Seed, Preparation of

the use of various methods for treating seed and testing its planting qualities before storage and sowing.

In preparation for storage, the seed is dried, cleaned, and graded. Before planting, the seed is air-heated, kept in the sunlight and subjected to chemical disinfection. To improve the nutrition of the plants, the seed is treated with trace elements, such as manganese, boron, molybdenum, and other salts. The seed of vegetable crops, sugar beet, and cereal grasses undergoes pelleting to promote their growth and for nutrient enrichment. The seed is soaked before sowing to accelerate sprouting. In order to obtain even and thick sprouts, the seed of certain crops, for example, coriander, is fermented before sowing. The seed of leguminous grasses is scarified to make it pervious to water. The slowly sprouting seed of certain medicinal plants, fruit plants, and trees is stratified. In arid regions, presowing conditioning is used for the seed of certain plants (seeHARDENING OF PLANTS).

Seed quality is checked by the state inspectors, who examine samples sent in by farms. Before storage, all the sowing qualities are inspected, and before sowing, the germinating rate of the seed is determined.