Improving seed conditioning

"Seed conditioning is the final process that establishes the quality of a seed lot and determines its value. It is a complex process involving a significant series of machines, each of which must be used in the proper sequence of the entire process, and each machine must be carefully and properly adjusted and set up for each lot of seed. If the conditioning plant operator does not have sufficient knowledge of how to set up and adjust each of the machines, then an excessive amount of good seed is lost during conditioning and not all undesirable materials are removed. Therefore, the performance of seed conditioning depends entirely on how effectively the operator sets up and adjusts the machines. Much effort has been spent in developing seed technology so as to produce high quality seed, but performance of seed conditioning by maximizing the operator's knowledge of getting the best performance from each of his machines has not been carefully and completely developed. Improving Seed Conditioning focuses on teaching the conditioning plant operator details of each machine and how to get maximum performance from it in terms of operating efficiency, maximum removal of undesirable particles, and minimum loss of good seed. Organized in a manner that focuses on the specific machine models installed in each operator's specific plant, this manual is set up to be used as text material in training classes or as a guide for operators employed by seed companies."--Provided by publisher

Cover; Title ; Copyright ; Dedication; Contents; Acknowledgment; Introduction; 1: What seed conditioning is and does; 2: Seed conditioning plant staff and contract growers; 3: Seed conditioning plant location; 4: Seed conditioning plant area; 5: Essential utilities; 6: Conditioning plant facilities; 7: Raw (nonconditioned) seed; 8: Moving raw seed into conditioning; 9: Conditioning; 10: Support operations; 11: Seed conditioning principles; 12: Waste products; 13: Sanitation and pest/insect control; 14: Conditioning equipment layout; 15: Receiving pit; 16: Bucket elevator characteristics.

17: Bucket elevator operation18: Vibrating conveyor characteristics; 19: Vibrating conveyor operation; 20: Horizontal belt conveyor characteristics; 21: Horizontal belt conveyor operation; 22: Inclined belt conveyor characteristics; 23: Inclined belt conveyor operation; 24: Drag chain conveyor characteristics; 25: Drag chain conveyor operation; 26: Airlift elevator characteristics; 27: Airlift elevator operation; 28: Ear corn conveyor characteristics; 29: Ear corn conveyor operation; 30: Corn (maize) sheller characteristics; 31: Corn sheller operation; 32: Scalper (precleaner) characteristics.

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