The application of new technologies to seed conditioning

Abstract The need to establish a database of seed physical properties is identified. An algorithm was developed to obtain dimensional data using a Machine Vision System (MVS). Length, width, and shape data were collected using the MVS. A compact data structure was utilized to maintain a manageable database size. Reflectance data is presented for two wheat seed types. The spectral data showed a 30% difference at 700 nm. A device was constructed to allow the collection of drop time data for crop seeds and contaminants. The system timing precision (s.d. = 0·003) was checked using a glass sphere. A computer program was developed to calculate terminal velocity using the equation of motion and the measured drop-time for a free-falling particle.