Method Of Testing Seed

Seed health refers to the health status of a seed. Sowing healthy seeds of high quality is our concern to improve crop yields thus increasing food production. It has a great concern to farmers and seed producing agencies where the disease is high and average yields are low and where more food is needed to feed the ever-increasing population.

• RAG-DOLL OR ROLLED TOWEL METHOD – lay seeds in a moist cloth and roll the cloth with uniform folds. After some time , seeds will sprout. • DINNER PLATE OR BLOTTER METHOD – seeds are placed in a plate with wet sand and then covered with sheets of moist blotting paper or with another plate . • SEEDBOX METHOD – contains moist sand 12 cm. deep in which a given number of seeds are planted.PERCENTAGE OF GERMINATION – To find the percentage of germination of a particular seed , usethe rag-doll method of testing seeds.

• To calculate the Percentage of Germination , use the formula :

P.G. = GS / SS × 100
• In rolled towel test , 56 seeds germinated out of 125 seeds planted. Find the percentage of germination .

Solution : P.G. = 56 / 125 × 100 = 44.8

• The new seeding rate ( N.S.R.) is obtained by deviding the Recommended Seedling Rate (R.S.R ) by its percentage of germination. So NSR = R.S.R. / P.G. • If the percentage of germination is 45 % , find the new seedling rate of corn if its recommended seedling rate is 8 kg. per hectar.

Solution : N.S.R. = 8 kg. / 45 /100 = 17.78 kg. or ha.