What is osmoconditioning of seeds (osmo priming)?

Osmoconditioning, also known as osmotic priming or osmo priming, is a technique of preconditioning seeds for germination by soaking them in a solution of low osmotic potential. As a result, the seeds absorb the liquid, which initiates the first stages of the germination process, but without fully starting it. This treatment significantly accelerates and homogenises the germination process, shortening the growth cycle and allowing earlier harvesting or transplanting.

With osmoconditioning, seeds germinate at a more uniform rate, which is important in agriculture and horticulture, where consistency of growth facilitates plantation management. In addition, seeds become more resistant to environmental stressors such as drought, salinity or fluctuating temperatures, increasing their ability to survive in harsh conditions.

Critical to the effectiveness of osmoconditioning is the precise monitoring and adjustment of parameters such as solution pH, temperature, humidity and air access. Proper adjustment of these conditions promotes optimal germination, healthy seedling development and better crop quality.

What are the difficulties involved in monitoring pH, temperature, humidity and oxygen simultaneously? The customer's challenge

BASF Nunhems approached us with their seed priming challenges and we quickly saw how complex their needs were. As a leading vegetable seed producer, the company needed solutions for better, more automated control of the osmotic priming process, which has a direct impact on seed quality and germination rate.

The biggest challenge was controlling several key environmental factors simultaneously, such as:

• pH levels, which can affect the solubility of salts and sugars in the priming solution, as well as the absorption of water by the seed
• Temperature regulation affecting seed metabolism
• Exposure to light, the intensity of which depends on the type of seed
• Oxygen levels, as too low can lead to seed rot
• Humidity

In addition, they needed an alarm system for the seed flooding processes with the solution, which would inform them that the environmental conditions were deviating from the desired parameters. It would prevent over- or under-soaking of the seeds.

How does a PLC and SCADA-based solution control and monitor seed conditioning tanks? Our solution

BASF has many conditioning tanks that need to be monitored. They are arranged in 4 different rows, each controlled by a single control cabinet with our proposed PLC solution. The JUMO variTRON 500 PLC ushers in a new era in seed breeding with integrated process control and monitoring. Our system architecture combines five JUMO variTRON 500 PLCs with 54 mTRON I/O modules and 84 JUMO TYA 432 thyristor power controllers.

Together with the customer, we upgraded the seed culture to a centralised control system that supports multiple tanks in four rows. The smartWARE SCADA software visualises processes, stores data and manages alarms to maintain ideal conditions during osmotic priming. In addition, the software provides a convenient view of measurement data via web browsers.

As we mentioned, it is crucial for the entire conditioning process to adjust the pH of the flooding solution to the specific needs of the seed to be treated. For this application, we proposed the digiLine series of digital pH probes, due to their reliability and ease of calibration, as well as their ability to communicate with the PLC and SCADA.

The main features of the solution are:

• Precise pH monitoring with digital sensors from the JUMO digiLine series and calibration DSM software for convenient operation and data management, e.g. from calibrations, diagnostics and status monitoring of probes, and integration into the SCADA system
• Advanced process visualisation and alarming with the smartWARE SCADA system
• Configurable recipe management for different seed types
• Access to current data via web-based SCADA interface
• Advanced PLC control - the JUMO variTRON 500 provides flexibility and precision control of the seed conditioning process. Thanks to its integration into the SCADA system and full synchronisation with I/O modules and power controllers, the PLC allows reliable control of the entire system and precise adjustment of process parameters as required.

About the author

My name is Ewelina Szmit and I have been working in content marketing for several years, combining my professional skills with my passion for writing. I am convinced that even the most technical topics can be presented in an interesting and accessible way for everyone. Outside of work, I unleash my creativity by creating newspaper collages. I like to spend my free time being active, walking my dog or running.

Comments

We encourage you to leave your comments via the form below. They will be posted online once they have been approved through our review process.