ABSTRACT
Seed conditioning turns raw harvested seed into pure seed that is free of undesirable materials, safe from pests and diseases, and that which can be planted for a good stand of healthy plants of the desired crop. The cost of conditioning is a major component of the capital investment. Conditioning is the most significant process in the seed industry. It involves machines, engineering, operations, biology, physics, plant physiology and pathology, science, and business. It must be accurate, economic and practical. To make seed conditioners more efficient, this Seed Conditioning compendium was prepared. Based on real-life experiences, trials and efforts of many conditioners were compiled and distilled into a brief, easy-to-understand form.
Business Laws; Seed Law; Seed Enterprise Structure and Organization; Enterprise and Conditioning Planning; Financing a Seed Enterprise and Conditioning; Income from Conditioning; Costs and Cost Control; Conditioning Plant Area and Buildings; Enterprise Technical Management; Conditioning Organization and Staffing; Conditioning Management; Planning and Preparing for Conditioning; Conditioning Records; Conditioning Reports; Maintenance; Safety in Conditioning; Preventing Seed Loss; Mechanical Injury to Seed; Waste Products; Dust Control; Seed Bags and Containers; Internal Quality Control (IQC); Sampling; Testing Seed; Lot Numbers; Labels and Seed Identification; Blending; Clean-out and Preventing Contamination; Flow Management by Color Coding; Seed Builiding Construction; Seed Storage Principles; Non-Conditioned Storage; Conditioned Storage; Managing Seed Storage; Handling Certified Seed; Training Operators and Staff; Procuring Equipment for a New Conditioning Plant; Glossary; Bibliography
