06. Seed processing

Seed quality control

The SESVanderHave seed quality laboratory evaluates seeds after harvest and after every step in the processing procedure. This way they assure the best quality of seeds, based on:

• germination
• vigour
• cold tolerance
• seed weight
• calibre
• moisture content
• size
• pesticide application

All data is stored in a central database with full traceability, and final quality is assessed using well-defined industry standards.

ESTA certificate

Thanks to these extensive quality control checks and the rigorous production process, SESVanderHave has obtained the prestigious ESTA label by the European Seed Association (Euroseeds) for quite some time now. The ESTA label doesn’t only stand for seed quality, but also for quality assurance, respecting qualitative processes, operator protection and environmental safety.

Read more about the ESTA certification.

Step 1: Pre-cleaning

Raw seed lots have sticks, weed seeds, sugar beet seeds that are too large or too small and other inert materials that need to be removed. After this removal process which we call “pre-cleaning”, the seed is shipped to the factories.

Step 2: Cleaning

When the seeds arrive at the factory, they need to go through another round of cleaning, to extract the best parts.

First, we blend all the octabins of one seed lot to ensure that the batch is as homogeneous as possible. During this cleaning, the remaining waste, such as small twigs, dried earth and foreign seeds, is removed. Seeds that are too small, too big or bigerm are then screened out. This way, we try to avoid empty patches in the field.

Sugar beet seed is very rough and irregular in shape and the seed coat or the so-called “pericarp” contains natural germination inhibitors. Some of the seeds are empty or have partially filled embryos.

The goal of the seed processing team is to remove the excess pericarp and germination inhibitors with specially designed polishers. Based on size and gravity the seeds are segregated and only the well-filled, normal sized seeds are collected.

Step 3: Priming

Priming means that the seeds are ‘pre-germinated’ to ensure faster and more homogeneous field germination.

When the seeds are primed, the germination process is set in motion. This germination process has to terminate just before ‘the point of no return’; in other words, the point at which the seed actually starts to germinate.

Priming offers a few advantages:

• The seeds emerge more quickly than unprimed seeds, even in extreme cold or drought.
• Priming also ensures more homogeneous emergence.
  • In other words, the beets will be more uniform in size, making lifting easier.
  • As all seeds emerge in a short time frame, seedlings and plantlets are similar in size, which results in a more efficient weed control.

Read more about primed seeds.

Step 4: Pelleting

High quality primed seed is still irregular in thickness and diameter, and requires a specialized pelleting process to create a standardized round product. Seed pelleting optimizes plantability and accurate seed spacing. Because each seed is unique, the pelleting process demands constant monitoring and adjustment by an operator. Pellets are screened so they are the correct size.

Step 5: Coating

The last seed processing step is coating, which involves applying a layer of requested fungicides or insecticides to the pelleted seeds to protect the variety’s yield potential. By applying them directly to the seeds, the total quantity of pesticides can be significantly reduced, which makes sugar beet growing more environmentally friendly. SESVanderHave’s iconic blue colour is now applied.

Why do sugar beet seeds get a coloured coating?

The coloured coating helps to assist in checking planting depth and seed spacing in the field during planting.
After the coating process, the seeds are dried to prevent germination, before being bulk-packed again in octabins.

Step 6: Packaging

When the sugar beet seeds have been processed, they can finally be weighed, packaged, and labelled. We have developed a label which contains all the necessary information, such as variety information, seed quality, seed size, any applied treatments, and other necessary seed industry information.

This is how SESVanderHave produces sugar beet seed that meets the specific needs of growers and the sugar industry, day in and day out. SESVanderHave has already brought hundreds of successful varieties to the market, and will continue to develop many more in the future!