The influence of seed separation techniques and drying temperature in a dehumidified drying machine for tomato seed production

Abstract

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is a horticultural plant with high economic value, consumed as fresh fruit or a processed product. However, this plant still requires serious handling, especially in tomato seeds. The seeds are coated with quite slimy flesh and need to be separated using a suitable method so that the flesh layer can be cleaned optimally. Tomato seeds have a high water content, causing the seeds to easily damaged and quickly decrease their viability. Therefore, it is necessary to dry the seeds properly to lower the water content while maintaining the seed’s quality. This research aimed to calculate the time needed to reduce the water content of tomato seeds in a dehumidified drying machine, analyze the germination percentage of tomato seeds resulting from dehumidified drying using various separation techniques, and measure the effect of separation techniques. The temperature of dehumidified drying affects the germination and vigor of tomato seeds. The experiment was carried out using a two factorial Completely Randomized Design (CRD) method, namely separation technique (i.e., left for 24 hours, using 2% HCl, and using 10% Na₂CO₃) and temperature in a dehumidified drying machine (i.e., 30, 40, 50, and 60 °C). The highest germination percentage and vigor index were produced in the treatment with 2% HCl for 2 hours with a drying temperature of 40°C. The separation technique and drying temperature influenced the germination percentage and vigor index, but the interaction between separation techniques had no effect.