Benefits of Seed Testing and T.K.W.

Modern crop production is a diverse and challenging task. The most defining principle of successful crop production is quality seed. Do you know how good your seed is? It stands to reason that you can’t produce a high yielding crop if the seed you are using has poor germination and vigor. Of equal importance is 1000 kernel weight.

Seeds with poor germination will result in a poor crop stand. There are several different methods to test germination, the standard being a warm 7-day test. Vigor is a cold germination test developed to assess the seedling’s ability to withstand low temperature stress, which is a concern as we are seeding earlier each year. TKW simply is the weight of 1000 seeds. TKW can vary 40% in the same variety, which can affect the final plant population dramatically. Seeding the same bushels each year won’t mean you will always get the same plant population.

Using germination, vigor and TKW test results will save producers money. Increased seeding rates are often used to compensate for poorer germinating seed. This is not a good practice. It is better to purchase new seed with good germination, because poorly germinating grain usually has poor vigor and carries a higher chance of being diseased.

Germination can decrease over the winter, especially if the seed was green, frost damaged or mechanically damaged. Knowing your Germination, Vigor and TKW’s are key components in creating the optimal plant density to ensure a successful harvest this fall.

Terry Bonertz, Agri-Coach