ISHS Acta Horticulturae 83: Symposium on Seed Problems in Horticulture
EFFECT OF HARVESTING ON PEA SEED QUALITY |
| Authors: | A.J. Biddle, J.M. King |
| Abstract:
Vining peas sown in the U.K. at two sowing dates during the seasons of 1973, 1975 and 1976 were harvested at different stages of maturity, and a study was carried out on the effect on seed quality. Laboratory tests on the produce after drying with unheated blown air, showed that cutting and threshing with a pea viner, when the moisture content of the seed was more than 35%, significantly reduced both the germination and the seed size and increased the amounts of leachate as measured by the electrical conductivity. Both desiccating the crop at 40% moisture content and cutting at this stage and allowing drying to take place in a windrow, gave seed of good quality and the results suggest that crops harvested between 30 and 35% moisture content would appear to give seed of similar quality to that from crops harvested at a more traditional stage of maturity. There were indications that the seed quality of early and later sown crops was affected by the differences in weather conditions at the time of maturation. | |
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader (free software to read PDF files) | |
