Description
The 2023 updated AOSA Rules for Testing Seeds are now available. The Rules consists of four volumes, together these publications set the standard for seed testing in North America and are recognized internationally. The AOSA Rules are updated annually on October 1st and contain progressive techniques researched and developed by the expert members of AOSA and SCST.
Seed testing has been developed to aid agriculture in avoiding some of the hazards of crop production by furnishing needed information about seeds that are to be used for planting purposes. This information may be desired for the seed producer or seed dealer in connection with seed conditioning or merchandising; as a guide to the person who will plant the seed; or for seed control purposes. In all these cases the ultimate purpose of making the test is to determine the value of the seed for planting.
AOSA has developed, especially in connection with the enforcement of labeling laws, a standard analysis that furnishes information as to the composition of the seed sample and of the ability of the seed to produce plants. It is desirable to have definitions and fundamental procedures agreed upon that are based on a thorough knowledge of the principles involved. The Rules summarize and make useful the accumulated experience of seed analysts, and are to be followed as a matter of routine.
