What is Seed Dormancy?
Seed dormancy is defined as a state in which seeds are prevented from germinating even under environmental conditions normally favorable for germination. These conditions are a complex combination of water, light, temperature, gasses, mechanical restrictions, seed coats, and hormone structures. In the sprouting industry, dormancy is commonly referred to as a seed producing plants ability to withstand winter freezes. The more dormant or “Winter Hardy”, a seed producing plant is, the further north (in northern climates) it can grow and still survive the winter to come up the following season. Often Canadian alfalfa will carry a rating of 2 while Australian will carry a rating of 8 or 9. Below are the different ratings: 1 Very Dormant 2 Dormant 3 Moderately dormant 4-6 Categories of semi dormant and intermediate dormancy 7 Moderately non-dormant 8 Non-Dormant (moapa 69 for instance) 9 Very Non-Dormant (cuf 101) As a practical matter for sprout producers, more dormant seed is generally eas
