Last month we reported on chemically damaged peas however they are not the only crop affected this year. Challenges with environmental and harvesting conditions last fall meant that some cereals and peas were desiccated perhaps a little too early. Using a desiccant on immature plants will lead to chemical injury on seedlings. This season we have seen an exceptionally high number of chemically damaged seedlings. In fact several labs across the prairies have reported “chemical” abnormal seedlings on their germination diagnostic profiles.
Retesting chemically damaged seedlings will incur extra charges…
As a CFIA accredited laboratory we follow standard protocol, first starting the test on a blotter and then following up with a soil retest if chemically injured seedlings are present. The soil retest is automatically applied when the germination result of the seed meets grade.
Inform the lab if a pre-harvest desiccant was used…
We do appreciate knowing in advance if a pre-harvest desiccant was applied. We are not only more informed, but we can save you time as we can plant both on blotter and in soil simultaneously. If we’re not informed we are however following through with a retest in soil after we have the clients permission to continue. There will be an additional charge of $40.00 for retests. If you decide not to retest we will issue an unofficial report.
Please note that retesting in soil is standard practice because quite often the second test in soil is improved. This is true when the chemical residue is only on the surface of the seed. Little improvement is achieved if the chemical has been absorbed by the seed and the damage becomes systemic.
Symptoms difficult to identify…
The symptoms of chemical damage are very difficult to identify especially to the untrained eye. Please don’t be fooled if conducting a home germination that all sprouts are created equal. Make sure you seek the advice of a qualified seed analyst before you decide to sell or plant your seed. Please also be advised that germination results obtained in the fall may have changed by the spring. It is always good practice to conduct another more recent germination.
