Abstract

Superior storage is the basic requirement in seed production programme as maintenance of high seed viability and vigour from harvest to planting is of utmost importance in seed storage. Therefore, inexpensive, effortless and realistic technology to extend the shelf life of seeds under ambient condition is immensely needed. Moreover, a cost effective treatment is to be evolved for blackgram seed storage where Callosobruchuschenens is caring qualitative and quantitative loss. Hence, an experiment was conducted at the Department of Seed Science and Technology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore during 2017, to study the effect of pulsed electromagnetic exposure with a strength of 500 nT, 750 nT and 1500 nT on the seeds for 5 hr per day for 15 days at different combinations of exposure under ambient conditions. The seed without electromagnetic exposure was considered as control. The treated and untreated seeds were stored in cloth bag and super grain bag. The results revealed that, pulsed electromagnetic exposure on seeds were significantly superior in controlling the storage insect and maintaining higher seed quality up to nine months of storage when compared to control. Among the treatments, the 500 nT + 750 nT strength and seeds packed in super grain bag found better by recording significantly higher germination percentage (92%), dehydrogenase activity (1.729) lower moisture content (8.7%), electrical conductivity (52.8 µS cm-1 g-1) when compared to control at the end of nine month of storage and the treatment had been considered as effective seed storage management approach in blackgram seeds

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