Method for improving quality of old corn seeds

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of seed screening, and discloses a method for improving the quality of old corn seeds, which is characterized by the following method steps: S1, selecting full old corn seeds for low-temperature stratification treatment; S2, cleaning the old corn seeds after the low-temperature stratification treatment, placing the old corn seeds in a container, initially soaking the old corn seeds in distilled water at room temperature for a period of time, taking out the old corn seeds, airing the old corn seeds, and obtaining old corn pretreated seeds; S3, placing the aired old corn pretreated seeds in a new container, adding a soaking solution to the old corn pretreated seeds for secondary soaking, drying the old corn pretreated seeds after the secondary soaking, and obtaining dry pregermination seeds; and S4, preserving the dry pregermination seeds for later use. The old corn seeds treated by the method have significant advantages in the germination rate, single-mu yield, average plant height and average ear length compared with old corn seeds without any treatment, and the germination rate of the seeds is increased to more than 80%.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of seed screening technology, specifically a method for improving the quality of aged corn seeds. Background Technology

[0002] For corn seeds stored for more than one year, which are treated as old seeds, the germination rate of old corn seeds will be affected after long-term storage. If stored at room temperature, the germination rate of old corn seeds will decrease by about 10% per year. Even if stored in a seed cold storage, the germination rate of corn will decrease by 2-5% per year. In addition, due to improper storage conditions and other problems, they generally cannot be used as field seeds.

[0003] If germination rate is not taken into account when planting old corn seeds, even if the old seeds germinate in the field, their emergence ability is weakened and their ability to emerge from the soil is reduced, resulting in uneven emergence in the field. They will not achieve full or uniform emergence. Even if the seeds can emerge from the soil, the seedlings will vary greatly in strength and will not achieve uniform and strong seedlings. At the same time, the rate of deformity after germination is also high, and they cannot become healthy seedlings.

[0004] Currently, cold storage is commonly used to maintain seed viability in order to extend the shelf life of corn seeds. However, this storage method is costly. Therefore, this invention aims to provide a method to improve the quality of old corn seeds by pre-treating them before planting to improve the germination quality of old corn seeds. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a method for improving the quality of aged corn seeds, solving the problem that the viability of corn seeds decreases to varying degrees after long-term storage, thus affecting the quality of seedling emergence in the field.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a method for improving the quality of aged corn seeds, comprising the following steps:

[0007] S1. Seed pretreatment: Select plump old corn seeds for low-temperature stratification treatment;

[0008] S2. Initial soaking: After cleaning the aged corn seeds that have undergone low-temperature stratification, place them in a container and soak them in distilled water at room temperature for a period of time. After taking them out and drying them, you will get the pre-treated aged corn seeds.

[0009] S3. Secondary soaking: Seed screening: Remove moldy, worm-eaten and immature seeds from the pre-treated old corn seeds, and dry them for 1-2 days. Place the dried pre-treated old corn seeds into a new container, add soaking solution for secondary soaking, and dry the seeds after soaking to obtain dried pre-germinated seeds.

[0010] S4. Seed preservation: Store the dried, pre-germinated seeds for later use.

[0011] Preferably, in step S1, when the aged corn seeds undergo low-temperature stratification treatment, the ambient temperature is maintained at 0–5°C, and the treatment time is 1–2 months.

[0012] Preferably, in step S2, the soaking time of the aged corn seeds in distilled water is controlled at 15-20 hours, and the temperature of the distilled water is controlled at 30-35℃.

[0013] Preferably, the soaking solution is prepared by the following method steps:

[0014] Step 1: Take calcium chloride, potassium nitrate and spermine, mix the above ingredients initially, add water at 10 to 15 times the weight of all raw materials, mix and stir to obtain mixture A;

[0015] Step 2: Add naphthaleneacetic acid and vermiculite to mixture A, and mix and stir. After stirring, the soaking solution is obtained.

[0016] Preferably, in step one, the ratio of calcium chloride, potassium nitrate, and spermine is 1:2:1.

