b'CSGA / SEEDGROWERS.CA / MECHANICAL PURITY STANDARDS HAVE EVOLVEDCAN SEED CLEANING TECHNOLOGYSAVE A SEED CROP?AT CSGA, we want to ensure that our standards and regulations are agile and reflect modern practices and technology. We launched a seed cleaning research pro-ject in 2021 to gather data to inform a review of CSGAs maximum impurity standards for mechanical impuritiesDUE TO IMPROVEMENTS IN SEED in cereals and small grains (Section 2) of Circular 6.Due to improvements in seed cleaning technology,CLEANING TECHNOLOGY, MORE more seed lots can be cleaned to meet the mechanicalSEED LOTS CAN BE CLEANED purity standards for the harvested seed set out in the Grade Tables of the Seeds Regulations. TO MEET THE MECHANICAL We invited growers to participate in the project if Mike Scheffel,their fields were demoted or declined pedigreed statusPURITY STANDARDS FOR THE CSGA Managingdue to mechanical impurities no more than six times Director, Policy andthe number of other crops permitted in the Circular 6HARVESTED SEED SET OUT Standards standards. For example, a barley field with up to 12 oatIN THE GRADE TABLES OF THE plants reported during inspection would be accepted as the standard is two oat plants for Certified status.SEEDS REGULATIONS.By cleaning their seed and providing third-party evi-dence that the mechanical impurities could be removed Mike Scheffeland that the seed met a pedigreed grade standard, CSGA would issue a crop certificate for that seed crop. There were 53 eligible fields for the project. Thirty-seven of those fields would typically have been declined certification, and 16 would have beenWHAT IS SEED PURITY?demoted from Foundation or Registered down to Certified seed. The most common issue in these fieldsMechanical purity is a measure of was oats in barley and vice versa, although other cerealthe proportion of other crop kinds combinations were also seen.and weeds in a seed lot.In evidence-based research, we need to explore the potential impact of allowing seed crops with greaterVarietal purity is a measure of the mechanical impurity levels to be certified beforeproportion of plants or seeds within proposing actual changes to our in-field mechanicala population that conform to the purity standards. Data on the quantity of seed cleaned,varietys official description. Plants the cleaning equipment used, and the registered seedor seeds of the same species which establishment used are being collected. The resultsdont conform to the varietys norm of this project will be presented to CSGAs Regulatoryare considered varietal impurities or Services Committee to help inform future standardoff-types.modernization.We look forward to reporting more results soon. 34GERMINATION.CAJANUARY 2022'