Dr. Ahmed Ragab Mohamed

Department of General Sciences

College of Basic Education / Haditha - University of Anbar

Seed health means the extent of the presence of disease-causing organisms in seeds, as the seeds during their life period from planting until they are produced are encountered by many seed pests, which cause the loss of their value and low quality (seed quality) and a pest is any living organism that exists In the wrong place so that it is negatively reflected on the seeds such as insects, rodents, birds, viruses, fungi and bacteria, some of them are infected with seeds in agricultural fields or what they encounter after harvest during harvesting, transportation or in warehouses, in recent years it has become necessary to pay attention to the health status tests of seeds, especially With regard to insect, fungal, viral, bacterial or nematode infections, as they are one of the most important means of spreading some diseases, especially smut diseases, which cause a reduction in yields for many crops, as well as because they are a means for the spread of many insects. Agricultural workers have taken upon themselves to fight this fierce war with pests and are preparing for it. By all possible means to protect their products and ensure the survival and continuity of plant species on Earth.

The purpose of these tests is to identify the different diseases carried by seeds, whether fungal, bacterial or viral, as well as to identify the percentage of the number of insect infestations. These tests are carried out on a special sample taken from the sent sample for examination, and sometimes a special sample is sent from the sent sample to conduct these tests on it.

The seeds are examined outwardly (with the naked eye) by looking for warts of snake worms and masses of different germs in wheat, barley, corn, The seeds of the dodder are in alfalfa, and a microscope may be used if necessary, and the seed is broken in search of infections that cannot be known by the apparent examination.

Among the recognized ways to identify the type of infection in seeds or determine the extent of its damage, there are several ways, including:

1- Inspection of seed production fields at a time when it is easy to identify pests that infect plants in the field.

2- Direct examination using the naked eye or microscope.

3- Test the seeds impregnated with water.

4- Testing the organisms removed by washing.

5- A test using the sense of smell.

6- Test after incubation with blotting paper, sand or agar strips.

7- Test growing plants.

There are many reasons and justifications that make examining or testing the health status of seeds and identifying seed pests are important and necessary, and the most important of these reasons are:

1- Infected seeds cause the introduction of a new insect disease or pest that may be carried on or inside the seeds to uninfected areas, and this usually results from importing seeds.

2- Some infections may be invisible and appear after germination and growth, causing huge losses in production or reducing the commercial value of the crop and its unsuitability for agricultural or nutrition purposes due to corruption or damage to food compounds stored in seeds, in addition to the possibility of their transfer to other crops.

3- A test helps in evaluating the seedlings and identifying the weakness of germination in the field, which is reflected in the vegetation density or the field establishment of any crop.

4- Identifying the pathogens or insect pests before planting, in order to avoid the soil from pollution and not to transfer it to other successive crops during the agricultural cycle.

5- The quality of the seeds is affected by the infection on the surface of the seeds or inside them, and this is reflected on the quality and quantity of production.