ABSTRACT
What does seed quality mean? To many seed technologists, the answer to this question would be quite straightforward-seed quality is defined primarily by purity, germination, and freedom from disease. However, there are good reasons for believing that the scope of the definition will need to be extended over the next few years to include, among other things, varietal (cultivar) identity and purity. The increasing involvement of private companies in plant breeding and the necessity for these companies to be rewarded financially for their investment, mean that there will be a growing need for better and more precise varietal description and protection, through various plant breeders rights and related schemes. In addition, seed certification, which forms a link between variety registration and seed production, involves an assessment of both varietal identity and purity to assure the quality of seed marketed to the farmer or grower. Finally, the ultimate consumers of the harvested seed also often need to be certain that they are purchasing the correct variety, particularly if the grain is to be used for mechanized processing (bread making, for instance). It is thus clearly important from many points of view to be able to distinguish between and identify crop varieties.
