A NEW METHOD FOR THE EARLY HARVESTING OF SEED PEAS

In a small scale experiment, pea seeds from glasshouse grown plants were harvested at three stages of development and held in 100% rh, over CaCl₂ and in an incubator at 20°C for 3 and 5 days before being desiccated over CaCl₂ under vacuum.
Immature seeds held in humid conditions maintained their moisture content, showed a fall in sugar content and were viable after desiccation compared with seeds that were dried immediately after removal from the parent plant.
Field produced seeds, harvested early in their development were killed by drying on an air drier directly after harvesting but were highly viable when held for 3 days under humid conditions before drying, during which time the sugar levels in the seeds fell.
The results are discussed in relation to the physiological changes necessary for the development of the ability to withstand desiccation and it is suggested that seed peas could be harvested in a moist condition and artificially dried without loss of viability provided the drying was preceded by a few days when moisture fell only slowly to enable sugar levels and respiration to decline prior to drying.

Symposium on Seed Problems in Horticulture

S. Matthews, N.E. Rogerson

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1978.83.9