JP2008154464A - Method and apparatus for promoting water absorption of seed - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a seed treatment means for eliminating a “stone bean” state without deteriorating seed quality.
SOLUTION: A seed water absorption promoting treatment method characterized by drilling micropores having a depth of 10 to 50 micrometers and a diameter of 200 micrometers or less with respect to the seed coat, and a surface having many fine protrusions Water absorption of seed characterized by having a microprojection member having, a surface having a projection of the microprojection member and a flexible member installed at a certain interval, and a drive member for moving the microprojection member or the flexible member Promotion processing equipment.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a treatment method for promoting water absorption of edible or cultivated seeds and an apparatus for efficiently applying the treatment to seeds.

  Water absorption of seeds is an important phenomenon in use regardless of whether it is edible or cultivated. In soybeans, etc., it is known that water absorption rapidly progresses due to inundation, and physiological and physical damage occurs, resulting in a decrease in germination rate. There is a need for a method for limiting seed absorption (Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Literature N0.27 “Technological development for improving the self-sufficiency of soybeans”; 174-175; Norikazu Nakayama et al., “Effects of water absorption rate adjustment of soybean seeds on the occurrence of flood damage”, Journal of the Crop Science Society of Japan 74 (3), 325-329 (2005)). However, on the other hand, the occurrence of seeds called “Ishibean”, which is extremely slow (or not at all), absorbs water, for example, in the production of steamed soybeans and azuki bean. This is an important problem in quality control (Patent Document 1). In addition, even when cultivated, stone beans are extremely slow in water absorption and affect seedling delay and uniformity. Therefore, there is a need for a method for returning “ishizu” to a water-absorbable state.

  There are reports by Calero and Hinson about the cause of “stone beans”. Based on an analysis based on electron microscope observations, they estimated that seeds with micropores on the surface of the seed coat clogged with wax-like substances would be poorly water-absorbing in varieties whose primary seeds are poorly water-absorbent soybeans. (Calero and Hinson, Crop Science 21, 926-933 (1981)).

  There are also some reports on the means to eliminate "Ishi-bean". For example, there is a report that the barrier function of seeds to gas and water is carried by the cuticle layer, which is the uppermost layer of the seed coat, and the “stone beans” state can be eliminated by peeling the cuticle layer (non-patented). Reference 1). In addition, in the germination test in the soybean “stone beans” research conducted in Europe and the United States since the 1980s, the method of allowing water to germinate by “scarification” operation is adopted as a general method. (Non-Patent Document 2). In addition, the whole soybean skin is damaged (for example, using a molting machine that rubs soybeans with a mortar or slit, or partially peeling the skin with needles) There is also a report that the water absorption of all the round soybeans including stone beans can be improved (Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-304409 A 1F.Arechavaleta-Medina and HE. Snyder, Journal of American Oil Chemical Society 1981, 976-979 (1981) Nooden, et al., Control of seed coat thickness and permeability in soybean, Plant Physiology 79; 543-545 (1985)

As described above, several methods for eliminating stone beans have been proposed, but these methods cause great damage to the cuticle layer and seed coat, and this includes seed coat peeling due to rapid swelling of seeds, Cracking of the seed tissue due to an excessive water absorption rate results in loss of nutritional components and deterioration in appearance quality due to an increase in dissolved solids.
The present invention has been made under such a technical background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a seed treatment means for eliminating the “stone beans” state without deteriorating the quality of seeds.

As a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems, the present inventor can promote water absorption without degrading seed quality by drilling micropores with a specific depth and size in the seed coat. As a result, the present invention has been completed.
That is, the present invention provides the following (1) to (8).

(1) A seed water absorption promotion method characterized by drilling micropores having a depth of 10 to 50 micrometers and a diameter of 200 micrometers or less with respect to the seed coat.
(2) The seed water absorption promotion treatment method according to (1), wherein the number of micropores on the seed coat is 5 to 30 per mm ² .
(3) The seed water absorption promotion treatment method according to (1) or (2), wherein the seed is a legume seed.
(4) The seed according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein a micropore is formed in the seed coat by contacting the seed with a device having a surface having a large number of minute protrusions. Water absorption promotion treatment method.

