Why you need a digital microscopes within seed technology

If you hold a seed in your hand, you might not think much of it. It’s so small that it’s almost impossible to understand just how much our everyday life depends on it.

Seeds, however, are used to produce anything from bread, fruits, and vegetables to corn and soybean that many livestock are fed on and to produce fibers such as cotton, linen, and hemp which then are used in our clothes.

Knowing this, it’s no wonder that scientists strive to secure safe seed supply by making advancements in seed sciences and technologies. One way to do so is by using digital microscopes for seed testing.

But what exactly is a digital microscope and how can they make a difference in seed technology?

That’s what we’ll explore in this blogpost. We’ll do so by going through the following topics:

• What is seed technology?
• What are the goals of seed technology?
• How can you use a digital microscope to improve seed technology?
• What are the best digital microscopes for improving seed technology?

What is seed technology?

Seed science and technology is the field related to ensuring the highest quality of seed. Scientists within this field play close attention to how seeds are:

• Sorted
• Dried
• Tested
• Cleaned
• Packaged
• Stored

What are the goals of seed technology?

According to “Seed Production of Horticulture Crops: Principles and Practices” by B. Venudevan, the main goal of seed technology is to increase agricultural production through spread of good quality seed of high yielding varieties developed by the plant breeders, well before the planting season at reasonable cost.

Important objectives of seed technology include:

1. Rapid Multiplication:
It is the quickest possible spread of new high yielding varieties and hybrids developed by the plant breeder.

2. Timely Supply: The improved seed of available well in time, so that the planting schedule is not disturbed and they are able to harvest the good crop.

3. Assured High Quality Seed: Obtain the expected dividends is possible with use of good quality seed.

4. Reasonable Price: The cost of quality seed must be within reach for the average farmer.

How can you use digital microscopes to improve seed technology?

To obtain the objectives of seed technology mentioned above, seed analysts spend hours upon hours every day testing the seed quality. This includes a variety of processes and tests such as seed identification, purity analysis, seed germination and viability testing.

Digital microscopes can improve seed technology because they not only solve issues caused by outdated magnification systems during the seed testing processes mentioned above. Digital microscopes also create new opportunities for more efficient seed testing and thus bigger advancements within seed technology.

Let’s first clarify what a digital microscope is before looking at a few examples:

What is a digital microscope?

With a digital microscope, a camera is recording what is happening underneath the microscope and displays it on a monitor.

A digital microscope thus looks quite different from traditional magnification systems, but it’s this digital display and the opportunities it creates that make digital microscopes a piece of equipment that scientists within seed technology could benefit greatly from using.

The benefits of using a digital microscope within seed science and technology

Digital microscopes not only solve current issues caused by outdated microscopes, it also introduces new and more efficient ways of sorting and testing seeds. Spending less time on sorting and testing seeds will not only allow farmers to purchase the seeds at a lower price but also secure them a timely supply of high-quality seed.

• Reduce job-related pain

It’s not uncommon for microscope operators to experience job-related pain from spending hours upon hours using a microscope. This, however, is often caused by awkward postures and repetitive movements; two things that can be prevented by changing to a microscope with a digital display.

By using a monitor to display the seeds rather than the eyepiece of traditional microscopes, the seed scientists will be able to sit up straight as they’re doing their inspections rather than looking downwards through an ocular.

Introducing ergonomic intervention methods like this is more comfortable to use and can help reduce eyestrain, headaches, and extremity fatigue. In turn, the operator will be able to work more efficiently and accurately.

• Promotes teamwork

The digital display also makes it easy for seed scientists to ask a colleague for a second opinion. Instead of taking turns to look through the ocular, they can simply point to the area of the sample that they want to discuss, making efficiency yet again the key benefit of digital microscopes.

• Take photos of seeds instantly

When using a digital microscope, the operator can also capture a photo of what’s displayed on the monitor with a press of a button. This is a much faster process compared to traditional magnification systems, making efficiency as well as improved documentation key benefits of a digital microscope.

