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Home → Publications → Tree Planters' Notes → Tree Planters' Notes Volume 56, Number 2 (2013) → A Water Activity-Regulated Dryer: How To Dry Seeds or Pollen With Water and No Heat

A Water Activity-Regulated Dryer: How To Dry Seeds or Pollen With Water and No Heat

The hydrous status of seeds and pollen can now be characterized more precisely than moisture content through the measurement of water activity (aw). This new technique, now available to managers of genetic resources banks, offers the advantage of being fast, easy to use and, above all, nondestructive. This article describes components and use of an aw-regulated seed/pollen dryer developed by the National Research Institute of Science and Technology for Environment and Agriculture (Irstea, France). The simple design of this highly versatile heat-free dryer allows homogenous drying of seed and pollen lots at an aw level that is safely compatible with reliable medium- and long-term conservation. The ex situ conservation of biodiversity is a major issue in the context of climate change. Hence, the dryer proves to be a high-performance tool in readjusting the hydrous status of lots likely to change during conservation.


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Author(s): Patrick Baldet, Fabienne Colas

Publication: Tree Planters' Notes - Volume 56, Number 2 (2013)

Volume: 56

Number: 2