[0017] Preferably, in step two, the mass of naphthaleneacetic acid added is 2-4% of the total mass of mixture A.

[0018] Preferably, in step two, the added vermiculite is 5-10% of the total mass of mixture A.

[0019] Preferably, in step S3, the aged corn pre-treated seeds are dried using a dryer, with the drying temperature controlled at 40-60℃ and the drying time at 5-8 hours.

[0020] Preferably, in step S4, the storage temperature of the dried pre-germinated seeds is maintained at 15–20°C.

[0021] Preferably, in step S4, the relative humidity of the storage environment for the dried pre-germinated seeds is controlled at 50-60%.

[0022] This invention provides a method for improving the quality of aged corn seeds. It has the following beneficial effects:

[0023] This invention pretreats aged corn seeds using a low-temperature stratification method, which improves the air permeability of seeds after long-term storage. After screening, the seeds are soaked in a solution containing calcium chloride, potassium nitrate, spermine, naphthaleneacetic acid, and vermiculite to stimulate pre-germination growth. Through actual planting experiments, aged corn seeds treated by this method show significant advantages over untreated aged corn seeds in terms of germination rate, yield per acre, average plant height, and average ear length, with the germination rate increasing to over 80%. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] Example 1:

[0026] This invention provides a method for improving the quality of aged corn seeds, which mainly includes the following steps:

[0027] S1. Seed pretreatment: Select plump old corn seeds for low-temperature stratification treatment. When old corn seeds are subjected to low-temperature stratification treatment, the ambient temperature is maintained at 5℃ and the treatment time is 2 months.

[0028] S2. Initial soaking: After cleaning the aged corn seeds that have undergone low-temperature stratification, place them in a container and soak them in distilled water at room temperature for a period of time. After taking them out and drying them, you will get the pre-treated aged corn seeds. In this step, the soaking time of the aged corn seeds in distilled water is controlled at 20 hours and the temperature of the distilled water is controlled at 35℃.

[0029] S3. Secondary soaking: Seed screening: Remove moldy, insect-damaged and immature seeds from the pre-treated old corn seeds. After drying for 1-2 days, place the dried pre-treated old corn seeds into a new container, add soaking solution for secondary soaking, and dry the seeds after soaking to obtain dried pre-germinated seeds. In this step, the pre-treated old corn seeds are dried using a dryer, with the drying temperature controlled at 60℃ and the drying time at 8 hours.

[0030] S4. Seed preservation: Store the dried pre-germinated seeds for later use. In this step, the storage environment temperature of the dried pre-germinated seeds is maintained at 20℃ and the relative humidity is controlled at 60%.

[0031] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the soaking solution is prepared by the following method steps:

[0032] Step 1: Take calcium chloride, potassium nitrate and spermine. After the above components are initially mixed, add water at 15 times the weight of all raw materials. After mixing and stirring, obtain mixture A. In this step, the ratio of calcium chloride, potassium nitrate and spermine is 1:2:1.

[0033] Step 2: Add naphthaleneacetic acid and vermiculite to mixture A. The mass of naphthaleneacetic acid added is 4% of the total mass of mixture A, and the mass of vermiculite added is 10% of the total mass of mixture A. Mix and stir the mixture to obtain the soaking solution.

[0034] The pre-germinated corn seeds obtained by the method in this embodiment are shown in Table 1, which is based on specific experimental tests.

[0035] Example 2:

[0036] This invention provides a method for improving the quality of aged corn seeds, which mainly includes the following steps:

[0037] S1. Seed pretreatment: Select plump old corn seeds for low-temperature stratification treatment. When old corn seeds are subjected to low-temperature stratification treatment, the ambient temperature is maintained at 5℃ and the treatment time is 2 months.

