Notes on Water Supplementation for Edible Fungi and Seed Storage Techniques for Herbaceous Flowers

Key Points of Storage Techniques

Choosing the Right Packaging Method: Flower seeds are generally small in quantity, short-lived and expensive. In most cases, polyethylene-aluminum foil composite film bags are used, with an outer paper seed bag. Flower seeds containing aromatic oils should be stored in metal cans, wooden boxes or colored glass bottles. The outside of the seed bag should be clearly marked with the seed name, the year, month and day of harvest, and the period of use.

Low-temperature moisture-proof storage: Seeds that have been cleaned, dried to a safe moisture content and packaged in aluminum foil bags or metal cans should be stored under dry, sealed, low-temperature (2°C-5°C) conditions. Seed bags or cans should be placed on shelves or platforms about 50 cm above the ground. Never let seed bags touch the ground directly, to prevent moisture absorption. A small quantity of seeds can be stored in a desiccator. A desiccator can be a glass bottle, a small-mouthed jar with a lid, a plastic bucket, etc., with quicklime, silica gel, dry plant ash or charcoal placed at the bottom as a desiccant, seed bags placed on top, then sealed and kept in a low-temperature, dry place.

Management Measures for Flower Seed Storage

Warehouse cleaning and disinfection: Remove garbage, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, etc. from the warehouse, and lay felt paper or similar material inside as a moisture-proof layer to reduce the absorption of ground moisture by the seeds. Dilute 80% dichlorvos emulsifiable concentrate and spray it, keep doors and windows closed for 48-72 hours, then ventilate for 24 hours. Do not fumigate the warehouse.

Reasonable stacking: Flower seeds come in many varieties and grades, but generally the quantity of seeds is not large. In the warehouse, they should be placed on shelves about 50 cm from the wall and 50 cm above the ground, with labels clearly indicating their position, quantity, packaging, etc., to prevent mixing.

Timely ventilation: Seed respiration generates a great deal of heat, and timely ventilation can lower the temperature and dissipate moisture. The general principle is: "ventilate on sunny days, close on rainy days, do not ventilate on snowy days; ventilate when it is freezing cold; open early and close late, open less at noon; do not open when there is fog at night." Natural ventilation is mostly used; mechanical ventilation can be used where conditions permit.

Frequent inspection: The warehouse should be inspected promptly, and after the seeds have passed through summer or winter, their moisture content and germination rate should be tested. Temperature and humidity meters should be set up at multiple points in different parts of the warehouse, with designated personnel measuring at set times and keeping records. The low-temperature, low-humidity environment for flower seed storage must be maintained to prevent the seeds from molding or the germination rate from declining.