inspection agencies with their targeted biosecurity efforts.

Moorochloa eruciformis (sweet signal grass).

Moorochlora eruciformis is an annual herb, fodder crop and common agricultural weed, native to Africa, Asia and the Mediterranean; it has also been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. Crop seed contamination is a possible pathway for dispersal of this species. It is reported as invasive in Cuba, Spain and Australia as well as islands in Oceania. Despite this, there is limited information available about the economic and environmental impacts of this species or its dispersal potential.