Canola growers who do not take the time to check the vigour of their canola seed this spring are gambling with profitability, says Doug Moisey, Canola Council of Canada agronomist for southern Alberta.
Ensuring seed has good vigour will get the crop off to a good start and help it to better compete with pests.
Under poor spring growing conditions, it will often yield and perform better than seed with poor seed vigour.
Although time is quickly running out to assess seed vigour before seeding begins, Moisey advised farmers not to buy or plant seed until they have the following information:
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- Seed grade, variety and seed lot number, printed on the blue seed tag for bagged seed, and on the bulk pedigreed seed certificate for bulk seed.
- The year the seed was grown and when it was treated. The longer that treated seed is stored, the greater the potential for reduced seed vigour.
- The germination percentage on day seven of the germination test and a four- or five-day reading, if possible. High vigour Brassica napus seed lots will reach 90 percent germination in five days, and high vigour B. rapa seed lots will reach 90 percent in four days.
- The date of the last germination test. It is best if done within three to four months. Was it done on treated or untreated seed.
- Type of vigour test performed, the duration of the test and the temperature at which the test was conducted. Contact the seed lab to determine if a pre-chill test was done, and find out the score and how it relates to potential seedling vigour. Prechill tests use a potting soil and sand mixture to evaluate the vigour of treated seed.
Germination of treated seed is consistently higher in prechill tests than in the germination test conducted on a blotter. Vigour ratings are also more reproducible in the prechill tests than in the germination test.
- Chlorophyll or green seed count. High quality seed is usually mature, well filled and has a low chlorophyll or green seed count.
- If buying blended seed, determine when individual lots were grown and treated and the results of the latest germination test.
- The 1,000 kernel weight. If there’s a choice between seed from two or more lots of the same variety, the larger seed lot is preferable, assuming other characteristics are equal, such as germination.
“The two key points to remember when buying seed are to ask for the results of the germination test at five days and the results of the prechill test for treated seed,” Moisey said.
More information on seed vigour is provided in the Canola Council’s fact sheets Using Canola Seed Vigour Tests and Factors that Affect Canola Germination, Seed and Seedling Vigour. They are available on the Canola Council website at www.canola-council.org/production/, clicking on publications.
Farmers can also contact a Canola Council of Canada agronomist or phone 204-982-2100.
