Seed TESTING Services 

We offer Germination and seed health testing through our partners at

Seed check Technologies

Samples can be dropped off at the plant, and are sent out every Wednesday.   

If dropping samples after hours a drop box is available. Please follow the directions for filling out the test requisition, or leave a contact name and number on the sample and we will contact you for direction. 

Germination

Before you plant be sure your seed will sprout!

The object of germination testing is to determine the maximum germination potential of the seed. Testing under field conditions cannot normally be repeatable. Laboratory methods have evolved in which controlled conditions are used to give rapid and complete germination for the majority of samples of a particular species. The conditions have been standardized within limits as near a possible to those determined by random sample variation.

Already gotten a malt test? 

A High germ on malt does not necessarily translate to a high germ for seed. A malt germ test is run using different parameters then a seed germination test. The test is shorter in duration and only requires the seed to sprout sufficiently for fermentation. 

A seed germination test can take up to 3 weeks, and the seedlings are evaluated for abnormalities, chemical damage, and other factors that will prevent the seedling from developinging into a viable plant. 

Vigor testing will take germination a step further introducing elements designed to simulate real world conditions. Scroll down to lean more. 

Fusarium Graminearum

Fusarium is on the Rise in Alberta, All Cereals brought in to the Plant require a Fusarium test, showing 2% or lower. 

Cereal crops, including wheat, barley, oats, rye, triticale, and corn can be infected by Fusarium species that cause seedling blights, root rots, crown rot and head blight (FHB). Several Fusarium species can cause head blight, but most head blight infections on the prairies are caused by Fusarium graminearum, although depending on year and location, other Fusarium spp. may be more dominant. F. graminearum is typically more damaging in terms of downgrading due to the presence of Fusarium-damaged kernels and contamination of grain with mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol. 

In order for seed to be accepted for conditioning a fusarium test must be performed by an accredited laboratory. At the lab, seed is pretreated and plated on specialized media, which favour the growth of the organism being looked for. The plates are then incubated and examined by a seed pathologist for specific traits. 

Vigour

You’ve tested the germination in the lab but how well will that translate to the real world?

Vigor testing does not only reflect the percentage of viable seed in a sample, it also considers the ability of those seeds to produce normal seedlings under less than optimum or adverse growing conditions similar to those which may occur in the field.

There are three main types of testing that go in to determining vigour

• Stress Tests – Tests which subject the seed to adverse conditions and include cool tests, accelerated ageing tests, and controlled deterioration tests.
• Seedling growth and evaluation tests – Tests where seedlings are measured at some point under uniform laboratory conditions and include, seedling growth tests, seedling weight tests, and first counts in germination tests.
• Biochemical Tests measure metabolic activity as it pertains to the vigour of the seed and include conductivity and tetrazolium tests.

Seed Health

Fusarium is not the only Disease to watch out for

 Plant diseases are known to greatly reduce yield. Not all plant diseases are contained in or on seed but it is important to know if you have one or more that is. Seed may contain plant pathogens or agents that cause disease in plants. These diseases may affect storage, vigour, germination, market availability, harvest yield, seed appearance, or contain toxins.

Common testing includes 

• Ascochyta, Anthracnose, Botrytis, and Sclerotinia – In Pulses
• Blackleg, Sclerotinia, and Alternaria – In canola and Brassicas
• True Loose Smut – In Wheat and Barley 
• Bacterial Blights – In Beans 
• Common Root Rot – Cereals 

DNA seed Testing 

Time to buy new seed?

Successive generations of seed will drift further away from the genetics you invested in when initially purchasing the seed. This means you will start to see lower disease resistance, yields, proteins, and other important attributes of the virital.    

Is the seed in you bins still the variety you think it is? Seed Check can provide an in depth DNA analysis of you seed to verify the virital percentage of the lot

We have had clients bring in samples only to discover it is only contains 1% of the true variety they thought it was. So if your on the fence about purchasing new seed consider a DNA test to quantify precisely what is in your bin.   

1000 seed weight 

set your seeder for maximum yead!

Accurate seeding rates start with precise seed weight. Seed Check will expertly weigh out 10 lots of 100 seeds, which are then averaged and used to calculate the 1000, seed weight.

Germination

Before you plant be sure your seed will sprout!

The object of germination testing is to determine the maximum germination potential of the seed. Testing under field conditions cannot normally be repeatable. Laboratory methods have evolved in which controlled conditions are used to give rapid and complete germination for the majority of samples of a particular species. The conditions have been standardized within limits as near a possible to those determined by random sample variation.

Fusarium Graminearum

Fusarium is on the Rise in Alberta, All Cereals brought in to the Plant require a Fusarium test, showing 2% of less. 

Cereal crops, including wheat, barley, oats, rye, triticale, and corn can be infected by Fusarium species that cause seedling blights, root rots, crown rot and head blight (FHB). Several Fusarium species can cause head blight, but most head blight infections on the prairies are caused by Fusarium graminearum, although depending on year and location, other Fusarium spp. may be more dominant. F. graminearum is typically more damaging in terms of downgrading due to the presence of Fusarium-damaged kernels and contamination of grain with mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol. 

In order for seed to be accepted for conditioning a fusarium test must be performed by an accredited laboratory. At the lab, seed is pretreated and plated on specialized media, which favour the growth of the organism being looked for. The plates are then incubated and examined by a seed pathologist for specific traits. 

Vigour

You’ve tested the germination in the lab but how well will that translate to the real world?

Vigor testing does not only reflect the percentage of viable seed in a sample, it also considers the ability of those seeds to produce normal seedlings under less than optimum or adverse growing conditions similar to those which may occur in the field.

There are three main types of testing that go in to determining vigour

• Stress Tests – Tests which subject the seed to adverse conditions and include cool tests, accelerated ageing tests, and controlled deterioration tests.
• Seedling growth and evaluation tests – Tests where seedlings are measured at some point under uniform laboratory conditions and include, seedling growth tests, seedling weight tests, and first counts in germination tests.
• Biochemical Tests measure metabolic activity as it pertains to the vigour of the seed and include conductivity and tetrazolium tests.

Seed Health

Fusarium is not the only Disease to watch out for

Plant diseases are known to greatly reduce yield. Not all plant diseases are contained in or on seed but it is important to know if you have one or more that is. Seed may contain plant pathogens or agents that cause disease in plants. These diseases may affect storage, vigour, germination, market availability, harvest yield, seed appearance, or contain toxins.

Common testing includes 

• Ascochyta, Anthracnose, Botrytis, and Sclerotinia – In Pulses
• Blackleg, Sclerotinia, and Alternaria – In canola and Brassicas
• True Loose Smut – In Wheat and Barley 
• Bacterial Blights – In Beans 
• Common Root Rot – Cereals 

DNA seed Testing 

Time to buy new seed?

Successive generations of seed will drift further away from the genetics you invested in when initially purchasing the seed. This means you will start to see lower disease resistance, yields, proteins, and other important attributes of the virital.    

Is the seed in you bins still the variety you think it is? Seed Check can provide an in depth DNA analysis of you seed to verify the virital percentage of the lot

We have had clients bring in samples only to discover it is only contains 1% of the true variety they thought it was. so if your on the fence about purchasing new seed consider a DNA test to quantify precisely what is in your bin.   

1000 seed weight 

Set your seeder for maximum yead!

Accurate seeding rates start with Precise seed weight. Seed Check will expertly weigh 10 lots of 100 seeds, which are then averaged and used to calculate the 1000, seed weight.