b'No, Your Seed Has NotBILL BILIGETUFORAGE BREEDER, CROP Gone to Sleep DEVELOPMENT CENTREbill.biligetu@usask.caagbio.usask.ca/cdcDORMANCY. Its a loaded word in the seed world.@usaskplscPeople often think dormant seed is simply asleep, waiting to come out of hibernation, like a bear. Why Forage Crops are It may look like its sleeping, but its not. Dormant seed is still alive and functioning. There are a number of factors that make dor- Becoming More Importantmancy something we all should be concerned with right now.Dormancy is complicated because thereI GREW UP IN Inner Mongolia on a livestock farm where my are several types, and it is often confusedfamily still grows a lot of forages. When I came to Canada I did with dead seed. A seed analyst has to knowso with the intention of breeding forages. My mentor, Bruce how to identify dormancy and how to overcomeCoulman, helped me realize my dream and just last year we it. Dormant seed is fresh seed that has not ger- were pleased to see our new hybrid bromegrass varietyAAC minated yet. These are seeds that remain firm atTorquejointly released by the Crop Development Centre and the end of the prescribed test period. The seedAAFC Saskatoon Research Centre.will have imbibed water and will appear veryI recently marked my sixth anniversary as a breeder at the plump and healthy. It will have a clean appear- Crop Development Centre (CDC). Our forage breeding program ance unlike a decayed seed, which is dead.goes back to 1922, when it was established by the University of Dormancy can mask other quality issuesSaskatchewans Field Husbandry Department. It was transferred to such as chemical damage and frost, both ofAAFCs Saskatchewan Research Centre, before being transferred which can be detrimental to germination.back to USask 15 years ago where it is now part of the CDC.Having an accurate germination value is impera- Thats almost 100 years of history. Forages have stood the test tive for field planting potential. of time despite not being considered cash crops. This program is Endogenous dormancy is the mostvery critical to western Canadian forage and the livestock indus-common form of dormancy. This is when atry. Almost all Canadian bromegrass, crested wheatgrass, and seed has an excess of a germination inhibitor suchintermediate wheatgrass varieties are from our program.as abscisic acid. This happens when the seed is notOur breeding program continues to make a name for itself physiologically mature and has high moisture con- as the need for salt tolerant crops becomes more important. As tent. Subjecting the seed to very cold conditionsweather extremes become more common, growers in many loca-will relieve this type of dormancy naturally. tions are looking for options as they deal with high soil salinity. Perhaps most importantly, dormancy speaksForages are perfect in this scenario. Forages known to have to the larger issue of seed longevity. After a toughhigh salinity tolerance include alfalfa, tall wheatgrass, hybrid harvest, seed may have degraded in storage.wheatgrass, slender wheatgrass, tall fescue and Russian wild rye. Dormancy can be mistaken for frost damage andOur breeding program is currently working to create salt vice-versa. Combine that with unpredictable springtolerant forage grasses like a hybrid wheatgrass we are cur-weather to come, and you have the perfect stormrently developing. A new variety will be coming in the next for problems to arise.few years.View our recent webinar at germination.ca/ Another big factor thats putting forages in the headlines is category/retail-roundtable for a full explanation ofthe rise of regenerative agriculture. Soil health is fundamen-this topic and insights on howtal to the principles of regenerative agriculture, and perennial to get your year off to theforage crops are crucial for improving soil nutrient levels, soil right start! texture and regenerating the microbiome.A healthy forage breeding community is also correlated with a healthy livestock industry, as quality forages lead to healthier SARAH FOSTER livestock and better animal-based products that become sought PRESIDENT AND SENIORafter on the world market.SEED ANALYST, Despite there being only a handful of publicly funded forage 20/20 SEED LABS breeders in Canada, I believe some of the best is yet to come Sarah@2020seedlabs.ca from our program and the wider forage breeding community in@Sarah2020labs general.2020seedlabs.ca42GERMINATION.CAMARCH 2020'