Germination

A seed, spore or other reproductive body sprouting into growth is germination, a process steered by temperature, light and oxygen supply. Maltsters harness it deliberately: steeped barley germinates to mobilise the enzymes that will later convert starch to fermentable sugars for brewing and distilling. Mushroom growers trigger spore germination to start their cultures. Germination capacity, the share of seeds able to sprout, is the seed lot’s key quality metric, tested before sowing or malting because dead grain wastes the whole batch.