**13. Conclusions**

**11. Postharvest quality assessment techniques**

130 New Challenges in Seed Biology - Basic and Translational Research Driving Seed Technology

Quality assessment or grading has the following benefits:

**ii.** Quality and safety improvement incentives.

**i.** It helps to facilitate the purchase of an unseen product.

**iii.** Grading makes the market information meaningful.

**iv.** It helps in facilitating quality and price comparison.

**v.** It reduces the deception and fraudulent marketing risk.

of disputes regarding composition or quality [6].

**12. Future challenges for postharvest technology**

could be preserving for longer time without altering the genetics.

imaging, electronic nose, etc. [58].

There are two methods to assess the quality of crop after harvest such as analytical or objective and subjective or sensory method [56]. There are limitations for subjective method in quality evaluation of hazardous material [57]. Objective method is destructive or nondestructive in nature. Manual sorting of commodities is outdated, costly, unreliable, subjective, laborious, and slow. Food depicts complex and dynamic behavior with respect to varietal and time dependency. Nondestructive methods classified according to physical principles are visual inspection, x-ray imaging and computed tomography, near-infrared spectroscopy, ultrasonic testing, thermographic testing, electromagnetic testing, liquid penetrant testing, magnetic particle testing, acoustic emission testing, infrared and thermal testing, magnetic resonance

**vi.** Diverse marketing mechanism can be enabled through the process such as commod‐

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

ity exchange, future trading, inventory credit, credit letters, and facilitating resolution

Seed quality should be maintained for the better quality crops. Maintenance of the seeds is the major problem in the developing countries these days. There is a need to establish better, economical, convenient, and productive methods for postharvest handling and seed storage. Researchers should focus on translating knowledge into agricultural outputs. The chapter deals with the value of healthy seeds, factors affecting the seed quality, postharvest techniques for the seed storage, and techniques and safety measures for their quality assessment for the maintenance of good quality seeds to meet the international standards emphasizing on the needs of developing countries. This could be achieved by opting more sensitive and advance technologies with special emphasis on seed response to environmental and maternal factors.
