While standard germination testing determines the maximum germination potential under ideal conditions, vigor testing seeks to answer questions about how the seed may actually perform in the field where conditions are seldom perfect and may be very stressful. Seed vigor testing is a category of procedures that look at the strength and uniformity a grower can expect to see a crop stand, or how a seed lot may perform under adverse conditions.
The AOSA Vigor Testing Handbook defines seed vigor as “the properties which determine the potential for rapid, uniform emergence and development of seedlings under a wide range of field conditions.”
The handbook provides vigor testing procedures for many important crop kinds. For kinds not included in the handbook (most vegetables, flowers, and herbs), we generally conduct either a temperature stress test (warm or cold) paired with a standard germination test, or a seedling classification evaluation in which the seedlings are classified as high vigor (normal, perfect), low vigor (normal, imperfect), or abnormal.
Vigor tests can be customized to simulate many different growing conditions. Please specify if you have a particular need for temperature or evaluation intervals, etc.