Pocheon City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Baek Young-hyun) announced on the 6th that it will conduct germination rate tests on self-produced rice seeds from November to April 2025 in preparation for a possible reduction in the supply of government-distributed seeds due to abnormal climate conditions.
Pocheon City is conducting a germination rate test on self-harvested rice seeds. Photo by Pocheon City
Pocheon City supplies about 50-60% of the annual rice seed demand with government-distributed seeds. This year, it is expected that the supply of these seeds will decrease due to insufficient sunlight in July and high temperatures and rainfall during the ripening period from August to September.
Accordingly, the city plans to conduct germination rate tests on rice seeds to inspect the quality for farmers who intend to use self-produced seeds.
The germination rate test is conducted by sprouting the seeds and checking the proportion of normal seedlings that grow. According to government-distributed seed standards, seeds can only be used if the germination rate is 85% or higher.
Farmers wishing to have their seeds tested should submit three paper cups’ worth of seeds in a bag to the Plant Disease and Pest Comprehensive Diagnosis Room of the Food Crops Team at the Pocheon Agricultural Technology Center. The test takes about 7 to 10 days.
An official from the Pocheon Agricultural Technology Center said, “In a situation where the supply of government-distributed seeds is expected to decrease due to abnormal climate, many farms and communal nurseries are likely to use self-produced seeds. We ask for active participation in the germination rate test to verify the viability of seeds in advance and to accurately determine the sowing amount.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
