OSU Seed Laboratory

Technical Brochures

Expands its Seed Testing Services to Nurseries and Native Species

The OSU Seed Laboratory has been serving the seed industry since 1909 with emphasis on field crops, grass seeds, tree and shrub seeds, vegetables and many other species. The broad experience of the OSU Seed Lab in testing a wide variety of seeds generates testing service requests for new species and applications from many Oregon customers and other states as well.

The OSU Seed Lab’s State-of-the-Art facility and staff of highly qualified seed analysts provide quality testing and research services for many seeds, including native species. The capacity of the lab is not fully utilized between January and June of each year, so we see an opportunity to expand our services to the nursery industry, tree and shrub growers, etc., particularly during this period.

Many landscaping and native species require highly specialized knowledge, methods and tools to determine their quality level. Both producers and users of these seeds need reliable information about key seed quality attributes such as physical and genetic purity, viability, and/or germinability to make sound technical and business decisions. Testing the seeds can provide answers to important questions such as:

- Are the seeds viable? Will they germinate?

- Can germination be accelerated?

- Are they dormant? Can dormancy be broken?

- Can seed vigor be determined and/or enhanced?

- Are embryos fully developed? Is insect or mechanical damage present in the seeds?

To answer such questions and others regarding the quality of seeds, we use the expertise of our specialized personnel and the advanced techniques available in our lab such as densitometric separations, high vision purity stations, flow cytometer, viability by TZ, vernalization chambers to break dormancy, X-ray technology, and other techniques.

Seed Testing Services available in the OSU Seed Lab

Purity testing: Verify the kind of seed, and determine seed lot contaminants including weed seed, other crop seed, and inert matter. We have a range of magnification levels to evaluate seeds as small as Juncus seeds or smaller.
Small lot Cleaning and Special Upgrading: Seeds of many ornamental and native species are not the typical easy-to-clean wheat or soybeans. Our lab often receives samples with high amounts of inert matter (extraneous particles other than seeds). The Lab can provide a specialized service to remove contaminants, or to up-grade seed performance and uniformity by removing poor quality seeds. The quantity to be cleaned would depend on the kind of seed.
Viability by TZ and germination testing: In addition to a full range of standard germination tests, the OSU Seed Lab also provides a fast, biochemical test, widely known as TZ test to determine seed viability in 24-48 hrs regardless the dormancy level of the seeds.
X-Ray: Although some seeds may look perfect on the outside, they may contain an immature embryo, or insect damage, or mechanical injury. The x-ray test can quickly detect internal abnormalities in seeds and provide useful information about the quality of the seeds.
Dormancy breaking treatments: In some dormant seeds, germinating under one prescribed condition to break the dormancy does not always achieve maximum germination percentage. To overcome this problem, the lab can provide multiple treatments to break the dormancy and promote faster germination. Such treatments include stratification for different lengths of time, scarification, gibberellic acid_,etc.
Germination Enhancement: In the growing nursery industry utilizing highly valuable greenhouse space, slow germination and seedling growth are economic detriments. The OSU Seed Laboratory can provide research and services to stimulate germination by various methods, select those seeds/seedlings that do germinate, and supply the customer with uniformly germinated seedlings ready to be placed in the greenhouse.
Determination of ploidy level: The OSU Seed Lab uses the flow cytometer technology to determine the ploidy level (chromosome number) of different species. The ploidy level is determined by measuring the nuclear DNA content of plant cells. It is used to readily distinguish tetraploid from diploid ryegrass varieties, and may offer uses for other applications.