EFFECT OF A HIGH WATER CONTENT IN STORED WHEAT, OAT, AND BARLEY SEED ON ITS GERMINABILITY, SUSCEPTIBILITY TO INVASION BY MOULDS, AND RESPONSE TO CHEMICAL TREATMENT

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Abstract
The rate at which germinability is lost in untreated wheat, oats and barley grain was found to depend chiefly on its water content and on the temperature at which it is stored. Germinability of treated grain also depends on other factors, such as the chemical used for seed treatment and the kind of grain treated. The total reduction in germination was dependent on the duration of storage. Grain which had been wet, but was dried by the time of treatment, showed about the same degree of chemical injury as grain that had not been wet.When grain produced in Western Canada, where it is generally infested by a wide variety of fungi of which Alternaria tenuis sensu Wiltshire is the most common, was stored untreated and in a moist condition, this fungus became overgrown by species of Rhizopus. When, however, the moist grain was treated with Ceresan M before it was stored, the Alternaria was often displaced by one or more species of Penicillium. The source of the grain did not seem to affect the ultimate type of fungus growth appearing on it.Chemical treatment often impaired the germination of grain that was only moderately damp and did not prevent deterioration of grain that was very damp. Pre-storage treatment of smut-free grain is, therefore, not recommended.

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