Brought to you by 20/20 Seed Labs
Summer is grow time

20/20 Seed Labs Inc. is Canada’s first fully accredited, independently owned seed testing laboratory. Trusted by the agriculture industry since 1989, serving customers with labs in Alberta, Manitoba, and Chile.

We offer testing for domestic and international clients, seed and plant pathology, molecular diagnostics, and crop inspection. We are locally, nationally, and internationally accredited and certified and members of the following organizations: Seeds Canada, ISTA, SCST, CSGA, ISSS, SCC; ISO/ IEC 17025:2017, ISO 9001:2015. Follow us on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and at 2020seedlabs.ca.

Coming to a field near you this summer

Our team at 20/20 Seed Labs is a leader in new and improved technology. Our research team, crop inspection personnel, and disease diagnosticians are breaking new ground with exciting trials. Plant disease, in-field diagnostics, and full-service crop inspection programs are priorities for this summer. Take full advantage of our summer programs to get more out of your seeded acres. Our team of experts continues to “never stop growing” by listening and responding to your needs.

Field trials

Mechanical damage continues to be complicated for oilseed (soybean) and pulse crops (peas) across the Prairies. Understanding how mechanical damage affects the physiology of your seed is important in assessing how it will impact crop performance. It is caused when vulnerable seed is over or incorrectly handled. It is most prevalent in large pulse crops where cracks in the seed coat and tissue can cause uneven moisture uptake during germination. The result is rapid and damaging tissue swelling, causing some seeds to fatally split open during the early stages of germination. Slightly damaged seeds will perform less vigorously than undamaged seeds but may produce a mature plant under suitable conditions. Moderately damaged seeds can perform poorly in a lab test yet do well in the field. Severely damaged seeds will not grow.

To understand this phenomenon, our research team is now focusing on germination and vigour methods nationally and internationally that will provide more accurate results. Understanding seedling performance in the lab is critical to providing accurate information to the grower. That’s why we are partnering with Olds College this summer to showcase mechanical damage in field plots to help our growers better understand the field behaviour.

Join our team at AgSmart in Olds, Alberta, on July 30th and 31st, where we will explain how laboratory results correlate with the plant establishment. For the second year running, our soybean vigour methods will be showcased in Manitoba. Please join us for an on-farm demonstration. We will discuss seeding dates, seeding depth, soil temperature, and other factors and explain how our robust vigour methods have provided reliable seeding calculations.

Crop inspection

As seed analysts, we are often diagnosing field issues through the testing we do in the lab. Seedlings with certain types of damage may tell us there’s been a very hot and fast dry down, an early frost or even excessive rain. When our observations are combined with field experience, we can create a comprehensive quality assessment of the crop that goes beyond individual test values. Your seed has a story to tell – allow our seed technologists to translate.

We have been conducting crop inspections across the prairies for over 25 years. Through expanding our scope each year, we now offer inspections in Groups 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6, including Cereals, Pulses, Hybrid Canola and Mustard, Forages, Turf Grasses, Forage Legumes, and Specialty Crops (including industrial Hemp). We are authorized for all levels of pedigreed seed inspections, including Breeder, Select, Foundation and Probation plots in regions 9, 8, 7 and 6.

Plant disease and in-field diagnostics

Our disease diagnosticians are highly trained experts. We can diagnose plant diseases directly from plant tissue during the growing season. We can identify diseases in your field with a photo, through a Zoom or Teams meeting, or upon receipt of a sample.

Remaining on the cutting edge of agricultural technology, 20/20 Seed Labs will be testing a new in-field airborne disease diagnostic tool this summer. In-field diagnosis is the next step of agricultural science technology, and our research team is ready to use it in your fields. Watch for our social media channels and website as we progress with our next research and development projects.