| Q. |
What
is seed testing? |
| A. |
Seed testing
comprises a wide range of different analysis
of seed quality which may include, but is
not limited to, physical and varietal characteristics,
seed contaminates, germination potential,
viability, and vigor assessments. |
| Q. |
Why
is seed testing important? |
| A. |
Assessing the
quality of your seed lots is important whether
you are selling seed or using it for your
own planting. Not knowing the quality of your
seed may be extremely risky in today’s
business environment. Having your seed thoroughly
tested is all about risk management. |
| Q. |
What
should I do if my seed lot has a high disease
infection percentage? |
| A. |
For most seed
kinds, we can treat a small portion of the
retained file sample and run another germination
test. This may help you decide whether seed
treatment may be the option you would choose
for the remainder of the seed lot. The seed
laboratory has a stock of some of the more
common chemicals that are approved for use
on corn, soybeans, and small grains. Conditioning
with a gravity table would be advisable particularly
if treating is not an option you plan to pursue. |
| Q. |
What
is a good standard germination result for
soybeans? |
| A. |
90% or above
would be the ideal, but anything above 80%
would be useable in most cases. Below 80%
should only be used in the absence of better
seed. |
| Q. |
Why
are my soybean germination results low? |
| A. |
There are many
factors, which may have affected the viability
and germability of your soybean seed lot from
field to bag. Our testing will try to help
you track down why and where the damage may
have occurred. Our standard germination report
will not only contain the germination rate,
but the percentage of pod & stem blight
along with additional remarks assigned by
our team of seed analysts when the germination
samples are evaluated. If you have additional
concerns, please specify when the samples
are submitted. We would be very happy to accommodate
your requests. |
| Q. |
Why
should I vigor test my soybean seed? |
| A. |
Earlier planting
and the advent of no-till or minimum tillage
cropping systems have resulted in planted
soybean seed being subjected to an increased
level of stress. It is a good idea to evaluate
whether the seed that is sold and/or used
has the ability to withstand certain levels
of stress. In our laboratory, the two methods
used to measure soybean vigor levels are the
cold test and the accelerated aging test.
Both do a very good job determining how well
a seed lot may withstand adverse field conditions.
The accelerated aging test may also be used
to estimate the storability of seed lots. |
| Q. |
Why
should I vigor test my corn seed? |
| A. |
Vigor testing
is an absolute must for corn seed lots due
to adverse conditions in which the seed is
planted. Most farmers find it necessary to
plant corn long before ideal soil conditions
exist. The cold test, in particular, will
allow you to evaluate the seed’s ability
to withstand stress and/or the pathogens that
are present in soil. A cold test using soil
usually contains some of the pathogens (primarily
Pythium spp.) which readily attack unprotected
corn seed or seedlings. The accelerated aging
test may also be useful in predicting the
seed’s ability to withstand stress as
well as the storability of the seed. |
