CHANGES IN MOISTURE, TEMPERATURE, AND QUALITY OF CORN SEED DURING HIGH-TEMPERATURE DRYING

Abstract

Mechanical drying has frequently caused injury in corn seed. Changes in seed moisture, temperature, and quality were determined for inbred lines A632, B73 and Mo17 to define the relationship between these variables. Ears harvested at ca. 48 and 38% seed moisture could be dried at 50 °C for 4–15 h and 18–24 h, respectively, before germination started to decline linearly with prolonged 50 °C drying. Drying time at 50 °C, seed moisture, or embryo moisture after 50 °C drying could be used equally well for prediction of seed quality. Seedling dry weights often declined even when seed was dried for only a few hours at 50 °C. Temperature measurements within seeds indicated that evaporation cooled the seed no more than 5 °C. Drying susceptibility of seed parents varied greatly between years.Key words: Moisture, temperature changes, seed corn, drying