• Use software for faster and more accurate seed testing

With digital microscopes, you can also use software for more efficient sorting and testing of seeds. Let’s have a look at some examples.

Presets

If you’re always using the same settings when looking at a particular family of seed, save it as a preset. Next time you’re inspecting that seed family, simply recall the preset and the microscope will automatically adjust itself. As a result, you’ll save time by not having to adjust the microscope manually and you’ll know for sure that you’re using the exact same settings again and again.

Ruler app

By activating an on-screen ruler, you can quickly see the real-life size of the seed underneath the microscope. The ruler can be activated in a range of colors for maximum visibility.

Offering 0.5% accuracy, the Ruler app is a standard feature on the software compatible microscopes from TAGARNO.

Measurement app

For more accurate and advanced measurements, you can make length, radius, angle, polyline measurements and more with a 3µm accuracy in the bestselling Measurement app.

You can also save the measurements themselves as a heads-up display. This allows you to efficiently verify the size of seeds against the heads-up display without performing a new measurement every single time.

Image comparison app

With a digital microscope, you can also capture and transfer photos to the microscope to build your own seed database with the Image comparison app. The photos can then be used to help identify current seeds underneath the microscope during highly specialized processes or during training of new employees.

What are the best digital microscopes for improving seed technology?

Different digital microscopes may be more relevant than others, depending on which process you’ll be using the microscope for.

Below, we’ve listed the two most used digital microscopes from TAGARNO, a leading manufacturer of digital microscopes based in Denmark: The TAGARNO ZIP and TAGARNO TREND.

TAGARNO ZIP

With 60 frames per second, auto focus as well and manual focus, TAGARNO ZIP produces sharp images at all magnification levels up to 53x.

Although there’s only one working height setting, ZIP has more than enough space underneath the microscope to fit the tools you need. The one height setting also means that it’s easy to set up and requires very little manual adjustment.

With a footprint of only 38.6 cm by 15.5 cm (15.2’’ by 6.10’’) and weighing only 2.0 kg (4.4 lbs), the ZIP is also extremely lightweight and can be moved from station to station as needed.

To capture photos of your work using the ZIP, connect it to a computer and use the built-in Windows OS Camera app. It really is that easy.

With ZIP, what you see is what you get. It’s a simple but user-friendly and high quality microscope that does everything you want from a digital microscope at a great price and with no unnecessary features.

Pros

Cons

TAGARNO TREND

Just like the ZIP, TAGARNO TREND also displays 60 frames per second and offers auto focus as well as manual focus.

What really sets the TREND apart as a microscope for seed technology work, however, is how easy it is to capture photos. All you need is to press a button on the control box and photos are either saved to a USB memory stick or the internal storage of the microscope. In both cases, photos can be reopened on the microscope itself to check that you have all necessary photos – or transferred to other computer in-house if you prefer.

By using generic USB drivers, you can also connect the microscope to your computer and use the built-in Windows OS Camera app to share the microscope feed in online meetings with remote colleagues.

Lastly, the TREND also had multiple height settings for maximum flexibility and to achieve magnification all the way up to 330x if needed.

Pros

Cons

In summary

Seed science and technology professionals worldwide secure rapid multiplication and timely supply of high-quality seeds at a reasonable price by using digital microscopes.

Digital microscopes not only offer solutions to current issues caused by outdated magnification systems, but also introduce new and more efficient ways of doing seed sorting and testing.

While some professionals within the field of seed technology have already made the change to digital microscopes – and seen great results from it – many are still using traditional magnification systems.

With increasing demands for high quality seeds, however, we are confident that digital microscopes and the TAGARNO ZIP and TAGARNO TREND in particular can help advance seed technology in ways traditional magnification systems simply can’t.

Are you ready to embark on your digital microscopy journey?

There’s more to read

Now that you’ve made it to the end of this blogpost, here’s a few other blogposts that you might find interesting.