Seed purity of vegetables and herbs

摘要

Seed purity was examined during 1994-99 according to ISTA (International Seed Testing Association) standards in 2573 vegetables and herbs samples at the Institute for Applied Botany in Hamburg, Germany. Seed purity was above 99% in 86% of samples. Most samples (96.5%) matched the legal standard (German seed ordinance) for seed distribution. Herb samples, which are not included in the legal standard, also matched this standard. A high diversity of contaminating species was found, including 124 wildplants and 118 cultivated plants (42 flowers, 21 vegetables, 16 herbs, 12 grasses, 11 fodder plants, 9 clovers and 7 cereals). Chenopodium sp., Galium sp. and Daucus carota were the most frequent contaminants.