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Interim results from Saskatchewan Provincial Seed Survey look promising
April 5, 2023 By Top Crop Manager
The Saskatchewan pulse and cereal commissions have released the 2022 Provincial Seed Survey, with interim results showing a general improvement of germination levels across all crops.
Each year, the Saskatchewan pulse and cereal commissions partner with commercial seed testing laboratories to complete an annual survey of seed-borne pathogens measured on seed grown in Saskatchewan during the previous season. All labs that offer seed testing services to Saskatchewan growers are invited to participate in the annual survey with anonymous reporting of results amalgamated by crop district from all participating labs.
Interim seed quality data, collected from the time of harvest to the end of December, are summarized and communicated to growers, agronomists, researchers and industry during the winter months, ahead of the next crop season. These interim results provide insights into seed quality trends and identify potential hotspots for seed-borne pathogens across the province.
A final summary of results, including data from seed samples analyzed after the interim results, is reported at the end of May. This final summary is submitted for publication in the Canadian Phytopathological Society Canadian Plant Disease Surveys. This publication of the provincial survey provides a record of seed-borne pathogen trends in pulse and cereal crops and allows for continued tracking of diseases over time.
Germination results
Percent germination levels were documented during the 2022 provincial seed survey with interim results showing a general improvement of germination levels across all crops from reported levels in the 2021. High numbers of seed lots harvested in 2021, particularly field pea, were reported to have below acceptable levels of germination; however, results to date indicate that mean germination across all crop types is at or above 89.9 per cent.
Although germination levels look quite favourable across all provincial crop districts and all crop types, testing of individual seed lots is still recommended prior to seeding in the spring of 2023.
Visit here for the full report.
