Seed Conditioning 107 - Seedborne Disease and Treatments

Seed conditioners process, handle and store seed. All these actions may influence the quality of the seed and therefore the conditioner may share in potential liability should the seed quality be compromised, contaminated or damaged during possession. Documenting the contents of seed received helps protect the conditioner from potential liability. Seed sampling should occur at multiple stages of receiving, processing and handling; it is important to select a representative sample of a seed lot. When a sample is created and viewed by conditioning personnel or sent to a testing laboratory the results obtained from the test are used to indicate the overall quality of the entire lot, make decisions as to what machinery should be used and eventually how to label the finished product. As a result, using a careful and representative method of sampling is required. This course is fourth in a series which will walk you through foundational concepts of seed conditioning.

The course is aimed at scientists involved in different aspects of seed conservation, therefore there are no minimum academic requirements for the course, although owing to course content, participants should be comfortable interpreting graphs, reading scientific papers and performing basic calculations.

As the course is delivered online, a reliable internet connection and basic IT skills are required for participation. Training on the use of the online training platform is provided.