Author(s): Asfaw Berhanu
Seed quality is defined as a standard of excellence in certain characteristics and/or attributes that will determine the performance of the seed when sown or stored. Seed is the initial input and final output of every crop production system. However, not every production could produce seed because the seed is a living entity that requires special care and several management procedures to meet minimum quality standards. Areka Agricultural Seed Research’s team tests the quality of their seeds yearly, both in the field and laboratory, in the same manner, except for breeder seeds approved by the seed certification agency. The objective of this paper is to briefly review the early-generation seed quality status of wheat and tef in Areka Agricultural Research Center, South Agricultural Research Institute.
The results of the status of quality parameters like moisture content (%), purity (%), and germination (%) varied between 11.8–12.5%, 99.4%–99.9%, and 90–99% for wheat, and 10.8–11.2%, 99.2%–99.9%, and 80–95% for tef, respectively. For the three consecutive years (2019/20–2021/22), the moisture content (%) of all wheat and tef varieties and seed classes met Ethiopia’s minimum standard. For three consecutive years (2019/20-2021/22), the purity (%) of all Wheat and Tef varieties and seed classes met the Ethiopian purity minimum standard. The germination (%) of all wheat varieties and seed classes was higher than the national minimum germination standard, except for Shorima prebasic seed (71%), which did not meet the standard in 2019/20. All tef varieties and seed classes were higher than the national minimum germination standard, except DZ-Cr-37 pre-basic seed (61%), which did not meet the standard in 2019/20. The results from this review indicate that all the varieties and classes of seeds except Shorima Pre-basic and DZ-Cr-37 Pre-basic meet a national minimum standard of Ethiopia for the next EGS production. This shows the quality status of EGS improvement, which indicates that the supply of EGS has increased from time to time.
