Mr. Asbrouk (left) is the Chair of APSA's Seed Technology Standing Committee (SC).[/caption]
BANGKOK: Mr. Johan Asbrouk, Chair of APSA's Seed Technology Standing Committee (SC) will on March 21 lead a live Webinar to guide members in understanding and optimizing "Seed Shelf Life".
The session, scheduled to be broadcast live from the APSA Secretariat Office in Bangkok 13:00-13.30 (Indochina Time or GMT+7), will be conducted using modern, user-friendly teleconferencing software. Registration will be capped to 20 participants, eligibility of which will be on a first-come-first-service basis, and restricted to good-standing APSA members. Successfully-registered participants will be sent a link with instructions on accessing the webinar. See registration link at end of this article. APSA members who aren't able to attend the seminar will have an opportunity to view a recording of the webinar, a link of which will be posted to APSA's website at a later date. Mr Asbrouk, who is also the Executive Chairman of Centor Group, Thailand – a global leader in seed technology services and solutions – underlined the significance of shelf life as a key factor for ensuring optimal productivity of quality seed. "The primary purpose of seed storage is to maintain high quality from the time of harvest until use. The commercial seed needs to be stored not just until the next season, but often for two to three seasons, as the production and demand of seeds of different crops and varieties in different seasons are difficult to predict due to various reasons," he said. APSA Technical Director Dr. N.K. Dadlani concurs. "Seed, being a living entity, loses its germination potency and vigor with time. This is termed as ageing or seed deterioration. While seed deterioration cannot be stopped altogether, it can very effectively be minimized by storing seeds under favorable conditions. Seed producers look for the ways and means that can effectively and economically improve the shelf life of seeds," concluded Dr. Dadlani. This first of several planned APSA Training Webinars will discuss some technological advancements and tips that can help extend the shelf life of seeds under different conditions. Specifically, the Webinar will address the following questions: