Influence of Seed Hydration on Seedling Performance

costs, field problems, and customer complaints, product and processing costs, and improvements in the marketplace. Questions that must be asked in such an analysis include: 1) Are sales being gained or lost due to quality? 2) Do our customers have to be “sold” on our products or do the products speak for themselves? Accountability analysis is examined by asking: 1) Are problems routinely identified and corrected in all areas in a formal manner? 2) Are there organizational understandings? Who is held responsible for failure to supply and inferior quality’? Because of the increasing complexity of the seed business, more intense regulation, and much greater liability, the necessity for an effective QA program is obvious. Unfortunately the role of QC/ QA programs, which are designed to ensure a continuous supply of high-quality product and to prevent delivery of inferior quality to customers, is frequently misunderstood and misperceived as policing. The role of the QC/QA can be viewed as: 1) a measurer of performance 2) an identifier of problems; and 3) a facilitator of quality improvements. Supportive participation by quality organizations in producing, processing, and identifying quality seed suitable for a specified market, and enhancement of product performance can improve the performance of the other departments, and will ensure a successful future for the company in a highly competitive market.