Influence of different storage structures on seed quality, nutrient retention and insect infestation in stored pulses

Abstract:

Environmental urgency around post-harvest loss in pulse crops rarely gets the same policy attention as production-side interventions, despite storage losses in some smallholder systems reportedly consuming a fifth or more of the harvest before it ever reaches consumption, a gap this six-month research addressed by directly comparing five storage structures for cowpea seed quality retention. Jute bags, plastic containers, metal bins, hermetic bags, and traditional woven basket storage (lined with ash, following common local practice) were compared for seed moisture content, germination percentage, insect infestation, weight loss, and protein retention over six months of ambient storage. Hermetic bags preserved seed quality most effectively across every measure, limiting moisture gain to 0.8 percentage points, insect infestation to 1.9% of seeds, and weight loss to 1.4%, while germination percentage remained above 90% throughout the storage period. Traditional basket storage performed worst on every measure, with moisture gain reaching 7.2 percentage points, insect infestation affecting 36.4% of seeds, and germination falling to 58% by the six-month endpoint, despite the ash lining's partial insect-deterrent effect providing some improvement over completely unlined storage in supplementary testing. Metal bins performed nearly as well as hermetic bags on insect exclusion but showed somewhat higher moisture accumulation, consistent with metal's lack of an active moisture barrier despite its strong physical seal against insect entry. These findings support hermetic bag storage as the most effective option for preserving cowpea seed quality, particularly for seed-intended grain requiring high germination viability, while identifying metal bins as a durable, reusable intermediate option where hermetic bags are not readily available.