(5) On the surface having the projections of the instrument having a surface having a large number of minute protrusions, by rolling the seed while applying a force in a direction perpendicular to the surface, to make a micropore in the seed coat. The method for promoting water absorption of seeds according to (4), which is characterized.
(6) A microprojection member having a surface having a large number of microprojections, a flexible member installed at a certain distance from the surface having the projections of the microprojection member, and a drive member for moving the microprojection member or the flexible member A water absorption promoting treatment apparatus for seeds, comprising:

(7) A microprojection member having a surface having a large number of microprojections, a flexible member fixed above the surface of the microprojection member having a projection, and placed on the flexible member to store seeds Storage container, a fixing member for fixing the flexible member and the storage container at a desired position, a microprojection member is placed inside, a recovery container for recovering treated seeds, and a recovery container are placed , Having a drive member for moving the recovery container and the microprojection member, a passage hole for the seed to pass through is provided in the center of the flexible member and the storage container, and the surface having the projection of the microprojection member from the center to the periphery A seed water absorption promotion processing device characterized in that the bottom portion of the storage container is inclined downward from the peripheral portion toward the passage hole.
(8) The seed water absorption promotion treatment apparatus according to (6) or (7), wherein the height of the minute protrusion is 10 to 1000 micrometers.

  The present invention provides a method of promoting seed water absorption without reducing seed quality. This method makes it possible to improve the properties of very slow seeds of water absorption like “stone beans”.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.
The seed water absorption promoting treatment method of the present invention is characterized in that micropores having a depth of 10 to 50 micrometers and a diameter of 200 micrometers or less are drilled in the seed coat.
If the depth of the micropores is less than 10 micrometers, the effect of promoting water absorption is not sufficient, and if the depth exceeds 50 micrometers, rapid water absorption occurs, which causes the seeds to swell and the seed coat to peel off. Alternatively, cracks occur in the seed tissue, elution solids increase, leading to loss of nutritional components and deterioration in appearance quality. Although the depth of a micropore should just be 10-50 micrometers, it is preferable that it is 15-40 micrometers, and it is still more preferable that it is 20-30 micrometers.

  When the diameter of the micropores exceeds 200 micrometers, a problem due to rapid water absorption occurs as in the case where the depth exceeds 50 micrometers. Although the diameter of a micropore should just be 200 micrometers or less, it is preferable that it is 100 micrometers or less, and it is still more preferable that it is 50 micrometers or less. The lower limit of the diameter of the micropore is not particularly limited as long as it is a diameter that allows water molecules to pass through, but is preferably 5 micrometers or more. Here, the “diameter” refers to the diameter of a circle that can completely cover the entire micropore including the portion starting to sink from the seed coat surface toward the center of the micropore.

The number of micropores on the seed coat is not particularly limited as long as it has a sufficient water absorption promoting effect, but the number of micropores per mm ² is preferably 5 to 30, and more preferably 10 to 20 preferable.

  Any seed may be used in the present invention, but seeds of leguminous plants that are prone to the problem of quality deterioration due to rapid water absorption as well as the problem of slow seed water absorption such as “Ishi-bean” are used. Is preferred. Examples of legume seeds include soybean, cowpea, pea, peanut, kidney bean, azuki bean, broad bean, lentil, and the like. , Eggplant, cucumber, pumpkin, corn and the like. In addition, although seeds for food and cultivation can be used as seeds, problems due to rapid water absorption are more serious in cultivation seeds, so it is more preferable to use seeds for cultivation.

The method for drilling micropores in the seed coat is not particularly limited, and can be performed, for example, by bringing a seed having contact with a device having a surface having many microprojections. As a specific contact method, a force (the strength of the force is about 5 to 20 g weight) is applied in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the device having a surface having a large number of minute protrusions. Examples thereof include a method of rolling seeds, a method of vibrating a surface having protrusions and moving seeds thereon, a method of dropping seeds many times on a surface having protrusions, and the like. Among these methods, a method of rolling seeds while applying force is preferable. The height, maximum diameter, and number of protrusions in this instrument vary depending on the contact method. For example, if the seed is rolled while applying the above-described force, the height of the protrusion is usually 10 to 1000 micrometers, Preferably, it is 20-100 micrometers, More preferably, it is 20-50 micrometers, and a maximum diameter is 500 micrometers or less normally, Preferably, it is 100 micrometers or less, More preferably, it is 50 micrometers. The number of micropores is usually 5 to 30 per mm ² , and preferably 10 to 20 or less.

