Felicity Pritchard, Regional Manager Grains South West
The quality of seed at sowing is a critical component of a crop's success.
Many crops in western Victoria were impacted by a dry finish and spring frosts last season, while in northern Victoria they were affected by rain during harvest.
Now is the time for farmers to run a germination test on seed retained from 2024, to ensure your new crop has the best possible start. Testing of retained seed allows you to assess the seed's viability and to adjust sowing rates.
Frost and drought can impact seedling vigour and germination, often by between 20–40%.
Ideally, weather (rain) damaged seed should not be used for sowing. If your seed contains shot grain from weather damage or poor storage, a germination test will help you alter your sowing rate according to the seed viability. It will also help you determine if you need to obtain alternative seed.
Seed kept for more than 2 seasons will generally have a lower germination percentage than fresh seed, as viability declines with age. In some cases, however, 2-year-old seed that has been stored well may be a better option than fresh seed of poor quality.
Home germination testing methods for cereals, pulses and canola are available on Agriculture Victoria's website.
Weather-damaged seed should ideally be tested in a laboratory for germination. Laboratories can also test for vigour, weed seeds and purity.
Some general rules of thumb to consider if using seed affected by frost, dry conditions or weather damage:
- If germination is 10% lower, sowing rates will need to be increased by 10% to attain a similar plant density.
- If only 5% of cereal grain is shot, the seed is likely to be suitable for sowing without a major adjustment to the sowing rate.
- If 10% of cereal grain is shot, the sowing rate should be increased by 10% and so on, up to a maximum of 20% shot grain.
Pulse and cereal seed are suitable for sowing if the germination is above 80%. Cereal seed with less than 70% germination should not be used for sowing. If the result is between 70–80%, germination should be tested in a laboratory. For canola, 85% germination is considered the minimum.
Grade your seed batch to remove the smaller seeds as larger seeds emerge faster and produce vigorous and more resilient seedlings. Remove any shrivelled or damaged seed, weed seeds, diseased seeds and any other impurities.
Be aware that some seed treatments can affect seedling emergence, especially when sown deep. If seed has already been stressed by frost or a dry season, it's best to choose a treatment that is 'soft' on the seed. A soft treatment is one that does not negatively affect germination or slow coleoptile or hypocotyl growth. The coleoptile is the sheath surrounding the first leaf of a cereal and the hypocotyl is the stem of an emerging canola plant.
A range of accredited laboratories provide germination, vigour and weed seed testing.
