Grainswest - Winter 2024

Winter 2024 Grains West 34 FEATURE treatment might be warranted and when they can save their money.” To keep it “interesting,” there are always new plant diseases emerging. When it comes to such threats, ignorance is never bliss. “Last year, bacterial leaf streak was a big concern,” said Foster. “It isn’t technically a new disease, but it was suddenly detected in many fields around central Alberta. In response, we quickly created a test for it. We found that this disease has been slowly creeping into the province, so testing is critical to keep tabs on the threat.” To conduct effective seed testing, timing is everything. “We recommend growers test for vigour and germination in the fall,” said Webb. “Once they have handled and processed their seed, they should redo those two tests to ensure that everything went well during storage.” Especially during storage, what you don’t know can hurt you. Foster urges vigilance. Given that 2023 was a tough growing season, some view post-harvest seed testing as even more important than in years past. “This year, it’s crucial to monitor what is happening in your bins throughout the season,” said Foster. “From the moment you harvest to when you are going to seed your fields, you should test vigour and germination at least three times: right after harvest, in January, and again in March just before seeding. I also advise testing for disease following harvest.” A first test might look good, but then a vigour issue will appear. This may happen because the seed didn’t fully mature in the field or became too wet or too dry. If there was an early frost, this may have damaged the cell structure of the seed. “When someone is not monitoring the bins or quality of the product in storage, they often won’t realize that, while their germination is at 100 per cent, their vigour might be only 85 per cent,” said Foster. “Maybe something is wrong with the seedling that they haven’t yet detected. Usually in storage, germination can stay high for six months, whereas vigour may drop off rapidly if there is a hidden defect, especially in growing seasons like 2023. In times like these, you really need to dig in and find out just how solid that seed is.” “One thing we are seeing frequently this year is areas that had moisture late, with a lot of rain in July when plants were already at the flowering stage,” said Webb. “As a result, growers are burdened with a high incidence of seedborne diseases like FHB. If you get the perfect storm of too much heat and excess moisture, those are the ideal conditions for diseases like FHB to really take off.” Of course, with the wild weather swings that are often seen in Alberta, some areas had the opposite problem this past growing season. “Where farmers had to deal with drought conditions, it is more important than ever to do a TKW test on their seed,” said Foster. “In a dry growing season, seeds tend to be smaller than usual, meaning you will have more seeds per gram, so the TKW will aid in revising seeding rates to account for that change.” For farmers, even in the best of years, there is a lot at stake in terms of good grain storage and seed performance in the following season. “The biggest risk with untested seed is losing quality,” said Foster. “If you’re not closely monitoring your seeds in storage, you may have mold that you’re not aware of that causes clumping and can spread quickly if not detected early on. This could lead to a total loss of germination, and once that happens, there is not much you can do to recover.” LOTS TO LOSE Seed quality stakes are also high across the industry. “For pedigreed seed dealers, we must be able to tell customers exactly what they are getting, so they can plan their seeding rates and know how much to book for the spring,” said Brian Ellis, president of the Alberta- British Columbia Seed Growers. To assess vigour, seeds are planted in wet soil or sand at low temperatures. This allows testers to determine how quickly a seed can develop under stressful conditions.