It’s in the tag

How do you know if the certified seeds you’re buying are authentic or fake?

Look at the certification tag and not the packaging to make sure that the seeds are of high quality and certified by the National Seed Quality Control Services (NSQCS), says Eden Gagelonia, National Seed Production Network coordinator. Farmers should not be confused by the color of the sacks or packaging materials because these do not indicate whether the seed passed the NSQCS standards, she added.

Certified seeds (CS) carry a blue tag. These are the ones that are sold by seed growers to local farmers.

"The tag is the assurance that the seeds were analyzed and went through laboratory procedures for certification. That’s why it is necessary to look for the tags because not all of the seeds, even those produced by some accredited seed growers, were submitted for analysis by the NSQCS," Gagelonia said.

The tag, according to Gagelonia, indicates the laboratory number, name of seed producer, and seed inspector. These pieces of information are very important for verification purposes especially when problems arise.

Researchers recommend the use of certified seeds among farmers because they are produced by trained seed growers. They have good survival rate and root anchorage, which leads to higher yields. It is advisable to buy CS every season but it is still safe to use it for another season provided these are properly rogued when planted.

There are many other seed classes certified by the NSQCS. Breeder seeds (BS) have white tags. These are produced by breeding institutions such as IRRI, UPLB, and PhilRice obtained from uniform panicles selected by plant breeders in the field and laboratory. The BS has the highest purity with 100-percent genetic/varietal and physical purity. It is used by breeding institutions only for foundation seed multiplication.

Seed purity is based on laboratory standards of NSQCS. Varietal purity means there are no other seed varieties mixed or included in the main seed variety while physical purity means there are no weeds and other seed varieties on the main seed variety.

From the BS, foundation seeds (FS) are produced. These carry a red tag and are produced by PhilRice branch stations and selected members of the R&D network and SeedNet.

According to NSQCS laboratory standards, the physical purity of FS is 99 percent while its varietal purity has a maximum of two grains per 500 grams allowable mixture of other seed varieties. FS are distributed to all members of the SeedNet and selected seed growers in any province for further multiplication.

Registered seeds (RS) are produced from FS and distributed to all accredited seed producers for mass production. The physical purity of RS is 98 percent while its varietal purity has a maximum of five grains per 500g mixture of other seed varieties.

Finally, the CS is produced from the RS. The physical purity of CS is 98 percent while its varietal purity has a maximum of 20 grains per 500g allowable mixture of other seed varieties.

The use of high quality seeds increases the potential of a rice plant to grow healthily and attain higher yields. To assure high quality seeds, buy from accredited seed growers or other reliable sources. Currently, there are 5,626 seed growers (4,096 for inbreds and 720 for hybrids) all over the country.

The next time you buy CS, don’t be deceived by the color of the sack. Moreover, buy RS from SeedNet members and CS from accredited seed growers and seed companies.

For inquiries, text your query to 09209111398. For Smart subscribers you may register to 700RICE or 7007423.