Sampling

Abstract

Practically any health test of a seed lot is based on examination of a sample which usually is an extremely small portion of the seed lot. The procedures applied in drawing a representative sample and in dividing this into working samples for analysis are therefore fundamental in order to obtain uniform, accurate and reproducible results. The accumulated experience from practice and research has been laid down in the International Rules for Seed Testing (ISTA, 1966a, 1976). In drawing samples for seed health tests, these rules should be followed strictly. For details on sampling techniques, reference is made to the chapter on sampling of the rules. The following is a summary, partly in quotations, of this chapter.