Physical and physiological quality of farmer‐saved and enterprise‐sourced Kakaba bread wheat seeds in Debre Elias district, Ethiopia

Seed quality critically influences bread wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) productivity and food security in Ethiopia. Limited information exists on how farmers' seed recycling practices and lot level variations affect seed quality. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the quality characteristics of bread wheat seeds used by farmers in Debre Elias district of East Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia. We analyzed 20 seed lots—comprising 15 farmer‐recycled samples (spanning 1–3 years of recycling, with five lots per year category) and five enterprise lots serving as fresh benchmarks. The results revealed that recycling frequency significantly ( p < 0.001) affected physical purity components, germination performance, and dead seed proportions. The lowest purity (99.21%) was recorded from the 3‐year recycled samples. Highly significant ( p < 0.001) differences were also observed among individual seed lots in analytical purity and inert matter composition. Significant ( p < 0.001) variations in seed germination and vigor performance were also observed among individual seed lots. These laboratory findings indicate that recycling duration was associated with declining seed quality, while lot‐to‐lot variation was also substantial. Lot‐level quality assessment may therefore complement recycling history when evaluating farmer‐saved seed, though field validation is required before these results can inform seed replacement decisions.