  The seed water absorption promotion treatment apparatus of the present invention is for efficiently performing the seed water absorption promotion method of the present invention, and as one aspect thereof, a microprojection member having a surface having many microprojections, a microprojection A flexible member that is fixed above the surface having the protrusion of the member at a predetermined interval, a storage container that is placed on the flexible member and stores seeds, and the flexible member and the storage container are fixed at a desired position. A fixing member for mounting, a microprojection member mounted inside, a recovery container for recovering treated seeds, and a recovery container mounted thereon, and a drive member for moving the recovery container and the microprojection member, and being flexible A passage hole for seeds to pass through is provided in the center of the member and the storage container, and the surface of the microprojection member has a structure in which the projection surface is inclined downward from the center to the periphery, and the bottom of the storage container passes from the periphery. A structure inclined downward toward the hole It can be exemplified and wherein the taking.

  As the protrusions in the microprojection member, those having a height, a maximum diameter, and a number as described in the seed water absorption promotion method can be used. Examples of the microprojection member include a diamond grindstone in which microdiamond particles are fixed, a substrate in which a large number of projections are vapor-grown by applying molecular vapor onto the substrate in a vacuum, and electrical discharge machining or ion sputtering. A substrate having a large number of protrusions formed on a flat plate can be used. The surface of the microprojection member having the projection has a structure that is inclined downward from the central portion to the peripheral portion. The inclination angle is not particularly limited as long as it is within a range where the seed can move toward the collection container, but is preferably within a range of 0.2 to 5 degrees.

  The flexible member has a function of pressing the seed from above so that the seed does not slide sideways and rolls in accordance with the movement of the microprojection member. Accordingly, the material constituting the flexible member may be any material as long as it can exhibit such a function. Specifically, silicone rubber, urethane rubber, natural rubber, styrene rubber, nitrile rubber, butadiene rubber, chloroprene rubber, or the like can be used as a raw material.

  The storage container is not particularly limited as long as it can store seeds. A passage hole is provided in the center of the storage container, and the bottom of the storage container is inclined downward toward the passage hole. The inclination angle is not particularly limited as long as the seeds can move toward the passage hole, but is preferably in the range of 5 to 20 degrees.

A fixing member is for fixing a flexible member and a storage container in a desired position, and will not be specifically limited if this objective can be achieved. The position where the flexible member and the storage container are fixed is above the microprojection member, and the lower portion of the flexible member and the surface of the microprojection member having the microprojection are kept at a constant distance. The length of this interval is a length that is slightly shorter than the diameter of the seed (usually about 60 to 90% of the diameter of the seed).
The collection container is for collecting treated seeds and is not particularly limited as long as this purpose can be achieved.

The drive member is for moving the collection container and the microprojection member, and is not particularly limited as long as this purpose can be achieved. In the case of this device, the movement generated by the drive member is a horizontal movement, such as a horizontal translation movement, a circular movement, an eccentric circular movement, and the like.
The above water absorption promotion processing apparatus is demonstrated using FIG.

  Since the bottom portion of the storage container 3 in this apparatus is inclined downward toward the passage hole 7, the seed 8 put in the storage container 3 moves toward the passage hole 7, and passes through the microprojections. The member 1 falls on the surface having the protrusion. Since this surface is inclined downward toward the peripheral portion, the dropped seed 8 moves toward the peripheral portion and enters the gap portion between the flexible member 2 and the microprojection member 1. Since the interval between the flexible member 2 and the microprojection member 1 is slightly shorter than the diameter of the seed, the flexible member 2 is deformed by the seed 8 and lightly presses the seed 8 from above. Since the seed 8 is pressed from above by the flexible member 2, the seed 8 rolls on the microprojection member 1 without slipping with respect to the horizontal movement of the microprojection member 1. As described above, since the surface of the microprojection member 1 having the projection is inclined downward toward the peripheral portion, the seed 8 gradually moves to the outer peripheral portion after rolling several times on the microprojection member 1. Finally, it falls into the collection container 5. By collecting the seeds 8 in the collection container 5, seeds having a large number of micropores can be obtained.

  Seeds having micropores are obtained by rolling seeds while applying force in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the device having projections of a device having a large number of microprojections. It is not always necessary to use the above device to obtain seeds. For example, a microprojection member having a surface having a large number of microprojections, a flexible member installed at a certain distance from the surface having the projections of the microprojection member, and a drive member for moving the microprojection member or the flexible member The seed having micropores can also be obtained by the apparatus having the above.

