Each year, the Saskatchewan pulse and cereal commissions partner with commercial seed testing laboratories to complete an annual survey of seed-borne pathogens measured on seeds grown in Saskatchewan during the previous season. All labs that offer seed testing services to Saskatchewan growers are invited to participate in the annual survey, with results reported anonymously and amalgamated by crop district from all participating labs.

Interim seed quality data, collected from harvest through the end of December/early January, are summarized and communicated to growers, agronomists, researchers, and industry during the winter months, ahead of the next crop season. These interim results provide insights into seed quality trends and identify potential hotspots for seed-borne pathogens across the province. A final summary of results, including data from seed samples analyzed after the interim results, is reported at the end of May. This final summary is submitted for publication in the Canadian Phytopathological Society Canadian Plant Disease Surveys. This publication of the provincial survey provides a record of seed-borne pathogen trends in pulse and cereal crops and allows for continued tracking of diseases over time. This document is intended to summarize the results to provide trends in the province and crop districts. These results should not be used without testing, and extra caution should be exercised when interpreting results based on very few samples. Sample size is indicated for each crop district on the maps. For the 2025 interim report, data from 1,714 harvested seed samples were submitted, of which 730 were from pulses and 984 from cereals.   

Acknowledgments  

The provincial seed survey would not be possible without the participation of 20/20 Seed Labs Inc., Discovery Seed Labs, Prairie Diagnostic Seed Labs, and SGS Canada. Lendon Seed Labs also participates in the survey but shares only the final results. Thank you to all lab partners for their continued effort and support of this project. Brian Olson, an independent contractor, is also gratefully acknowledged for his coordination of the seed quality survey and for summarizing the results. A special thanks is also extended to Dr. Randy Kutcher and Dr. Sabine Banniza from the University of Saskatchewan for their external review and pathology expertise. External review efforts of Dr. Alireza Akhavan, Provincial Plant Disease Specialist and Dale Risula, Provincial Pulse and Forage Crops Specialist, of the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture (SMA) are also recognized with an extra note of appreciation to Dr. Alireza Akhavan and the SMA Geomatics team for creating the seed-borne pathogen and germination maps by crop district.  

Thank You to our 2025 Interim Results Lab Partners

Germination Results 

Per cent germination levels were documented during the 2025 provincial seed survey, with interim results showing similar trends to 2024 across several crops. Notably, chickpea, durum, and oat germination each decreased by 1% or greater compared to 2024, while peas were the only crop to show an increase of greater than 1%. The mean germination across all crop types was 92.0%, down from 94.9% in 2024, largely due to declines in chickpea and durum germination. 

Although germination levels are generally favourable across many crop districts and crop types, some areas and crops have shown concerningly low germination in samples tested this winter. In these cases, sourcing seed with higher germination is recommended. Testing individual seed lots prior to seeding in spring 2026 remains strongly advised. 

Pulse Pathogen Results 

The interim plate test results for seedborne pathogens in lentil, field pea, and chickpea samples show a notable decline in the proportion of pathogen-free seed across nearly all pathogen–crop combinations compared to 2024, accompanied in many cases by increased mean infection levels. Overall, the 2025 interim data indicate broader declines in pathogen-free seed and modest increases in infection levels across pulses relative to 2024, highlighting the importance of continued testing and monitoring of seed lots prior to the 2026 planting season. 

• Greater than 90% of lentil samples were free of seed-borne pathogens; samples that did have detectable levels of Ascochyta, Anthracnose, Sclerotinia, or Botrytis had a mean infection level that did not exceed 0.7%. 
• Seed-borne Anthracnose levels in lentils increased in 2025 by 19.2% while mean infection decreased by 0.2% from 2024 levels. 
• Seed-borne Botrytis was detected on 9.8% of lentil and 8.6% of field pea samples.  
• Seed-borne Ascochyta was detected on 63.6% of field pea samples, but mean infection levels (2.3%) were well below critical threshold levels.  
• 27.6% of chickpea samples had detectable levels of seed-borne Ascochyta in 2025, a 12.4% increase from 2024 levels. The mean infection level increased to 1.1%, above the critical threshold 0.3% for seed-borne chickpea Ascochyta. 
• Seed-borne chickpea Sclerotinia and Botrytis were detected at 25.5% and 19.8%, respectively.  

The distribution of submitted samples and of crop districts reporting seed-borne pathogens varies across the province. Although the maps created by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture can help identify areas of lower risk of seed-borne disease, testing of individual seed lots is still recommended. 

¹Mean infection level of samples with disease 

Cereal Pathogen Results 

The interim plate test results for seed-borne pathogens in barley, durum, oat, and wheat point to a broader decline in pathogen-free lots compared with 2024 for most pathogen–crop combinations. Barley and durum show the clearest deterioration, with fewer pathogen-free lots and higher infection levels for both Fusarium graminearum and total Fusarium spp. relative to 2024. Overall, the 2025 interim data indicate broad declines in pathogen-free seed variability in infection levels across cereals relative to 2024, highlighting the importance of continued testing and monitoring of seed lots prior to the 2026 planting season. 

• F. graminearum was detected on 56.8% of durum, 31.0% of oat, 22.8% of wheat, and 42.7% of barley samples; mean infection levels were 2.0% or lower for all cereal samples. 
• The highest percentage of total Fusarium spp.-free samples was in wheat (16.8%), followed by durum and barley (10.2% and 9.0%); wheat and durum had the lowest mean infection levels of total Fusarium spp., 2.9% and 5.8%, respectively.  
• Most oat samples (97.0%) had detectable levels of total Fusarium spp., with a mean infection level of 6.5%, which is lower than the 9.8% measured in 2024.  
• 91.0% of barley samples reported a detectable level of total Fusarium spp., and infection rose to 6.4% from 2.3% in 2024.  

¹Pathogens: Fusarium graminearum (Fg); Total Fusarium species (TFs)  
²Mean infection level of samples with disease 

Despite the interim results of Fusarium-infected cereal seed lots being reported, seed quality varies by crop district, as detailed in maps created by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, and it is recommended that seed lots be tested on an individual basis.  

Published March 2026