| Abstract |
The objective of this research was to develop a matrix to pellet green oak lettuce, Lactuca sativa, seeds. Lettuce growers in Thailand plant uncoated lettuce seeds or purchase imported pelleted lettuce seeds, therefore an in-country pelleting process would be beneficial. Six pellet matrices were evaluated for integrity, i.e. hardness and friability, lettuce germination and radical emergence, lettuce emergence rate, shoot and root length and seedling dry weight in the laboratory and greenhouse. Uncoated and commercial pelleted lettuce seeds were evaluated with lettuce seeds pelleted with experimental matrices comprising a: mono layer of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) or a bilayer of CaCO3 with bentonite, zeolite, green calcite, pumice or gypsum. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) – water was used as the binding agent for each of the pellet matrices. The pelleting matrix composed of CMC-bentonite-CaCO3 resulted in irregular-shaped pellets, whereas, the others produced oval pellets similar to the commercial pellets. Pellets prepared with CaCO3 alone, bentonite and green calcite had low hardness and high friability scores, while the other matrices had similar values to that of the commercial pellets. Lettuce germination under laboratory and greenhouse conditions revealed significant differences among the experimental matrices, commercial pellet and uncoated seeds. In conclusion, a gypsum-CaCO3 matrix was the most suitable for pelleting green oak lettuce seeds. |
Publication
Journal Publication
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