Seed Today - Q1 2009 - (Page 30)

Testing Seed for Sale by Count In the past 25 years technical innovations have modernized agriculture beyond recognition. These innovations include genetic alteration of seeds and development of advanced, precise equipment for all phases of crop production. Precision seed planting has led to changes in the way seed is labeled and sold. Farmers need to know the number of seeds in a bag in order to figure the costs associated with seeding a field. Seed is the product of a natural, biological process and therefore is not uniform in size or weight. Differing weather conditions and genetics result in disparity in the size and weight of varieties of seed corn and soybeans. To compensate for these variabilities, many seed companies sell seed by seed count rather than by weight. Selling count provides farmers information they need to purchase a specific and accurate amount of seed to plant their fields. familiar with the procedure and to suggest modifications to the proposal before it became a permanent rule. In 2000, the final proposal was submitted by the Seed Count Committee and approved by the AOSA membership. Accurate Seed Count Components Research indicates that there are a number of factors that must be considered when conducting a seed count. First, a representative sample of at least 500 grams must be drawn according to the sampling intensity and procedures specified in the AOSA Rules for Testing Seeds. The automatic seed counter must be calibrated daily prior to use. Detailed directions for maintaining a calibration sample and calibration technique are included in the Rule. A purity analysis must be conducted on the sample so that only pure seed units will be counted. Specific pure seed unit definitions for corn and soybeans are described in the AOSA Rules. The Rule provides a calculation for determining the number of seeds per pound based on the sample analyzed. The final component of the Seed Count Rule provides tolerances for comparing results between laboratories or comparing the label against a regulatory laboratory test. Tolerances were established from the research gathered during the referee projects. Variation in size and weight dictates a two percent tolerance between laboratories for corn and a four percent tolerance for soybeans. The AOSA Seed Count Rule is the industry standard. It is also the standard used by seed regulatory officials to evaluate truth in labeling in the states that have adopted the AOSA Rules for Testing Seeds. There is clear, scientific evidence to support the procedures and tolerances included in the AOSA Rules for Testing Seeds. As more seed companies sell seed by seed count, the use of the AOSA seed count method by the industry and regulatory agencies will insure that the consumer is served and protected. Anita Hall SCST Executive Director and AOSA Executive Assistant www.seedtechnology.net www.aosaseed.com 607-256-3313/scst@twcny.rr.com Science-Based Rule Making Seed companies began selling seed by count in the mid-1990’s. In response, a number of Association of Official Seed Analysts, Inc. (AOSA) and Society of Commercial Seed Technologists (SCST) laboratories began offering seed count services. The addition of seed counts to seed bags and labels required development of a standardized testing procedure and appropriate tolerances. In 1995, AOSA appointed a committee to research and establish procedures for conducting seed counts. Dr. Richard Payne, USDA-AMS Seed Regulatory and Testing Branch Chief, chaired the committee. Committee members included commercial as well as regulatory analysts. The committee recognized that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) stipulates a maximum allowable variation in packages labeled by count of 1.5 percent. The seed industry felt that this was an unattainable standard for seed labeled by count as NIST tolerances address items where size and weight are precisely controlled in the manufacturing process. The committee conducted referee tests in 1996 through 1999. In 1998, the AOSA Board of Directors approved a tentative rule for seed counts to be included in the AOSA Rules for Testing Seeds. The tentative rule allowed analysts to become http://www.seedtechnology.net http://www.aosaseed.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Seed Today - Q1 2009

Seed Today - Q1 2009 Contents Editor’s Notes Tri-State Seed LLC Blue Mountain Seed, Inc. Clearwater Seed According to ASTA Risa DeMasi Crystal Fricker AOSCA AOSA/SCST Oxbo International Hamer LLC Perten Insturments Taylor Products BinMaster Level Controls Dean Cavey Farmer Suicides in India: A Social Concern Unrelated to Bt Cotton Ad Index

Seed Today - Q1 2009

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