PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE

Amorphophallus muelleri Blume, belonging to the Araceae family, has a high economic value due to the glucomannan content used in both food and non-food industries. Propagation of A. muelleri through seed is more efficient than through bulbs and corms because the seed offers higher multiplication and bulking rates. However, limited information on the seed composition and storage behaviour poses challenges for handling and storage. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the seed chemical composition, classify the storage behaviour, and assess the effect of storage temperature on viability. The results showed that the seed contained 51% starch as the primary reserve compound and 15.74% glucomannan. Rapid drying at 35 °C with 40% relative humidity (RH) was found lethal to the seed, while slow drying at 22 °C with 10% RH was harmless for viability. Seed preserved the viability (78-91 %) when the moisture content remained above 50%, but lost viability when the moisture content reduced slowly to 30.9% (MDN1), 21.3 % (MDN2), and 43.25% (PWTA), showing that A. muelleri seed is recalcitrant. Moisture content of 60.2% (L1), 62.9% (L2), and 60.2% (L3) led to loss of seed viability with germination average of 5 % during the third month at refrigerator storage (5-7 °C, 40-50 % RH). In contrast, controlled temperature storage of 27-32 °C (>60% RH) maintained seed quality, including water content above 48% and germination above 80% during five months, and for three months.