Seed Laws 

The Federal Seed Act specifies minimum standards for vegetable seed quality and labeling. Each state also has a seed law that is similar to the federal seed law. All vegetable seeds sold commercially must meet standards for minimum germination percentage, be true-to-type, and not exceed tolerances for inert matter. State seed laws may have additional restrictions on noxious weed seed content and package labeling requirements. The germination tests used to verify viability are conducted under optimal conditions for each species as specified by the Association of Official Seed Analysts.

However, these tests provide little information about the vigor of seeds. A simple definition of vigor would be the ability of the seeds to germinate under stressful conditions. Unfortunately, there are no minimum standards for seed vigor in either the state or federal seeds laws.