Supporting a vibrant organic seed sector in British Columbia

KPU Seed Program

KPU Seed Program Objectives

Partner with British Columbia seed sector to foster the growth of the province’s organic seed industry
Provide research-based information and services to enable sustainable production practices
Develop seed quality assessment systems to improve quality and quantity of BC’s organic seed supply

Growing the Organic Seed Sector in BC

British Columbia has Canada’s largest market for organic and ecological seed, with $7.79 million in annual sales
BC seed producers are not meeting provincial demand for high-quality organic seed
The organic seed industry has potential to be a vibrant agricultural sector with appropriate support

KPU Seed Lab

Available to assist seed growers with testing and cleaning seed lots
Designed to enable seed growers to improve seed quality and production efficiency

Contact

Dr. Alex Lyon, 604-599-2574, seed@kpu.ca

Lab Equipment

Unconditioned Seed Dryer

Seed dryer

Small seed drums

Small seed drums
for small batches

Large seed drum

Larger seed drum
for larger batches

Seed Temperature and Relative Humidity Sensor

Temperature and Humidity Sensor

Temperature and Humidity Sensor

Seed Hand Screens
Image	Ideal for size separation of small batches of seed

Seed Screening Machines
Image	Screens can be stacked to create a sizing gradient

Air Separator
Image	Separation of chaff, dust, foreign materials, and very light seeds

Seed Density Separator
Image	Density grading of seed in liquid (water or other liquids with known osmotic potential) Separation of heavy and lights seeds Ideal for small seed lots

Elmor Seed Counter
Image	Vibratory bowl seed counter Seed diameters of 0.2 - 18 mm Counts up to 50,000 seeds per hour

Optical Seed Sorter
Image	Sorts seed by colour, shape, or size Sorts seeds as small as sesame or flax Sorts up to 4,000 lbs of seed per hour Vibratory feeder is ideal for smaller seeds and seed lots

Gravity Separator
Image	Separation of empty seeds, insect damaged seeds, stones, and other materials from seed

Growth Chambers
Image	Three multi-tiered growth chambers for testing seed germination and viability Control temperature, humidity, and day length

Project Support:

KPU Department of Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems

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Image		BC Knowledge Development Fund