Evaluating canola seed treatment seedling safety

The promise of a newly planted crop should be one of optimism, not worry, which is why growers invest in the early-season protection of canola seed treatments.

But before a seed treatment can be offered in the Canadian market, seedling testing must be completed in accordance with the standards outlined by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) rules.

These include procedures for evaluation of seeds and seed treatments involved in international trade, providing uniformity across the seed testing industry.

Assessing seedling safety

The standards call for seed treatments to be assessed using a germination test under normal growing conditions for seven days.

In canola, this test uses a sample size of 400 seeds, or 25 g, set in blotting paper where the lab technician can clearly compare the normal development from the abnormal and dead seeds. The results are compared to an untreated and treated check to make sure germination has not been reduced.

Depending on the normal storage life for a seed type, this same testing is repeated.

In canola, for example, testing is repeated several times over three years, because treated seed can be stored over multiple seasons.

Canola seedling safety matters

Seedling safety testing is ongoing at the Canadian Seedcare Institute and through partner labs. It covers all major crops and Seedcare products, including biological products recently added to the Syngenta product portfolio.

Syngenta performs a second test, called the vigor test, putting the seeds under less optimal crop-specific growing conditions. For canola, the treated seed is subject to a low temperature environment of 5 degrees Celsius for seven days, followed by a rapid and fluctuating warming for the next five days to replicate outdoor germination.

According to Abhi Deora, Head of the Canadian Seedcare Institute, seedling safety is one of the six service pillars allowing Syngenta to deliver value to customers beyond seed protection.

For this reason, Syngenta testing goes further to include the combination of products Canadian customers may use, even when Syngenta active ingredients are applied with products outside the company’s portfolio.

For Deora, this also means testing accounts for the diverse canola germplasm available in Canada, as well as new formulations and product use patterns customers use on farm.

“These extra efforts are necessary to ensure our customers have the highest quality experience with Syngenta seed treatments so they can growth their best crop,” he adds.