[0038] S2. Initial soaking: After cleaning the aged corn seeds that have undergone low-temperature stratification, place them in a container and soak them in distilled water at room temperature for a period of time. After taking them out and drying them, you will get the pre-treated aged corn seeds. In this step, the soaking time of the aged corn seeds in distilled water is controlled at 15 hours and the temperature of the distilled water is controlled at 30℃.

[0039] S3. Secondary soaking: Seed screening: Remove moldy, insect-damaged and immature seeds from the pre-treated old corn seeds. After drying for 2 days, place the dried pre-treated old corn seeds into a new container, add soaking solution for secondary soaking. After soaking, dry the seeds to obtain dried pre-germinated seeds. In this step, the pre-treated old corn seeds are dried using a dryer, with the drying temperature controlled at 40℃ and the drying time at 5 hours.

[0040] S4. Seed preservation: Store the dried pre-germinated seeds for later use. In this step, the storage temperature of the dried pre-germinated seeds is maintained at 15℃ and the relative humidity is controlled at 50%.

[0041] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the soaking solution is prepared by the following method steps:

[0042] Step 1: Take calcium chloride, potassium nitrate and spermine. After the above components are initially mixed, add water at 15 times the weight of all raw materials. After mixing and stirring, obtain mixture A. In this step, the ratio of calcium chloride, potassium nitrate and spermine is 1:2:1.

[0043] Step 2: Add naphthaleneacetic acid and vermiculite to mixture A. The mass of naphthaleneacetic acid added is 3% of the total mass of mixture A, and the mass of vermiculite added is 7% of the total mass of mixture A. Mix and stir the mixture to obtain the soaking solution.

[0044] The pre-germinated corn seeds obtained by the method in this embodiment are shown in Table 1, which is based on specific experimental tests.

[0045] Example 3:

[0046] This invention provides a method for improving the quality of aged corn seeds, which mainly includes the following steps:

[0047] S1. Seed pretreatment: Select plump old corn seeds for low-temperature stratification treatment. When old corn seeds are subjected to low-temperature stratification treatment, the ambient temperature is maintained at 5℃ and the treatment time is 2 months.

[0048] S2. Initial soaking: After cleaning the aged corn seeds that have undergone low-temperature stratification, place them in a container and soak them in distilled water at room temperature for a period of time. After taking them out and drying them, you will get the pre-treated aged corn seeds. In this step, the soaking time of the aged corn seeds in distilled water is controlled at 15 hours and the temperature of the distilled water is controlled at 30℃.

[0049] S3. Secondary soaking: Seed screening: Remove moldy, insect-damaged and immature seeds from the pre-treated old corn seeds. After drying for 2 days, place the dried pre-treated old corn seeds into a new container, add soaking solution for secondary soaking. After soaking, dry the seeds to obtain dried pre-germinated seeds. In this step, the pre-treated old corn seeds are dried using a dryer, with the drying temperature controlled at 40℃ and the drying time at 5 hours.

[0050] S4. Seed preservation: Store the dried pre-germinated seeds for later use. In this step, the storage temperature of the dried pre-germinated seeds is maintained at 15℃ and the relative humidity is controlled at 50%.

[0051] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the soaking solution is prepared by the following method steps:

[0052] Step 1: Take calcium chloride, potassium nitrate and spermine. After the above components are initially mixed, add water at 15 times the weight of all raw materials. After mixing and stirring, obtain mixture A. In this step, the ratio of calcium chloride, potassium nitrate and spermine is 1:2:1.

[0053] Step 2: Add naphthaleneacetic acid and vermiculite to mixture A. The mass of naphthaleneacetic acid added is 2% of the total mass of mixture A, and the mass of vermiculite added is 5% of the total mass of mixture A. Mix and stir the mixture to obtain the soaking solution.

[0054] The pre-germinated corn seeds obtained by the method in this embodiment are shown in Table 1, which is based on specific experimental tests.

[0055] Comparative example:

[0056] This comparative example provides a method for improving the quality of aged corn seeds, specifically including the following steps:

[0057] Step 1: Soak old corn seeds in distilled water containing vermiculite for 1-2 days to obtain pretreated seeds. In this step, the mass ratio of vermiculite to distilled water is 1:5.

