INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL QUALITY CONTROL OF SEEDS FOR MAJOR CROPS, FORAGE AND VEGETABLES IN BRAZIL

Both external and internal quality control of seeds in Brazil aims to ensure that seeds meet established standards in a reliable manner. To this end, physiological, sanitary, genetic and physical quality are assessed to provide control throughout the production process and technologies used in the seeds. External quality control is performed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Development (MAPA), which establishes minimum standards for the marketing of seed lots. In internal control, the company itself performs the control, that is, throughout the production process in its laboratory it performs quality analyses of the seeds produced based on the Seed Analysis Rules (RAS), which must be met to market the seed lots. In view of the above, this literature review aims to describe and highlight the relevance of internal and external quality control of seeds in Brazil for major crops, forages and vegetables.