  Specifically, the above device has a drive member that moves horizontally with respect to the ground, but this is replaced with a member that moves vertically with respect to the ground, and the seed is automatically placed on the flexible member between the microprojection members. By adding a member that supplies the same, an apparatus that can achieve the same effect can be realized. Also, the microprojection member and the storage container are nested in a cylindrical shape, both are formed as an outer cylinder or an inner cylinder, and a flexible member is installed in the gap so as to face the microprojections, and one cylinder is placed on the other by a rotary motor. A device having the same effect can also be realized by rotating or eccentrically moving in a fixed direction with respect to the cylindrical axis. In the case of such a cylindrical device, the setting of the device can be realized both horizontally and vertically with respect to the ground, and the seed passage hole is placed at an appropriate position so that the seed can be smoothly charged and discharged. By arranging and providing an inclination angle in the gap for processing, the same effect as the above apparatus can be obtained.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples.
[Example 1]
Even if 500 grams of seeds were collected from soybeans mixed with “Ishi-bean” discovered when soybeans harvested in Saitama Prefecture in 2005 were produced from soybeans (variety: Tachinagaha) and subjected to water absorption for 10 minutes Eighteen seeds that did not undergo morphological change were used as “Ishibean”. Eight of them, using a laser scanning three-dimensional fine shape measurement microscope (manufactured by Keyence), count the number of micropores of 10 micrometers or more included in the 0.3 mm ² area of the seed coat surface at two locations per one grain. Then, comparison was made with 8 normal seeds. Subsequently, in order to quantitatively compare the water absorption characteristics of “Ishizu” and normal grains, the rate of change in grain weight after immersion in water at room temperature for 1 hour was compared. These results are shown in Table 1. The change in grain weight was expressed as a numerical value obtained by dividing the grain weight after 1 hour by the initial grain weight.
From the above measurement, the extracted “Ishi-bean” clearly showed little water absorption, extremely few micropores existing on the seed coat surface, and almost no micropore exceeding 10 μm.

[Example 2]
Ten of the extracted “stone beans” seeds were subjected to a “stone bean” elimination treatment using a commercially available diamond grinding stone for rough grinding (microprojection density: 3 or more per 0.3 mm ² ). Specifically, the seeds were placed on the sharpened surface and rolled to rotate the surface 3 times while lightly pressing with a finger. When the processing results were confirmed with a three-dimensional microscopic measurement microscope, there were three fine scratches per 0.3 mm ^{2 on} the seed coat surface of all grains, the maximum diameter of the scratch was about 72 micrometers, and the maximum depth was It was 23 micrometers. When these treated seeds were immersed in water at room temperature for 1 hour and examined for changes in grain weight, the average change in grain weight was 0.14. Since it was 0.03 on average in the “stone beans” state, the water absorption promotion effect was obtained about 5 times by the “stone beans” elimination treatment.

  Note that the application of the present invention is based on the premise that the “stone bean” elimination process is performed on all seeds, and therefore the effect on the water absorption rate when this process is performed on normal grains is investigated. The results are shown in FIG. For each grain, 10 normal grains were examined for changes in grain weight over time between those treated with “Ishizu” and those with control (no treatment), and the average values were shown. It was shown that there is no. In addition, regarding the appearance quality after water absorption, peeling of the cracks and seed coats was not observed even in a sufficiently swollen state. Therefore, it has been clarified that even if the seed treatment method of the present invention is used, there is no risk of quality deterioration due to sudden water absorption.

Example 3
The seeds were subjected to water absorption treatment using the water absorption treatment device of the present invention described above. In this experiment, a commercially available diamond grindstone is used as a microprojection member, a silicone rubber sheet having a thickness of 5 mm is used as a flexible member, a box-shaped container made of polycarbonate is used as a storage container and a recovery container, and a drive member is used. A commercially available shaker with translational motion was used. A circular passage hole about twice the diameter of the seed was provided in the central part of the flexible member and the storage container. The bottom part of the storage container was provided with a downward inclination with an inclination angle of about 5 degrees with respect to the bottom part of the storage container from the peripheral part to the passage hole by room temperature curable resin. In addition, the microprojection member was provided with a downward slope with an inclination angle of about 2 degrees with respect to the bottom of the storage container from the center to the periphery. The positions of the storage container and the flexible member were adjusted so that the distance between the flexible member and the microprojection member was about 5 mm.

