United Kingdom Information Product Development Technical Reference Sugar Beet Seed Production Seed Processing Pre-cleaning and Cleaning

Pre-cleaning and Cleaning

Directly after harvesting (July to August), the seed is pre-cleaned in the production region (Italy and France). If necessary, it is carefully dried down to a humidity of below 10 %, and stored.



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During pre-cleaning, coarse impurities like straw and leaves, and over- or undersized seed are separated. A representative sample of every production lot is taken, which undergoes extensive quality controls. Not only germination capacity, germination velocity and vigour are tested; marker analyses are also carried out to check the variety’s identity and purity to ensure it offers all the varietal characters and resistances required for cultivation.

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After having classified the seed according to their quality, each seed lot is specifically cleaned. At the end of the process, more than 92 % of the seed contain a viable germ and have a purity of at least 99 %. Only 60 % of the quantities harvested are then transported to Einbeck for subsequent preparation.