There’s a special allure to foundation seeds. They are as pure as you can get with all the original traits of the earliest possible genetics of a particular plant species. There is a strong market for these “cultivars” and Qualibasic Seed (QBS) is well positioned in Zambia to meet that demand. Last month we have met this Kenyan based company with branches in Zambia and South Africa. This month we take a closer look at how they conduct production and business. QBS is committed to producing and preserving original seed quality. Significant attention to detail is taken in the field production stages. Breeder seed is taken through the pre-foundation growing blocks where genetic purity is assessed visually and through laboratory analysis and once their seed specialists are satisfied that it meets their quality standards, the seed is allowed to progress to field scale production of commercial volumes of foundation seed.

The QBS commitment to quality doesn’t just stop in the field. In Zambia they have invested in the latest processing equipment from PETKUS, where each grain of seed is cleaned, separated into sizes, any contamination by foreign bodies removed using an array of cleaners, sizers and gravity separation. Once processed, the seed can then either go into cold storage or be treated and bagged for sale. This use of gentle, high precision equipment is another critical step in producing high quality seed. Their production facility allows them to take seed from any stage in the process and put it into cold storage. Seed can be kept in the absolute best condition for extended periods at 10 degrees centigrade and 50 percent humidity these cool and dry conditions are key
to preserving quality. Once QBS receives an order, they put the seed through their latest rotary batch treater for appropriate seed treatments to assure the best germination and early-season growth of the plant. Finally, they bag and label the seed for sale in multiples of 1 000 kernels, reflecting the high quality and indeed high value of QBS foundation seed.
In 2020 they started to include a polymer coating in their seed treatment process to ensure the seed flows and transports well, and that the seed treatment remains on the seed. This process will improve field performance as well as reduce exposure of the operators to dust and chemicals. This helps their seed company customers to realise the full genetic potential of the parent stock in the production of their certifi ed seed, while helping them carry forward yield and quality gains in their own production, and ultimately to their farmer customers. Attention to detail, rigid production
processes, precision growing and processing, all supervised by industry leading production staff , result in the availability of the finest parent seed for Africa from QBS.

by Davison Silungwe