Viability rules
Viability rules play a crucial role in inventory testing by defining the parameters and protocols for seed viability assessments. Each inventory viability rule has a unique name, category, number of replicates, and number of seeds per replicate. These latter two values are especially important as they will eventually generate the records that will capture the outcomes of the testing observations, such as the counts of seeds that have germinated versus those that have not.
Viability rules also contain additional information that describes the testing protocol. Most of the form fields are text fields, enabling comprehensive descriptions of various aspects such as procedures, intervals, and the environmental conditions necessary for conducting the tests. The fields defining the protocol include the: Count Regime Days, Substrata, Lighting, Moisture, Prechill, Temperature Range, Number of Replicates, Seeds per Replicate, Requirements and Note.
Remember that whenever a new inventory test is being created, a viability rule must be selected to complete the Inventory viability rule field in the form. To ensure clarity and consistency, it is recommended that your genebank adopt a meaningful naming convention for its rules. The name should provide a hint as to how the rule is used, perhaps what crop the rule typically applies to, etc.
Adding a new viability rule
To add a new rule, navigate to the Seed viability menu and select the Viability rules option to list the existing rules. When no rows are selected, the Add button will be visible at the bottom right of the screen. Click on the button to add a new rule.
Completing the viability rule form
When viewing the list of viability rules list, clicking the Add button will display the Add inventory viability rule form. The first couple of fields are essential, as they define the name of the rule, the number of replicates and the number of seeds per replicate. Completing the remaining fields, which are text fields, is also important in documenting the specific viability test conditions. Ensure that the text entered sufficiently describes the testing environment.
Editing or deleting existing viability rules
To edit or remove existing viability rules, access the Seed viability menu, and select the Viability rules option in the left menu. After selecting one or more rules from the list, click on the bottom action button and select the Edit or Remove option as needed.
It is recommended not to remove viability rules that have been used in previous viability tests. These rules provide historical context and document the testing protocol that was followed. Likewise, if a change to a protocol is necessary, it is recommended to add a new rule rather than edit an existing rule that has already been used for earlier viability tests.
