Deterioration of maize seeds (Zea mays L.) during storage: Evaluating quality components of grains under conservation

In tropical Africa, several vulnerable communities are facing seed insecurity, impairing food security. The conservation, good management, and maintenance of seed quality are thus major issues in seed security, especially since the quality of the latter is altered over time. It therefore becomes interesting to conduct research on the evolution of seed deterioration during storage. The main objective of this work was therefore to determine the deterioration rate of maize seeds (Zea mays L.) by assessing the quantity of viable seed in a seed lot. In order to achieve this, an experimental study was carried out on the measurement of the components of seed quality, including germination rate, vigour, specific purity, health status and percentage of deterioration. In order to assess the evolution of the above-mentioned quality components, various tests were carried out on seeds of two maize varieties (CHC 201 and CHC 203) stored for 6 months, 1 year and 2 years in warehouses in the Western highlands agroecological zone of Cameroon. The results revealed a significant difference between seeds stored for 6, 12 and 24 months for each of the quality components. Seeds that are stored more longer have low quality. Several significant correlations were observed between the quality variables of seeds under storage. Seven intra-parasitic fungi were identified, with a more marked diversity for seeds stored for 12 months. Although Aspergillus ssp. 1 was the fungus attacking the most each of the studied varieties, the CHC 201 variety was the most attacked by fungi during storage compared to CHC 203 variety. published by the  International Journal of Agronomy and Agricultural Research (IJAAR)