In the experiment, a small black soybean was used. Small black soybeans are known as varieties that are easy to generate stone beans and absorb water very slowly, and the results of treating the soybeans with the above-described invention apparatus are shown below. For comparison, seeds that have undergone partial molting treatment with a grindstone as a treatment to apply a flaw greatly exceeding 50 micrometers in depth to the seed coat surface, and roughening as a treatment to apply a flaw less than 10 micrometers deep to the seed coat surface Seeds were also prepared that were pressed against the sandpaper (adhesive product of silicon carbide particles) by the apparatus of the present invention. The average surface roughness (average protrusion height) of the sandpaper surface is 13.9 micrometers, while the average surface roughness of the diamond grinding wheel is 31.2 micrometers, which is about 2 of the protrusion height of the sandpaper. It was confirmed that it was double. Since it has been empirically confirmed that the device of the present invention can form a microhole having a depth of about two-thirds of the protruding height, the depth of the microhole to be formed can be reduced by a diamond grindstone. It was estimated to be 21 micrometers and about 9 micrometers for sandpaper. Comparison was made with respect to each of the micropore treatment, partial molting treatment, sandpaper treatment, and untreated soybean using the apparatus of the present invention in terms of dissolved solid content, dry matter equivalent water absorption rate, cracked grain rate, and stone bean grain rate. For the measurement of the eluted solid content, 50 particles of each treatment group were put into a 100 mL capacity beaker, 100 mL of distilled water was poured, and the conductivity of the immersion water after 4 hours was used as an index. Further, after weighing the swollen seeds, the dry matter equivalent water absorption was estimated from the dry weight of the seeds dried by a drying method at 135 ° C. for 2 hours. As a result, when compared with untreated soybean, the amount of change in conductivity of soybean subjected to the partial molting treatment as shown in Table 2 was more than twice that of soybean treated with the apparatus of the present invention. It was shown that the amount of the eluted solid content to be leached can be halved by using the inventive device. In addition, by using the device of the present invention, the effect of reducing the stone bean ratio is equivalent to that of the molting treatment, but the ratio of cracked grains, which is an important factor in appearance quality, is greatly reduced compared to the conventional method. It was shown that it can be done. On the other hand, it was clarified that seeds that were treated with sandpaper to give a wound with a depth of less than 10 micrometers to the seed coat had no effect of improving water absorption or eliminating stone beans.

  The seed water absorption promotion method in the present invention is expected to be used in the agricultural field and food manufacturing field. According to the present invention, it is possible to avoid such a situation that seedling is slow or uneven due to exposure of the slow-absorbing seeds in the “stone bean” state to dry conditions, resulting in soybean production. This will ensure the stability of seedling establishment and the yield that accompanies it. In addition, soybean varieties with the characteristics of “stone beans” are inferior in processability, but they have good storage properties and are strong against pest damage. Get out. Furthermore, in the manufacture of processed foods of soybeans and azuki beans, the present invention is expected to bring about simplification and efficiency of the production process by eliminating “stone beans” and promoting water absorption, and thus greatly contributing to the improvement of product quality. The

It is a figure showing the one aspect | mode of the apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the time-dependent change of the water absorption of the soybean which carried out the decalcification bean treatment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Minute protrusion member 2 Flexible member 3 Storage container 4 Fixing member 5 Recovery container 6 Drive member 7 Passing hole 8 Seed

Claims (8)

  A seed water-absorption-promoting treatment method characterized by drilling micropores having a depth of 10 to 50 micrometers and a diameter of 200 micrometers or less with respect to the seed coat. The method for promoting water absorption of seeds according to claim 1, wherein the number of micropores on the seed coat is 5 to 30 per mm ² .   The seed water absorption promoting treatment method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the seed is a legume seed.   The seed water absorption promotion treatment according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a micropore is formed in the seed coat by contacting the seed with a device having a surface having a large number of microscopic protrusions. Method.   It is characterized in that a micropore is drilled into the seed coat by rolling the seed while applying a force in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the device having a surface having a large number of minute protrusions. The seed water absorption promotion treatment method according to claim 4.   A microprojection member having a surface having a large number of microprojections, a surface having the projections of the microprojection member and a flexible member installed at a certain interval, and a drive member for moving the microprojection member or the flexible member An apparatus for promoting water absorption of seeds.   A microprojection member having a surface having a large number of microprojections, a flexible member fixed at a certain interval above the surface having the projections of the microprojection member, placed on the flexible member, and storing seeds A storage container, a fixing member for fixing the flexible member and the storage container at a desired position, a microprojection member is placed inside, a recovery container for recovering treated seeds, and a recovery container is placed, and the recovery container And a drive member for moving the microprojection member, a passage hole for the seed to pass through is provided in the center of the flexible member and the storage container, and the surface having the projection of the microprojection member descends from the central portion to the peripheral portion An apparatus for promoting water absorption of seeds, which has an inclined structure and has a structure in which the bottom of the storage container is inclined downward from the peripheral part toward the passage hole.   The seed water absorption promotion treatment apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the height of the minute protrusion is 10 to 1000 micrometers.