Seed Viability and Viability Testing

Although the concept of seed viability is well blown, there may sometimes be disagreement and confusion as to its precise meaning. To most seed technologists and most people in the seed industry, viability means that a seed is capable of germinating and producing a “normal” seedling. Therefore, it is used synonymously with germination capacity. In this sense, a given seed is either viable or nonviable, depending on its ability to germinate and produce a normal seedling; thus, only seed lots representing populations of seeds may exhibit levels of viability.