Jinan County Offers Free Germination Rate Testing for Self-Harvested Rice Seeds

Testing Available Until April Next Year
Results Available in 7 to 10 Days

Jinan County in North Jeolla Province will offer free germination rate testing for self-harvested rice seeds next year to help local farmers prepare smoothly for the farming season.

Jinan County Office Exterior. Provided by Jinan County

According to the county on December 30, this free testing is being implemented for the first time, recognizing that securing high-quality seeds is the most important factor in rice farming.

The county plans to conduct germination rate tests until April, before rice seed sowing begins, due to concerns about poor germination as more farmers are expected to use self-harvested seeds next year following a decrease in the supply of government-distributed seeds.

Germination rate testing involves sprouting the seeds to measure the proportion of healthy seedlings. For government-distributed seeds, only those with a germination rate of 85% or higher can be used as seed rice.

Farmers wishing to have their seeds tested should submit a 500g sample of rice seeds (equivalent to three paper cups) and an application form to the Crop Resources Team at the Jinan County Agricultural Technology Center. Each test result is derived from four repeated experiments. The testing period takes about 7 to 10 days, but may be extended if there are a large number of applications.

No Geumseon, Director of the Jinan County Agricultural Technology Center, said, "If you plan to use self-harvested seeds, please make sure to check their germination rate."