Soybean seed lots evaluated by a large independent seed organization are running lower germination scores so far this year compared to the previous three seasons. Disease and insect damage appear to be the culprits. Ramifications range from potential difficulty locking in specific varieties early to the need to insist on seed treated with fungicides.

Alan Galbreth, CEO of the Indiana Crop Improvement Association, Lafayette, Ind., recently contacted Farm Progress to help spread the word about seed quality coming through his organization’s lab from the 2018 harvest.

Here is Indiana Prairie Farmer’s exclusive interview with Galbreth:

What germination scores are you seeing so far? The average is 86.4% on warm germination tests on about 4,000 lots tested to date. Lots are sent from seed producers who contract with us to do germination tests. Some lots were treated and some weren’t treated. Some were bin-run, which hadn’t been cleaned.

How does that compare with past years? Warm germination scores are considerably lower than during the past three seasons. We typically run 10,000 to 12,000 warm germination tests before the season concludes. Averages for the 2015, 2016 and 2017 harvest seasons were 95%, 93% and 91%, respectively. The bottom line is that over the past several years, warm germination scores have been running in the 90s, and this year they’re in the 80s.

The other important thing to note is that there’s a wide range in germination scores for the samples we’ve tested so far, all the way from 20% germination to 90%.

Why are you seeing lower germination scores this year? We believe it’s primarily due to soybeans infected with pod and stem blight, or phomopsis. Anthracnose is also a factor. We’re also seeing stinkbug damage in some lots. Diseases, especially pod and stem blight, can really wreck germination.

We’re seeing a fair amount of purple seed stain, but it really doesn’t affect germination. It also doesn’t transmit the disease to new seedlings.

Is this an isolated problem in certain areas? No. It appears widespread from Iowa though Illinois and Indiana and into Ohio. Very wet conditions in early September favored disease development.

What is the take-home message for growers? First, you will want to check seed germination tags or labels. You may be used to seeing germination scores in the low 90% range, but this year they may be in the mid-to-high-80% range. It may be necessary to adjust seeding rate to account for lower germination.

Second, check with your seedsman. There could be shortages of certain varieties if they were affected more than others. Third, it’s going to be a year when you will likely want seed treated with a fungicide.

Does fungicide improve gemination score? Yes. It may raise scores to a respectable level so seed can be sold and planted successfully. However, if lots are in the 40% germination range or lower, fungicide isn’t going to salvage it.

Are cold germination test scores at 50 degrees F much lower on this seed? No. Our warm scores so far are averaging 86.4% and cold scores at 86.1%. We believe colder temperatures slow down the disease, while it’s spreading rapidly in warmer conditions.