Moses Palmer – Senior seed analyst and Laboratory Manager
Harvest has successfully concluded across the prairies, and we have a clear picture of the seed quality. Seed quality data presented below is based on seed samples delivered to the lab for testing from September to November 2024. Seed quality overall has been very good considering all the challenges growers contended with this season. Heat and moisture stress at grain filling and maturity combined with fields in some areas recovering from hail damage left everyone wondering what quality would look like. We still see the effect of these adverse field conditions on quality, although plants are resilient and recovered in time to produce average yields across the prairies.
Barley samples coming into the lab at the start of harvest had high levels of dormancy (Table 1). The lab resorted to applying dormancy breaking measures which resulted in germination results in the high 90’s with corresponding vigor results. Seed dormancy usually breaks in the seed as the seed matures post-harvest because of abscisic acid and gibberellic acid levels stabilizing during storage. Growers are advised to conduct another germination and vigor test before seeding in the spring to determine if seed dormancy is still an issue in the lot. Cereal samples tested in November had slightly lower germination and vigor results compared to samples tested in September and November. These fields could have matured later in the season than other fields due to moisture stress and hail damage.
Table 1. Comparison of germination and vigor levels in cereals tested in the lab from September to November 2024.
|
|
September |
October |
November |
|||
|
Crop kind |
Germination % |
Vigour % |
Germination % |
Vigour % |
Germination % |
Vigour % |
|
Barley |
96 |
95 |
96 |
95 |
94 |
93 |
|
Oat |
96 |
90 |
96 |
93 |
95 |
94 |
|
Rye |
95 |
94 |
82 |
96 |
* |
* |
|
Triticale |
93 |
92 |
96 |
94 |
95 |
93 |
|
Wheat |
95 |
96 |
97 |
95 |
97 |
95 |
|
Wheat, durum |
94 |
95 |
96 |
93 |
94 |
92 |
* No data for the month.
Dry and hot conditions at harvest for pulses are directly responsible for the lower germination and vigor results we see in pulses (Table 2). Mechanical damage to pulses is a big issue when dealing with peas and faba beans, especially in dry years like this. Growers are advised to handle the seed as little as possible and take extra precautions to prevent damage from augers when moving seed.
Table 2. Comparison of germination and vigor levels in pulses tested in the lab from September to November 2024.
|
September |
October |
November |
||||
|
Crop |
Germination % |
Vigour % |
Germination % |
Vigour % |
Germination % |
Vigour % |
|
Bean, faba |
95 |
93 |
85 |
78 |
88 |
86 |
|
Chickpea, kabuli |
92 |
96 |
91 |
91 |
* |
* |
|
Lentil |
97 |
92 |
95 |
90 |
96 |
93 |
|
Pea, field |
90 |
89 |
89 |
89 |
88 |
85 |
* No data for the month.
Some of the seed conditions discussed above could become worse when the seed lot is exposed to more stress such as the cold stress during storage over winter. It is our recommendation that growers test their seed lots again during the spring to confirm that quality has been maintained over the storage period. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the lab with questions related to seed testing and quality.
Contact us via email support@2020seedlabs.ca or by phone toll-free 1-877 420 2099.
