Course:

Advanced Plant & Soil Science

Lesson:

Reading Seed Tags

TEKS:

130.21 (c) (13) (8)

Developed By: Will Doss

Graduate Assistant

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education,

and Communications

Texas A&M University

Complimentary materials developed through the

Texas Education Agency

Educational Excellence project

Additional teaching materials may be found at the Educational Excellence project web site http://tea.im.tamu.edu

Reading Seed Tags

Incorporating into Advanced Plant and Soil Science Seed tags are generally located on a bag of seed used for field crops or turf. Contact information and the variety name are located on the tag as well as information about the purity of the seed. There should also be germination information, origin of the seed, date the seed was tested and the weight of the product. A seed tag can be a good discussion point for a high school advanced plant and soil science class.

Discussion related to information on tags: •

Germination Testing

•

Methods of Harvesting Seed

•

Seed Cleaning

•

Purpose of LOT #

•

Weeds in Crops

•

Seed Anatomy

•

Planting Rates

Today's Lesson Using the information presented, answer the questions for the incomplete seed tag. These questions are examples of ways to use STEM integration in the agriculture science classroom when discussing seeds. The first set of questions requires some math to explain the contents of a bag of seed. The second set of questions is an example of using STEM integration when discussing planting rates. Information to help answer the questions will also come from the incomplete seed tag. The second set of questions can be answered if time permits.

Reading Seed Tags Seed Company

The percent by weight

Contact Information

of seed that is the

Variety Name

named species.

The percent by weight that is other than the

Unique lot number

listed species, but is

used to trace the

not considered a weed.

Crop See.

(If over 5%, must be

origin of seeds.

12345 Farm Road Anywhere, TX 55555

listed by name)

The percent of pure seed that will

Texas Corn Variety

germinate in a The percent of

laboratory

lOT # 5555-A

material by weight

environment. PURE SEED: 97.78%

GERMINATION: 85%

OTHER CROP SEED: 0.01%

ORIGIN: TEXAS

weeds in the lot.

INERT MATTER: 2.21%

TEST DATE: 08/12

lists any weed in the

WEED SEED: 0.00%

NET WEIGHT: 50 lBS

that will not grow.

I

The percent of

State seed was grown.

Month and year seed

seed found by your

lot was tested for NOXIOUS WEEDS: NONE FOUND

state to be a problem

germination.

or prohibited. Net weight of seed Determined by multiplying the pure seed percentage by ­ the germination percentage.

I I

-

container. PURE LIVE SEED: 83.113 % AMS - ###

I

Agricultural Marketing Number given to each individual seed company.

Reading Seed Tags Use the incomplete seed tag to calculate the following numbers.

1. What is the percent pure seed in the seed bag?

2. What does percent pure seed represent?

3. How many pounds in the bag would be pure seed?

4. What is the pure live seed percentage?

5. What does a pure live seed percentage represent?

STEM Integration with Seeds

1. If a pound of corn seed has 2500 kernels, how many kernels are in a 50 pound bag?

2. How many of the kernels in the bag are pure live seed, using the information from the seed tag?

3. Given a 30,000 plant / acre corn population, how many bags of seed would be needed to plant 100 acres of corn? (Use information about pure live seed)

Incomplete Seed Tag

Crop Seed Company 12345 Farm Road Anywhere, TX 55555

Texas Corn Variety LOT # 5555-A PURE SEED: ????%

GERMINATION: 85%

OTHER CROP SEED: 0.03%

ORIGIN: TEXAS

INERT MATTER: 3.11%

TEST DATE: 08/12

WEED SEED: 0.00%

NET WEIGHT: 50 LBS

NOXIOUS WEEDS: NONE FOUND

PURE LIVE SEED: ????%

AMS - ###

Reading Seed Tags Key Use the incomplete seed tag to calculate the following numbers.

1. What is the percent pure seed in the seed bag?

0.03% Other Crop Seed + 3.11% Inert Matter + 0.00% Weed Seed Material

= 3.14% Other

=

100% - 3.14% Other Material 96.86% 2. What does percent pure seed represent?

The percentage by weight that is the named seed in the container. 3. How many pounds in the bag would be pure seed?

50 pounds X 96.86% Pure Seed = 48.43 pounds

4. What is the pure live seed percentage?

96.86% Pure Seed X 85% Germination

=82.331% Pure Live Seed

5. What does a pure live seed percentage represent?

Pure live seed takes seed germination into consideration and combines it with the pure seed percentage to give the percent of seeds that will actually sprout under ideal conditions.

STEM Integration with Seeds Key

1. If a pound of corn seed has 2500 kernels, how many kernels are in a 50 pound bag? . 2500 kernels/pound X 50 pounds/bag =125,000 kernels/bag

2. How many ofthe kernels in the bag are pure live seed, using the information from the seed tag?

125,000 kernels/bag X 82.331% pure live seed = 102,914 pure live kernels/bag

3. Given a 30,000 plant / acre corn population, how many bags of seed would be needed to plant 100 acres of corn? (Use information about pure live seed)

30,000 plants / acre X 100 acres

=3,000,000 plants

3,000,000 plants

= 29.15 bags : : : 30 bags 102,914 pure live seed/bag