Tag Archives: Harvest Practices

Grass seed crop harvest and seed moisture content

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Thomas G. Chastain

Grass seed crop harvest in Oregon will begin shortly and to maximize harvest efficiency, identifying the best timing for harvest is essential.  Seed moisture content has been found to be the most reliable indicator of seed maturity and harvest timing in grass seed crops.

Since pollination and seed maturation are not uniform processes in grass seed crops, a range of seed maturity can be found in a single field.  Harvesting within the correct range of seed moisture contents will maximize harvestable seed yield and minimize losses of seed during harvest. Seed moisture content is also an important factor in the storability of harvested seed.  High seed moisture content reduces longevity of seed in storage and reduces seed quality. Continue reading →

Seed Moisture: Harvest Management Tool for Grass Seed Crops

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Range of maturity in perennial ryegrass spikes (Tom Silberstein photo)

While the weather has been cool and wet for much of the spring, the calendar indicates that we’re just a few weeks away from the start of the grass seed crop harvest season. Seed moisture content is the most reliable indicator of seed maturity and harvest timing in grass seed crops. Harvesting within the correct range of seed moisture contents will maximize harvestable seed yield and minimize losses of seed during harvest.

A recent publication by OSU’s Tom Silberstein and others (EM9012) updates the traditional seed moisture content guidelines for grass seed crops and provides illustrated instructions on conducting a seed moisture test.
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