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| The Plant Board
Seed Laboratory is the Official Seed Laboratory for Arkansas. All
tests are conducted according to the rules and regulations established
by the Association
of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA). The Seed Division currently
has seven employees who have completed training and testing required
to be AOSA Certified Seed Analysts in either purity, germination or
both. There are three types of samples received by the Seed Lab: Certified,
Non-Certified, and Regulatory.
Certified Seed Samples:
Certified Seed is seed that
has been produced in accordance with the high standards and regulations
outlined in Circular 15: Official Standards for Seed Certification
in Arkansas. The Seed Lab checks these samples for Kind, variety,
weed seed, other crop, inert and noxious weeds. Besides the physical
purity, where the seed is checked for characteristics of the variety
such as size, shape, and/or hilum color, several other tests are
conducted to help confirm variety. These tests include grow-outs
such as the hypocotyl test on soybeans and coleoptile test for wheat;
chemical tests such as for soybean peroxidase reactions; and fluorescence
tests for oats. The certified grade applied for and kind of seed
determines the amount of seed analyzed for purity (See Chart
Below). The germination tests are conducted on 400 randomly
selected seed from each sample on both certified and non-certified
seed.
Certified Seed is known for its high
quality, therefore a complete analysis (purity and germ) is
only conducted on cleaned seed. Uncleaned seed may be sampled
by an inspector for germ, varietal purity, noxious weeds and moisture
as an aid in making conditioning decisions, but purity percentages
and certified grades will not be given.
Non-Certified Seed Service Samples:
These are Service samples
that are submitted by the seedsman/farmer that have not been applied
on, or do not meet the requirements, for certified seed. The Seed
Lab checks these samples for kind, weed seed, other crop, inert,
and noxious weeds. A 100 gram portion of samples of soybeans,
rice, and small grains that the sender designates as a particular
variety will also be checked for seed characteristics, and this
will be reported as percent other crop. This information is
recorded under Seed Characteristics on the middle part of the analysis
form. If more complete information is needed for use in labeling
the percent other crop on a non-certified seed lot with variety
stated, the farmer/seedsman may request a Seed Characteristics Exam.
This exam is conducted on a pound of the seed and provides a better
indication if other varieties or off types are present.
Non-Certified seed samples may be drawn
from either cleaned or uncleaned seed by the farmer/seedsman. Remember,
however, the lab analysis is only as good as the sample! So try
to get a sample that is representative of the lot. (If the Plant
Board is to print analysis labels, the sample must be drawn by a
Plant Board Inspector from cleaned, bagged seed and variety information
must be supplied.)
Comparison Of Tests Conducted And
Amount Of Seed Analyzed:
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Kind
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Non-Certified
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Certified
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Foundation
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Registered
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Blue-Tag
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SOYBEANS
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1 # C,W,N
100 gram SEED CH.
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3 # V,C,W,N, HYP
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1 # V,C,W, HYP
3 # N
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1 # V,C,W
2 # N
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RICE
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50 g C,W, SEED CH.
1 # N
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1 # V,C,W
4 # N
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1 # V,C,W
4 # N
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1 # V,C,W
4 # N
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WHEAT
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100 g C,W, SEED CH.
1 # N
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1 # V,C,W,N
COL,
PHN
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1 # V,C,W,N
COL,
PHN
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1 # V,C,W,N
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LEGEND: C=CROP, N=NOXIOUS WEEDS,
V=VARIETY, W=WEED SEED, SEED CH=SEED CHARACTERISTICS EXAM,
HYP=400 SEED HYPOCOTYL TEST, COL=100 SEED COLEOPTILE TEST, PHN=100
SEED PHENOL TEST
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Regulatory
Seed Samples:
Samples that are drawn by the
Plant Board from seed that has already been labeled and is in the
trade channels are called regulatory samples. The Seed Lab checks
these samples to determine if they are in tolerance with the analysis
on the label. The location where the seed was sampled receives a regulatory
analysis report stating they are in tolerance and also shows what
contaminants were found (major crops only-soybeans, rice, wheat, oats).
If the analysis is not in tolerance with the label, a stop-sale will
be issued to prevent the seed from being sold until it has been brought
into compliance with the lab’s findings, or released for return
to the manufacturer. The seedsman on the label is responsible for
relabeling the seed or for its proper disposal. Stop sale notices
are also issued by Plant Board Inspectors for technical violations
such as failure to secure an Arkansas Seed Dealer’s license,
or insufficient information on the label. All stop-sale notices must
have a written release issued by the inspector after appropriate measures
are taken to correct the violation.
Records are kept for each company/individual
whose name appears on the label of regulatory samples submitted
to the lab. The Seed Committee of the Plant Board reviews these
records each year.
The Federal Seed Act regulates seed
in interstate commerce, requiring proper labeling and prohibiting
misrepresentation of seed transported from one state to another.
By agreement between Federal and State authorities, randomly selected
regulatory seed samples of interstate shipments are sent to the
USDA Federal Seed Laboratory to be grown in varietal test plots.
If samples are found to be mislabeled as to variety, investigations
are made to determine who is responsible for the mislabeling and
appropriate actions are taken.
We do encourage all farmers, especially
those that are planning to plant their own saved seed, to have it
cleaned and tested to determine the quality of the seed for planting,
and to help prevent the spread of weed seed, nematodes and other
diseases. For more information on Seed Quality, request Extension
Fact Sheet(s) 2019 and 2141 from your local Cooperative Extension
Service office.
For further explanations of any of
the information on Plant Board Laboratory Analyses or to request
a copy of the Regulations on the sale of Planting Seed (Cir. 10)
and Official Standards for Seed Certification
(Cir. 15), please contact the Plant Board Seed Division at (501)
225-1598.
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