Effects of binder substances developed for seed pelleting on quality of tobacco cv. Virginia

Abstract

This research aimed to study the influence of adhesive materials for tobacco seed pelleting on the quality of tobacco seeds. The experiment was conducted in a laboratory of the Seed Quality Testing Section, Seed Processing Plant, Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University. The Virginia tobacco seeds were pelleted with five binder substances: gum arabic (GA), hydroxylpropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinylpyrrolidone K-30 (PVP-K30) and polyvinylpyrrolidone K-90 (PVP-K90) with concentration of 4% by weight of seeds. Pumice was used as filler material at 150 g per 3 g seed weight. The results showed that the pelleted tobacco seeds with HPMC increased in size, resulted in the best uniformity at 97%, and had the best solubility in water compared to that of other treatments. In addition, HPMC had the best adhesive property for pelleting materials (92%) and the least value of friability (0.57%). The pelleted seeds with HPMC had higher percentages and speeds of germination in laboratory and greenhouse conditions than those of other types. After undergoing an accelerated aging test, it was demonstrated that the pelleted seeds with HPMC had better germination percentage and speed of germination than those of other treatments. It can be concluded that HPMC is the most appropriate adhesive material for seed pelleting.