University of Eastern Philippines

University Town, U.E.P.

A.Y. 2022-2023

Seed Processing
(Squash)

Narrative Report
In Crop Science II

Submitted By
Randy B. Orua
Niño P. Picardal

Submitted To
Prof. Leovegildo B. Mante Ph.D.
Course Professor

Date Submitted
INTRODUCTION
Seeds coming from the field after harvest usually include unpleasant materials
which must be expelled during processing to obtain clean seed suitable for planting.
Seed processing is a vital part of the total technology involved in making available
high quality seeds. It assures the end-users, seeds of high quality with minimum
adulteration.
After harvesting, seeds are dried, cleaned and tested before being stored and
distributed to farmers for planting. Newly harvested and threshed seeds from the
field often contain undesirable materials (e.g. stems, leaves; stones and soil
particles; weed seeds and other unwanted seeds). It is essential to remove
impurities to obtain good quality pure seed of the required crop and variety. Seed
processing or seed conditioning is the preparation of harvested seed for marketing to
farmers. The processes involved include threshing, cleaning, drying, seed
treatment, packaging and storage.
By doing seed processing and storage, the good physical and physiological
condition of the seeds are maintained from the time they are harvested until they are
planted. In addition, enhanced purity, health and germination, well-cleaned and good
quality seeds have other benefits, all of which increase their market value: improved
visual appearance, reduced seed rate, uniform emergence and crop stand, high yield
and long shelf-life.
Squash (Cucurbita maxima) also known as “kalabasa” is an upright and
spreading plant, 18-30 inches high, and produce diversity of fruit forms. Although
most types of squash are frequently referred to as vegetables, they have seeds and
therefore are technically classified as fruits. It belongs to Cucurbitaceae family, or
also called cucurbits and gourd family.

OBJECTIVES
This activity intends to accomplish the following:
 To acquire good and viable seeds from squash fruit
 To process the acquired seeds
 To execute methods of seed processing so that the acquired seeds will
be good for storage
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Materials used:
 1 ripe squash fruit
 Knife
 Airtight container
Procedures:
 Cut the squash open( be mindful not to hurt the seeds)
 Scoop the seeds out
 Rinse the pulp off
 Get the pulp off the seeds
 Put the seeds in a container filled with water
 Stir up the water well
 Throw the seeds that float
 Repeat up to four times
 Lay them out to dry on the direct sunlight
 Keep drying them out until it is totally parched
 After drying, put the seeds in an airtight container
 The container must have charcoal at the bottom and cardboard or tissue paper
above it

DISCUSSION
Due to financial scarcity of the students, we only used ¼ kilogram squash from the
market which we bought for Php 25.00. After the seeds are scooped out, it is still covered in
pulp so we rinsed it with water to remove them. Then, we put the squash seeds in a
container and filled it with water and stirred it. After the first stirring, almost half of the seeds
in the container were floating. We poured out these floating seeds remaining only those that
didn't float. We repeated it again to make sure that the seeds are in good condition and
viable. After the second stirring, there are still a lot of seeds floating. In the third stirring,
only 16 seeds remain. And after the fourth stirring, only 10 seeds that didn't float. By doing
this, the seeds are examined if they are good and viable. The seeds that float after stirring
are called empty seed or those that are bad and not suitable for farming. Then, we lay them
down in a flat surface and have them expose to the sun for drying. It is quite a hassle
because the weather is rainy. Sometimes it's sunny for a few hours or sometime it's rainy all
day. After a week or more, the seeds are finally dried out and now suitable for storage.
After sun-drying the seeds for more than a week, we put them in an airtight
container. Inside of the container is charcoal and tissue paper above it to ensure that the
quality of the seeds will not decrease. We store it in a cabinet with a room temperature.
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, AND RECCOMENDATION
Harvested seeds from fields usually have undesirable materials with them. Some of
these materials are stems, stones, leaves, and weed seeds that may/will affect the quality
of the newly threshed seeds. Seed processing is vital because it ensures that the seeds are
in good quality and viable before being stored and marketed. Squash seeds are processed
and stored. By removing the floating seeds in the water, the squash seeds are examined if
good an not empty. Through sun-drying, the seeds are dried out to slow it's maturity and
become suitable for storage. An airtight container with charcoal and tissue paper in it to
separate the charcoal from the seeds will help to prevent molds.
Seeds are acquired from a squash fruit bought from the nearby market. In order to
make sure that the seeds are viable, floating method was used. The floating seeds are
removed, while remaining only the deeds that did not float in water. These seeds are dried
out through sunlight. After drying, the squash seeds are stored in an airtight container with
charcoal to prevent molds. To be exact, 10 good and viable squash seeds are processed
and ready to be used.
Squash seeds are only one of the crops that have seeds that can be processed.
When processing seeds, it is important to know what kind of seeds will be used. It is also
recommended to use other procedures depending on the kind of seeds and if possible, use
some treatments that can keep the seed quality longer during storage, and compare them.
We hope that in the future, we may be able to market these processed seeds or use in
farms.
REFERENCES