Seed lot heterogeneity is often evaluated through the range between germination percentages of four seed samples, considering normal and binomial approximations for calculating the tolerated range (S). In this paper, an exact test for the germination count range (R) is derived based on the hypergeometric and the binomial probability model for germination count. Through Monte Carlo simulations, the empirical distribution of R is built to evaluate the quantiles of the exact distributions. Moreover, a power analysis is performed by simulation. Sample size and germination rate effects are evaluated. In lots with a high germination rate, the proposed test based on the hypergeometric model is about 20% more powerful than the test based on the S-value. A table containing the critical values is presented and recommended to be used in off-range heterogeneity testing.
