Samples are inspected and prepared for storage in a laminar flow biological safety cabinet. Material being prepared for increase is surface sterilized and treated with a fungicide prior to shipment. Upon receipt of seed samples, information is verified with GRIN , NSSL serial numbers are assigned, germination cards and bar code labels are printed. Seed blowers such as this one remove all light material and chaff, leaving only the heavy seed. Viability assessment means testing the sample to determine how many seeds are alive.
Analysts assess viability using the germination and tetrazolium tests.
Analysts select appropriate conditions and plant a subsample of the pure seed on standard germination blotters or towels. The number of seeds tested is dependent on the size of the sample. Abnormalities and pathogen problems are assessed. Moisture content, viability, cleanout, and seed counts are tracked and results uploaded to GRIN . Seed of certain kinds of plants do not produce a plant that is genetically identical to the parent.