[0058] Step 2: Dry the pretreated seeds to obtain dried seeds.

[0059] Field experiments:

[0060] Comparative experiments of treated aged corn seeds (Examples 1-3), untreated aged corn seeds, and normal corn seeds stored for three months:

[0061] Field planting trials were conducted to observe seed germination ability or seedling growth rate and vigor, which can directly and accurately reflect the vitality of old corn seeds. C8605-2 corn seeds from the Tieling Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Liaoning Province were used as experimental seeds. The experimental site was selected in an experimental field with sandy loam soil, medium to low fertility, and corn as the previous crop. C8605-2 old corn seeds treated with the methods in Examples 1-3, as well as control and untreated C8605-2 old corn seeds were used in the experiment to test the germination rate and germination index of the old corn seeds. The growth period was 130 days.

[0062] Table 1. Data from planting experiments using untreated old corn seeds (i.e., normal new corn seeds) in Examples 1-3, Comparative Examples, and Untreated Old Corn Seeds:

[0063]

[0064] Please refer to Table 4. As can be seen from this experiment, after treating the old corn seeds with the methods provided in Examples 1-3 of this invention, compared with the comparative example and the untreated old corn seeds, there are certain advantages in terms of germination rate, yield per acre, average plant height, and average ear length. After screening, the old corn seeds were soaked in a soaking solution containing calcium chloride, potassium nitrate, spermine, naphthaleneacetic acid, and vermiculite to stimulate pre-germination growth. Through actual planting experiments, the germination rate of the seeds was increased to over 80%. Therefore, the research results of the embodiments of this invention have certain guiding significance and practical reference value for improving the quality of old corn seeds.

[0065] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for improving the quality of aged corn seeds, characterized in that, The following steps are included: S1. Seed pretreatment: Select plump old corn seeds for low-temperature stratification treatment. When the old corn seeds are subjected to low-temperature stratification treatment, the ambient temperature is maintained at 0-5℃ and the treatment time is 1-2 months. S2. Initial soaking: After cleaning the aged corn seeds that have undergone low-temperature stratification, place them in a container and soak them in distilled water at room temperature for a period of time. After taking them out and drying them, you will get the pre-treated aged corn seeds. The soaking time of the aged corn seeds in distilled water is controlled at 15 to 20 hours, and the temperature of the distilled water is controlled at 30 to 35℃. S3. Secondary Soaking: Seed Screening: Remove moldy, insect-damaged, and immature seeds from the pre-treated old corn seeds. After drying for 1-2 days, place the dried pre-treated old corn seeds into a new container, add soaking solution for a secondary soaking, and then dry the seeds to obtain dried pre-germinated seeds. The soaking solution is prepared by the following steps: Step 1: Take calcium chloride, potassium nitrate and spermine. After initially mixing the above components, add water at 10 to 15 times the weight of all raw materials. After mixing and stirring, obtain mixture A. The ratio of calcium chloride, potassium nitrate and spermine is 1:2:

1. Step 2: Add naphthaleneacetic acid and vermiculite to mixture A, and mix and stir. After stirring, an soaking solution is obtained. The mass of naphthaleneacetic acid added is 2-4% of the total mass of mixture A, and the mass of vermiculite added is 5-10% of the total mass of mixture A. S4. Seed preservation: Store the dried, pre-germinated seeds for later use.

2. The method for improving the quality of aged corn seeds according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S3, the aged corn pre-treated seeds are dried using a dryer, with the drying temperature controlled at 40-60℃ and the drying time at 5-8 hours.

3. The method for improving the quality of aged corn seeds according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S4, the storage temperature of the dried pre-germinated seeds is maintained at 15–20°C.

4. The method for improving the quality of aged corn seeds according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S4, the relative humidity of the storage environment for the dried pre-germinated seeds is controlled at 50-60%.

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