Delaware News

Department Adds New Test Options and Increases Fees for Seed Lab

Department of Agriculture | News | Date Posted: Wednesday, December 13, 2023


wheat grains on a white background

DOVER, Del. (December 13, 2023) – The Delaware Department of Agriculture (DDA) announced beginning January 2, 2024, their seed laboratory will offer additional testing service options to assist producers. For the first time since 1999, DDA is increasing fees for services performed by the DDA Seed Lab.

Under 3 Del. C. § 1507, DDA’s Seed Lab can charge for seed testing services. The laboratory has not changed its fee structure in 24 years; however, the rising costs of testing supplies and equipment necessitated this increase.

The Plant Industries Section, which oversees the DDA Seed Laboratory, has added services, including Noxious Weed Count ($10/sample) and Cold Germination ($15/sample). In early 2024, the lab will add the Falling Number test, which helps identify flour quality by testing the enzymatic activity and structural integrity of starch chains in cereal crops. The Falling Numbers test will be $50/sample.

The following fee schedule will take effect on January 2, 2024, and be applied to each sample submitted:

 

2024 Seed Lab fees for germination, purity, and nozious weeds per sample for soybeans, corn, small grains, vegetables, grasses, grasses mixes, each components, and flowers, ornamentals, and herbs

 

For testing, one pound of seed should be submitted in a clean bag labeled with the type of seed and the date it was harvested. Samples are expected to be free of foreign matter, including debris and chaffing from the seed. Uncleaned samples and samples containing other grains will be subject to a cleaning fee of $30 per sample.

The Seed Lab also offers the following analyses:

  • Vomitoxin: $46/sample
  • Aflatoxin: $46/sample
  • Round-Up Tolerance: $20/sample
  • Seed Count (conditioned samples only): $10/sample

For additional details about these changes or submitting samples for testing, please contact the Delaware Department of Agriculture’s Seed Laboratory at 302-698-4590 or visit https://agriculture.delaware.gov/plant-industries.

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Department Adds New Test Options and Increases Fees for Seed Lab

Department of Agriculture | News | Date Posted: Wednesday, December 13, 2023


wheat grains on a white background

DOVER, Del. (December 13, 2023) – The Delaware Department of Agriculture (DDA) announced beginning January 2, 2024, their seed laboratory will offer additional testing service options to assist producers. For the first time since 1999, DDA is increasing fees for services performed by the DDA Seed Lab.

Under 3 Del. C. § 1507, DDA’s Seed Lab can charge for seed testing services. The laboratory has not changed its fee structure in 24 years; however, the rising costs of testing supplies and equipment necessitated this increase.

The Plant Industries Section, which oversees the DDA Seed Laboratory, has added services, including Noxious Weed Count ($10/sample) and Cold Germination ($15/sample). In early 2024, the lab will add the Falling Number test, which helps identify flour quality by testing the enzymatic activity and structural integrity of starch chains in cereal crops. The Falling Numbers test will be $50/sample.

The following fee schedule will take effect on January 2, 2024, and be applied to each sample submitted:

 

2024 Seed Lab fees for germination, purity, and nozious weeds per sample for soybeans, corn, small grains, vegetables, grasses, grasses mixes, each components, and flowers, ornamentals, and herbs

 

For testing, one pound of seed should be submitted in a clean bag labeled with the type of seed and the date it was harvested. Samples are expected to be free of foreign matter, including debris and chaffing from the seed. Uncleaned samples and samples containing other grains will be subject to a cleaning fee of $30 per sample.

The Seed Lab also offers the following analyses:

  • Vomitoxin: $46/sample
  • Aflatoxin: $46/sample
  • Round-Up Tolerance: $20/sample
  • Seed Count (conditioned samples only): $10/sample

For additional details about these changes or submitting samples for testing, please contact the Delaware Department of Agriculture’s Seed Laboratory at 302-698-4590 or visit https://agriculture.delaware.gov/plant-industries.

###

image_printPrint

Related Topics:  , , , , , , ,


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.