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Winter
2018
Grains
West
38
Feature
BY JENNIFER BARBER • IMAGE COURTESY OF SGS BIOVISION
Improved seed testing technology pushes performance and profit
GROWTH
S AGRICULTURE HAS BECOME
more digital and data-driven,
the expectations farmers
have for seed performance have also
increased. While certain seed testing
processes such as germination testing
haven’t changed in decades, new
technologies such as digital imaging
and molecular testing are speeding
the process and providing better
information about seed lots. These
tests are typically requested by seed
companies, but the end user benefits
by knowing the seed has been more
rigorously tested than ever.
Plant breeding programs require
good-quality seed that is tested for
several performance requirements.
These include physical purity, variety,
germination and vigour.
While germination tests are important,
they don’t tell the whole story. Quality,
performance and vigour are becoming
more crucial as seed becomes a more
valuable commodity.
The federal Seeds Act requires that all
commercially sold seed be tested. In the
past, the heavily subsidized tests were
conducted by government scientists.
However, farmers didn’t see the value
in testing bin-run seed. “Because it was
so inexpensive, people came to not
value the testing,” said Sarah Foster,
president of 20/20 Seed Labs. “For
years, people would think they could
grow a few kernels in the window and
see if the seed grew. But they were
missing out on sensitive issues and the
crop would be slow to grow and not get
the kind of early performance needed
to set the season up for success.” Over
the last three years especially, she said,
customer demand for better quality and
performance data has increased, and
this is driven by the implementation of
digital farming practices.
Starting in 2014, seed testing
shifted to the private sector, with the
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
(CFIA) maintaining oversight. “Our
staff are accredited as well, not just the
company itself,” said Holly Gelech,
manager, business development, with
SGS BioVision. “They [take] two years
of in-house training, then a series of
CFIA exams. Seed analysts are certified
in the standard tests conducted on
commercial seed. Every year, our staff
are evaluated through blind proficiency
tests to ensure they are following the
established protocols and analysis.”
The only diseases mandated for
testing by the Seeds Act are true loose
smut in barley and the presence of ergot
or sclerotial bodies. Other common
seed-borne diseases aren’t regulated
by the act but are often tested for. If
requested, seed dealers can provide
buyers with the seed’s complete
analysis. “There are specific germination
rates required depending on the seed—
90 per cent for canola and 85 per
cent for cereals,” said Foster. “Today,
there are very elaborate additional
tests done.” The primary concern used
to be the effect of temperature on
germination, but now farmers also want
to know how long germination takes,
especially with higher-value crops such
as canola and hemp. “We’re talking
timing under stressful conditions,” said
Foster. “When people are paying big
money for this seed, they want to see
most of it, if not all of it, come up within a
certain time period.”
Emerging diseases are another
important data point, as seed-borne
pathogens can also manifest in the
field, which was particularly evident
when Fusarium head blight hit western
A
INDUSTRY