Why are Silica Gel Desiccants the Best Choice for Drying Seeds

Have you ever wondered how many everyday things start with a seed? From the protein-rich seeds in your breakfast to the cooking oil in your meals, even the ingredients in your nighttime skincare routine — seeds are everywhere.

These tiny powerhouses play a huge role across industries, often in ways we don’t even notice. But while they’re incredibly useful, keeping them safe is no small task. One of the biggest threats? Moisture.

Controlling moisture isn’t just important — it’s essential if we want to utilize the full potential of seeds.

Why Do Seeds Need to Be Dried?

Every trouble starts with moisture, it is the root cause of degrading the quality and life of seeds. When there is too much moisture content in the atmosphere or on the seeds, pest develops. Apart from this, when the seeds are obtained naturally, they come with dirt and impurities such as small stones, weeds, trash, other crop seeds, etc.

Seeds also lose their ability to germinate. To preserve the viability of seeds for a longer period, drying them is necessary. Now that you know why it is essential to dry seeds, let's have a look at when to dry them!

1. Drying Right after Harvest:

Recently harvested seeds have 24% water inside them; that means they possess the risk of developing bacteria and fungi that lead to irreversible damage. Drying the seeds right after they are harvested will help to eliminate 3-7% of the moisture.

2. Drying after Sterilising:

To remove the bacteria and pests, seeds are often sterilised using warm water; this calls for immediate drying to remove the extra water.

3. Drying after Treating Seeds:

Some seeds require coating with antibacterial and fungal treatments due to the atmosphere they come from. The coating is applied to the seeds when they are wet; after this, the seeds need to be dry again so the coating stays intact.

In short, preserving seeds is crucial to make sure they stay healthy and viable, reducing the risk of damage or decay. Different processes (like sterilising or coating) may require extra drying steps to keep the seeds safe for storage or planting later on.

Types of Seed Drying Methods

The type of drying method depends on the quantity of the seeds that need to be dried. Here are a few methods -

1. Sun Drying (Natural)

The sun-drying method is also known as the traditional seed-drying method, as it is the oldest way of drying seeds and crops. The seeds are spread in a thin layer on an open field or a flat surface after they are harvested. Extremely wet seeds are spread out evenly in the afternoon, when the sunlight is strongest.

This process takes 3–4 days, excluding the nighttime, because if the seeds are left outside during the nighttime, they will soak up moisture from the air. This method is the cheapest; however, it is not efficient for those with a tight deadline as it takes a longer time.

Plus, when the seeds are left out in the open, fear of insects, pests, dirt, and dust can easily sit on them.

2. Silica Gel for Drying Seeds

Silica gel desiccants are widely used as drying agents in various industries and so in drying the seeds. Using silica gel is quite easy, and it can be used on larger as well as smaller scales. Here, we will focus on the use of silica gel on a larger scale.

The drying of seeds using silica gel involves four main steps. First, you need to pick a container that has a tight lid, like a plastic box or drum, for proper sealing. Now, fill 20% of the container with silica gel and place the seeds inside a paper/cloth bag. Place the bag of seeds inside the container in the centre.

This process can take up to a month, depending on the wetness and type of the seeds. Every week, you need to make sure that the bag and silica gel beads are mixed properly. For smaller amounts of seeds, you can use a jar or a foil bag with a tight seal.

With the help of indicating silica gel, you can keep track of the moisture level absorbed by the desiccants; if they go green from orange, it suggests that they are getting full of water and replacement is needed.

3. Heat Pump Seed Drying

Seed drying using a heat pump is a modern-day technique that is energy and time-saving. In this process, the extra moisture is removed from the seed for safer storage. The heat pump seed dryer is a machine that controls both the temperature and humidity; both factors are important for keeping the quality intact.

A heat pump is similar to an air conditioner; it works by pulling air into the machine. The warm, dry air is then blown through the seeds, which helps evaporate moisture from the seeds.

Later, the moist air is released in a closed-loop system.

4. Incubator drying

This process is commonly practised at seed banks with the help of an incubator. Generally, the incubator is used to help seeds sprout, but it is also used in drying seeds. The incubator is set to 18°C, which makes the air inside very dry, which helps the seed to dry.

This process has certain requirements to work well - the room where the incubator is placed should have a temperature between 16°C to 45°C and 5% to 75% humidity.

The use of an incubator becomes very useful in the rainy season because it dries the seeds slowly in a time frame of 1–2 weeks despite the outside conditions.

Which is the Best Seed Drying Method and Why?

Seed drying using silica gel desiccant is highly effective, popular, requires minimal equipment, and so far, is the best seed drying method. The silica gel desiccant actively absorbs moisture from the environment, reducing the moisture content up to just 3% with high precision.

The desiccant is useful for seeds at both large and small scales. Seeds that are dried using this method are eligible for long-term storage. For mor information inquiry now.

FAQs: Why are Silica Gel Desiccants the Best Choice for Drying Seeds? 

1. How do you check if the container is airtight or not?