Oxidative stress with the damage of scavenging system: a mechanism for the nutrients loss in rice seeds during post-harvest storage

Abstract

Rice seeds with different moisture contents were stored in simulated storage facilities at different temperatures for 300 days. Measurement of biochemical properties and the observation of embryo and endosperm structures showed that high temperature and moisture content accelerated the deterioration in rice seeds and damaged the cell structures. Two hypotheses were proposed to explain the mechanisms of deterioration in rice seeds. The study of scavenging systems supported that scavenging system performed well and external storage conditions partly contributed to the deterioration in the early stage while the self-protection metabolism was damaged to some extent with the malfunction of scavenging systems in the later stage of storage. In the practice, it is an energy-saving way to prevent deterioration of rice seeds by moisture removal and staged low-temperature storage.