Research Project IRD
Innovative Technologies for Robust Authenticity of Some Strategic Seeds

Group : Information, Signal, Image and Life Sciences

Labelling: none

Duration: 24 months (2018 - 2020)

Funding: Egyptian Science and Technology Development Fund (STDF), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) and the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF)

Staff involved from LARIS: Étienne, Belin, David Rousseau

Project partners: Gamal El Masry (Suez Canal University), Nasser Mandour (Suez Canal University), Majdi AL-MAHASNEH (Jordan University of Science and Technology)

Abstract

The ideal strategy for improving the overall quality in a seed lot is to screen out damaged, abnormal and non-viable seeds. Segregating damaged, infected and diseased seeds from the sound ones will considerably increase the quality and the economic value of a seed batch. Thus, knowledge regarding seed germination capacity, vigor and viability is extremely significant for optimizing a future profitable production of seeds. This research project was carried out to utilize some innovative imaging technologies such as colour imaging, thermal imaging and spectral imaging for assessing the critical seed quality parameters in a non-destructive manner. During the project, the aim was to collect the literature review from previous studies to highlight the updated stat-of-the art progresses occurred in the field of the project main topic. This activity help in placing the work in the context of current scientific knowledge and underpinned the recent applications. The literature review provides basic information for using imaging technologies in food quality evaluation in general and in seed quality evaluation in particular. Therefore, the literature is used to make definitions of essential terms, and used to examine how seed quality could be detected and predicted using non-destructive technologies and make a comparison of performance among these imaging techniques. A special interest is focused towards some strategic seeds (e.g. cowpeas, beans and corn seeds). In addition to preparing and collecting the literature review sections, the project also involved setting up the experiments, purchasing some required equipment necessary for the experiments and preparation of the seed samples.