What Make A Quality Seed

 

Selecting Quality Seed

Most seeds last for several years, however others have a relatively short life. How do you know if your seeds are still viable? When properly stored in a cool, dry place, seed’s shelf life can be extended. Yet, even then, there is no guarantee that they will still be productive for next season’s planting.  There are two easy tests you can take to check to see if there is life left in your old seeds.

Water test: Take your seeds and put them in a container of water. Let them sit for about 15 minutes. Then if the seeds sink, they are still viable; if they float, they most likely will not sprout. This method, in my opinion, is not the best way to check your seeds. For surer results, try performing a germination test.

Germination test: Take some of your seeds, preferably 10, and place them in a row on top of a damp paper towel. Fold over the paper towel and place in a zip-up plastic bag and seal it; this helps to keep the towel moist and protected. Then put in a warm location, like a high shelf or on top of the refrigerator, and check the seeds often—around once a day—to see if they have begun to germinate and/or to check the moisture of the paper towel. If it needs more water, carefully mist the towel to where it is damp, but be careful not to apply too much water.  Make sure the location you have chosen is away from exposure to direct sunlight. This can overheat your seeds.

Your seeds should begin to germinate in several days up to a couple of weeks, depending on the seed-type. A good rule of thumb is to wait roughly 10 days; however, if you want to give your seeds the best chance, research the germination time of your specific seeds. Once the allotted time has passed, check to see how many have germinated. If you placed 10 seeds on the paper towel, this will be pretty easy to calculate. If less than 5 seeds sprouted, your old packet may not have much success when it comes to planting. If more then 5 sprouted, than your seeds still have a lot of vigor left in them!

Selecting Quality Corn Seeds

• Importance of Selecting High Quality Seeds

The seed is the foundation of a good crop.  The use of high quality seeds is a must in the production of high quality corn especially for commercial grains.

Low quality seeds create production problems like low population density, non-uniformity of crop stages and harvesting problems.

• Guide to Seed Selection: Things to Remember

1. If you buy seeds, select certified seeds.  These seeds have high percentage of germination, viability and free from weed seeds and diseases.
2. If you get seeds from your harvest, select corn ears whose kernels are well-developed and free from pests and diseases.
3. Select seeds that are high yielding, early maturing, tolerant to pests and diseases and adapted to the climatic conditions of your area.

• Hybrid vs. OPV

Hybrid Corn

Hybrid corn is the first generation of a cross that involves two or more inbred lines.  These inbred lines are obtained within 5-7 generations of inbreeding.  You will note that yields of inbreds are greatly reduced because of inbreeding.

First generation hybrids yield 20-30% more than open-pollinated varietives (OPVs).  Superior plant vigor and productivity are observed only during the first generation of planting.

If harvested seeds (second generation seeds) are used for next planting, resulting harvest is expected to be 40-50% lower than previous crop yield.  Plants will also be less uniform in growth, height and maturity.

 

Open-Pollinated Varieties (OPVs)

Open-pollinated varieties (OPVs) of corn are grown over a long period and maintained by natural cross-pollination from generation to generation.

An OPV is usually distinguished from other varieties by its early maturity, color, shape of kernels and other agronomic characteristics.

In terms of yield, OPVs are more variable than hybrids.  However, unlike hybrids, seeds of OPVs can be used over and over without significantly reducing yield levels, provided their genetic purity is maintained.

Selecting Quality Cannabis Seeds and CBD Oil from CBD Isolate

You bought your cannabis seeds from our seedbank where we breed them every year for yield, potency and pest resistance, or you just picked a few seeds from a bag of marijuana you got from your friend. Anyway learn how to determine if the seeds are healthy.

Viable, healthy seeds can usually be spotted from their external appearance. A good seed will be well fleshed-out and not crinkled or cracked. Take some seeds into one hand and rub them between your palms. Good seeds with many benefits  will appear to be glossy and gray, gray-green or gray-brown in color and have a good weight with a fleshy appearance. To further test your seed quality, take the selected seeds you intend to plant and drop them into a pan or bowl with distilled water in it. The healthy seeds will usually have enough mass to cause them to sink (it is recommended that this test be performed just prior to planting because the seeds must be kept dry until ready to germinate).

Look at every seed for signs of immaturity meaning the color and patterns on the CBD Gummies  surface is blended, grey or greenish and the surface is too soft. Too young seeds are also smaller and much lighter than ripe ones and when dropped into the water, premature seeds will not drown, you will see them floating on the water surface.

If you want further deeper tests for viable seeds, take the matter beyond just the external examination. Several internal conditions will affect the ability of the seed to germinate and these are not detectable by the appearance and the water test methods. One reliable test according to CBD Oil King’s blog post on anxiety pen is to randomly select a few seeds from the batch that has a good appearance. Crack them open, smell and taste them. If they have a musty, oily taste, they are probably old seeds and are on the verge of going bad. If you notice any seeds which have a black appearance inside, then fermentation has begun to set in and there is very little chance that such seeds will germinate. Conversely, if they look pale and dusty inside then they are old and will have a low germination rate and produce feeble, sickly plants at best.

Perhaps the most reliable test, if you start your selection testing well in advance of planting time, is to simply germinate a small group of randomly selected seeds from those which appear healthy. This will give you a fairly accurate estimate of what to expect from your batch of selected seeds after planting, and will even give you pure seeds if you would like to make a home made vape. A germination percentage above 50% is considered excellent for seeds acquired on the streets. Professional marijuana seeds online providers proud themselves with germination ratio of 90% up to 100% and in most cases it is a true promise that will come true.

Of course, germination is the ultimate test, but remember it is not 100% sure, because if it is a grower who doesn’t know how to germinate seeds properly and damages them during germination, you will never know if you had quality seeds or not. That is why if you plan growing marijuana plants every year, and interested in checking out new genetic achievements, be sure to examine your seeds carefully.