Priming

The term priming is used to commonly describe all seed pre-sowing hydration methodologies.

Germains priming technologies use hydration treatments to regulate the germination process by manipulating temperature, seed moisture content, and duration. In addition some species benefit from treatment under light of appropriate wavelengths. Usually seeds are dried back prior to further treatment.

It is important to know how to optimise the priming for an individual seed lot. Differences between lots can be more important than differences between cultivars.

Typical benefits from priming are:

  • Increase in speed of germination
  • More uniform germination and development
  • Emergence over all seedbed environments
  • Wider temperature range for germination
  • Better crop stands

One practical drawback is that primed seeds often, but not always, deteriorate faster during storage. Due to Germains expertise and experience, we offer a balance of the most rapid germination and the longest shelf life.