Many of the typical downgrading threats at harvest were a non-issue this year. There were no early frosts and very little rain to stain and sprout kernels. As such, much of the 2012 crop is testing very well with high germination rates and low weathering. The news is not all good, however, as extremely hot and dry weather did take its toll on the crop, sometimes in unexpected ways.
In this second episode of Under the Microscope, Holly Gelech, business development manager with Biovision Seed Labs, walks us through the trends the lab is seeing in regards to crop quality. Some of the downgrading factors, like fusarium infection, are higher than average and easy to test for and see. Other challenges, such as chemical damage or cracked seed coats in pulses is invisible, but very much a threat to next year’s seed crop.
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