b'PARTNER CONTENTAll About Maturity and whyit Defined 2023By Morgan Webb, President, Seed CheckP lants can exhibit some intriguing responses to stress. The initial stress this year came in the form of heat and drought. Interestingly, some crops thrive in such conditions, particularly if they receive a bit of moisturelike soybean, corn and other long-season crops.This year, something unusual happened. Many plants began blooming again in July and August, not in the grand way they do in spring, but with small bursts of flowers. Its as if they were respond-ing uniquely to the quirks of this season.The resilience of plants always piques my interest. Let me share an example from my garden, of all places: I had a row of peas that the birds absolutely loved to snack on this year. They kept nib-bling away until I decided to protect them with a screen later in the season.To my surprise, despite the earlier stress, those peas bounced back. Even as late as September, they were just two inches tall, but they flourished, producing pods and flowers as if they were determined to overcome adversity.A similar phenomenon unfolded in many of our field crops. Initially stressed by challenging conditions, the plants seemed to have decided, Okay, we faced hardships earlier, but now that we have some rain, lets put energy into a second wave of growth.This second wave of growth leads to varying levels of maturity in a field. Having varying maturity levels within our crops can lead to some complications, especially when it comes to storing the harvested seeds. Varying levels of maturity can lead to some things to watch out for during storage, including:Moisture. Some seeds in the bins may be moister than othersSamples with close to 50% Fusarium graminearum are coming in to Seed due to this uneven maturity. This can potentially give rise toCheck Technologies this fall. Photo provided by Seed Checkstorage issues, as well as challenges related to the seeds overall maturity. 2024 promises to be an interesting one in terms of seed testing.Seed damage. This usually comes in the form of mechanicalIts still a bit too early to predict all the intricacies and challengesdamage the seed suffered during harvest. we might face, but the varying maturity levels within our fields have Dormancy. Late-forming seeds may exhibit high dormancy,added an extra layer of complexity to our endeavors, making 2024 meaning they wont sprout or germinate as readily, whilea year where adaptability and careful assessment will be key.the early-forming seeds might have no dormancy at all. ThisSadly, some regions never received much-needed rain and discrepancy in dormancy levels can create a puzzle when itsuffered from declared disasters. Yet, in areas that received rain comes to planting and seed management strategies. later in the season, were witnessing some truly remarkable and Disease. We have had many tests come back positive forunusual developments. Its a reminder of the remarkable adaptabil-fusarium this fallwe are having samples with close to 50%ity of nature and the surprises it has in store for us no matter how Fusarium graminearum, which is very undesirable. Levels ofadvanced technology becomes.infection are high. This fungal disease thrives in conditionsA seed lab can help you figure out and navigate these chal-of humidity and heat at the same time, meaning things canlenges, giving you valuable information regarding your seed quality quickly get out of hand in the field in infected seed is planted. and issues you might face during the 2024 season.NOVEMBER 2023GERMINATION.CA 13'