Seed health testing and seed certification

Abstract

Seeds are the basic input for crop production. Infected or contaminated seed is the primary source of inoculum for a large number of destructive diseases of important food, fodder and fibre crops. In this context, seed health tests have become a major component towards sustainable crop production and crop productivity. Apart from seed health testing, the seed certification for a crop comprises legal norms to be qualified for ensuring genetic identity, physical purity, germinability and freedom from seed-transmitted pathogens and weeds. Mainly different types of conventional methods followed by molecular methods are employed for seed health testing. Conventional methods include visual inspection of seeds, washing test, seed soak method and incubation methods, while serological assay and nucleic acid-based techniques are the most accurate and least time-consuming which comes under molecular method of seed health testing. The conventional methods are mostly based on interpretation of visual symptoms, culturing and laboratory identification. Thus, it is almost difficult to interpret results with hidden symptoms. However, among all techniques available, nucleic acid-based techniques are the most accurate and least time-consuming.