b'PARTNER CONTENTPUTTING SEED IN THE HOT SEATGetting dormant seeds to reveal their secrets can give you an edge come 2020. Morgan Webb, Senior Seed Analyst, Seed CheckI LOVE GRITTY TVcop shows, specifically the scenes wherelamps at around 25 C for a week in an attempt to get the police get the obligatory bad guy into the interroga- those seeds to germinate.tion room and put him under one of those big hot lights.This test, combined with our traditional tests like pre-They grill him with questions in an attempt to get him tochill and tetrazolium testing, can get that dormant seed to confess or give them valuable information that will helpgerminate and, in effect, help us crack the case.them crack the case. What are some major benefits of having a seed testing Lately I feel a bit like a TV cop myself. Seed dormancylab break dormancy for you?has been a huge issue these past few months. Knowing Once dormancy is broken, we need to evaluate how many of the seeds in a seedlot are dormant giveswhether the seedlings will be normal once they germi-you important insight into exactly how viable that seednate.is. To get a dormant seed to wake up, we have to literally For pedigree growers, theres a magic number they put it under scrutiny and break that dormancy so it willmust hit in order for their seed to be graded appropriately. reveal its secrets to us. For example, durum wheat has to have 80% germination Seed dormancy is a natural process that allows seedsto be certified No. 1. Common wheat is 85%. Sometimes to overcome periods that are unfavourable for seedling5% dormancy can make all the difference.establishment. These conditions are often complex and Its important we recognize dormant seed and not comprise a number of factors including combinations ofconfuse it with dead seed. If you mistake dormant for temperature, light, water and more. In 2019, many areasdead and it does end up growing, you end up with too experienced a cool, wet harvestthe perfect storm tohigh a plant population.create dormant seeds.For seed growers it can make a difference when it Dormancy is often detected during germination test- comes to land useif theyre changing varieties, they ing. During germ testing, seeds are normally sorted intodont want something coming up from a year or two prior six categories: normal, abnormal, dead, fresh, hard. Freshand contaminating their varietal purity. Dormancy can and hard seed are categories of dormant seed. A seedmake a difference in the long run.analyst with skill can tell when seed is dormant instead ofWere seeing a lot of dormancy in wheat and 6-row dead. Dormancy can be tested for definitively and quicklybarleys. Weve never seen more dormancy in rye and through a tetrazolium chemical test. triticale than we have this year.So why do I feel like one of those TV cops grilling aWith the cool, wet harvests experienced across the suspect under a hot light? Were doing something newPrairies in 2019, its crucial to have a good seed lab test this year in an attempt to break seed dormancy and giveyour seed and get those bad guys to talk. It will make our clients the best possible idea of their seed qualityall the difference in 2020. going into 2020putting dormant seeds under heatFor more info visit seedcheck.net! JANUARY 2020 GERMINATION.CA 13'