**12. Future challenges for postharvest technology**

In increasing urban population and shifting lifestyle in developing countries, demand for food has increased many times. Seed is a unit which not only is used as food but also responsible for production of the next generation. The most attention-demanding perspectives in seed biology are postharvest management and quality maintenance of seed. Although in past years, great success has been achieved in development of novel packaging, storage and transport systems, pests, and seed-borne disease control for market access. However, to achieve future goals, further research and technology development should be dedicated to explore genetic aspects of quality traits like stress resistance, resistance to postharvest diseases, and pest management. Researchers should try to work on integrated approaches for postharvest management of seed. Nanotechnology is an emerging field which is leading to tremendous achievements in crop sciences. Seed biologist should also try to explore this field so that seed could be preserving for longer time without altering the genetics.
