Physical purity of seeds
It is the percentage by weight of pure seeds of the crop variety in a seed lot, free from foreign matter, weed seeds, and damaged kernels.
Также говорят: seed purity, pure seed percentage
Physical purity is a fundamental quality parameter used to evaluate seed lots before they are certified for planting. It reflects the efficiency of the cleaning process and ensures that the farmer is paying for viable crop seeds rather than debris, chaff, or weed seeds.
Farmers and agronomists assess this parameter to calculate the precise seeding rate per hectare. High purity minimizes the risk of introducing weeds to the fields and ensures that the agricultural machinery operates smoothly without blockages caused by foreign materials.
Typical mistakes include skipping the secondary cleaning process after harvesting, which can cause significant contamination with hard-to-remove seeds. Poorly cleaned seed lots often lead to uneven plant density and may require additional manual or chemical labor to control weeds that germinate alongside the crop.