Storage containers used for preservation of soybean seeds of different sources

ABSTRACT: A study was conducted to evaluate the storage conditions of soybean seeds of different sources, namely formal, i.e. Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC), private seed traders and farmers’ own preserved seeds. The selected locales of the farmers sources were i) Laxmipur, ii) Noakhali, ii) Sariatpur, iii) Chandpur, iv) Bhola, and vii) Barisal districts, that of the private seed traders were i) Thakurgaon, ii) Natore, iii) Laxmipur, and iv) Chandpur districts, and of BADC seed processing centers were i) Meherpur, ii) Feni, iii) Pabna (Tebunia) and iv) Faridpur districts. The results revealed that most of the farmers (58.33) stored seeds of their own crop or obtained through farmer to farmer seed exchange, while 28.33% farmers used private seed traders’ seed. Only 13.34% farmers used BADC produced seeds. The study also indicated that 64% farmers stored their seeds in containers like jute bags, earthen pots and local made tin containers. Few farmers (36%) used comparatively better moisture proof plastic bags for the storage. Unlike farmers, private seed dealers used 90% airtight plastic bags and 10% plastic coated jute bags. BADC primarily used modern humidity and temperature controlled storage for bulk seed storage, followed by storage in moisture proof small plastic bags to sell seed to farmers through local seed dealer. The study further revealed that 90% of the farmers, having 1-5 years of soybean farming experience, stored their seeds in containers like jute bags, earthen pots and locally made tin containers, while 75% of them, having 6-10 years of soybean cultivation experiences used the containers that were not properly moisture proof, e.g. tin containers and perforated jute bags. Ninety percent of the farmers having 11-15 years of cultivation experience stored their seeds in airtight containers like plastic bags and plastic coated jute bags. It was also observed that farmers trained by extension people regarding seed preservation did not use perforated jute bags or earthen pots for seed storage. Therefore, training on seed preservation helped the farmers to realize that storing soybean seeds in airtight condition would increase the plant establishment during crop cultivation. 

Keywords: Soybean, store, seeds, farmers