Last year the Official Seed Testing Station (OSTS) for Northern Ireland celebrated 100 years of service to the local industry.
Seed testing was one of the first technical services to be delivered to the agricultural industry after the creation of Northern Ireland.
A Seed testing function in NI was formally established by statute in February 1923. It was initially based in Stranmillis before moving to Elmwood Avenue, Belfast, before moving to its present location at Crossnacreevy in 1970 where it currently operates within the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI).
Seed is one of the most important of all the raw materials used in agriculture yet, depending on harvesting conditions and subsequent storage, its quality can be extremely variable. The assessment of both varietal authenticity and seed quality is extremely technical and it is impossible to determine from a visual examination of seed, which variety it represents or even if it is living or dead.
Farmers who purchase seed are seeking to exploit the full genetic potential of their chosen variety and so need some form of guarantee of quality. To ensure this, seed needs to be tested for purity (e.g. freedom from weeds) and germination to determine its capacity for satisfactory establishment.
The Official Seed Testing Station for Northern Ireland carries out all the necessary technical work to enable the local agricultural industry to obtain a steady supply of high-quality seed of proven varietal performance. It also operates formally in seed enforcement and provides an advisory, trouble-shooting service in cases where there may be dispute between a grower and a merchant.
History
In the early days, the testing of flax and oats formed the bulk of the work, while during the 1940’s and 1950’s, testing of perennial and Italian ryegrass seed predominated. In 1945, as Northern Ireland became one of the main producers and exporters of ryegrass seed worldwide, the number of seed samples tested annually at the Station rose to a peak of almost 22,000.
The methodology used for testing for seed analytical purity, germination, and freedom from weed seeds, has been based on International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) protocols, since 1924.
Certified Seed- It is important to note that all the seed sold across the province by our local merchants will have been fully tested in both field and laboratory and certified under our statutory seeds marketing regulations before spring planting. While voluntary seed certification schemes operated for several crops in the post-war years, it was not until the passing of the 1964 Northern Ireland Plant Varieties and Seeds Order and the 1965 Northern Ireland Seeds Act, that the quality of varieties became formally underpinned by legislation.
The Seed Certification Scheme currently operating in Northern Ireland became fully compulsory in 1976 and since then it has been an offence to sell or offer for sale seed that has not been officially certified. The aim of this legislation is to provide a statutory guarantee of seed quality, certified as true to the variety.
All seed offered for sale across the EU, Northern Ireland and UK must meet the standards detailed below.
| STANDARD | ANALYTICAL PURITY | GERMINATION |
| Minimum | At least 98% | Min 85% |
| Higher Voluntary Standard (HVS) | At least 99% | Min 85% |
Under our current (2016) Seed Marketing Regulations, statutory seed testing, including enforcement work ensures full compliance with these standards.
Identical standards for varietal purity, weed seed content, germination and seed health apply throughout the EU. In Northern Ireland certified seed production has more stringent control over the presence of wild oats. Wild oats have no economic value. They are highly competitive and when left uncontrolled can reduce yield. Wild oats act as a host for a number of important cereal diseases/pests including cereal cyst nematode. The former Department of Agriculture secured a derogation from Brussels to apply a higher nil standard for the presence of wild oats for both locally grown and imported seed at the time of our entry into the EU, which has remained in force. This higher standard was also applied in the Republic of Ireland and has since also been adopted by several newer EU member states where there are similar concerns about the spread of wild oats. This higher standard ensures that farmers and growers are able to purchase officially inspected seed produced in NI with “freedom of Wild Oats”. Additionally, HVS seed has standards for sterile brome grass (Bromus sterilis) and couch grass (Elymus repens). Black grass (Alopecurus mysuroides) has the potential to be problematic, as it is a highly invasive grassweed, one plant can produce up to 6,000 seeds and has known resistance to herbicide. Staff at the Official Seed Testing Station at Crossnacreevy are trained to identity blackgrass seed and advise the grower of its presence in submitted samples.
The requirement of the Seed Certification Schemes applies only to seed intended for marketing and farmers are free to save and sow their own seed, but not to offer this seed for sale. It is important to remember that farm-saved seed should only be sown when there are no wild oats present. Farm saved seed tests (in advisory capacity) are also carried out at the Station on samples submitted by farmers for sowing on their own farms. To assist in deciding whether to use farm saved seed, seed analysts strongly encourage farmers to have any seed which might be intended for sowing on their own farms, tested for germination and freedom from weed seeds, especially wild oats.
To avail of this service, a 3kg sample (the sample should be a true representative sample that is it is taken from different areas in the stored seed) should be sent or delivered to the Official Seed Testing Station, 50 Houston Road, Crossnacreevy, Belfast BT6 9SH or directly to their local DAERA office. Year of harvest or any old label details along with the fee (£25 inclusive of VAT) should be provided along with your name, address and contact number.
In 2024 almost 101 years on from its early beginnings within Northern Ireland, seed testing remains as fundamental to seed and variety quality as ever. The Northern Ireland Official Seed Testing Station at AFBI Crossnacreevy continues to work to ensure that all the seed used by the local industry realises its full potential to produce healthy weed-free crops.
Notes to editors:
AFBI’s Vision is “Scientific excellence delivering impactful and sustainable outcomes for society, economy and the natural environment”.
AFBI’s Purpose is “To deliver trusted, independent research, statutory and surveillance science and expert advice that addresses local and global challenges, informs government policy and industry decision making, and underpins a sustainable agri-food industry and the natural and marine environments”.
AFBI’s core areas:
- Leading improvements in the agri-food industry to enhance its sustainability.
- Protecting animal, plant and human health.
- Enhancing the natural and marine environment.
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