Before an AAS Winner is introduced, it is tested at independent
test sites across North America. We call these test sites trial
grounds. Each trial ground has, at least, one official AAS
Judge. The Judge supervises the trial and evaluates entries
for AAS
at no charge. None of the Judges are paid for their efforts
as an AAS Judge.
Typically the judge is a horticultural professional
and the
site is part of a seed company trial grounds, university or
other horticultural institution. All judges and trial sites
are approved
by the AAS Board of Directors with the objective of having
well managed sites in different parts of North America.
The
Judge is responsible for conducting the trial of entries
and the closest comparisons on the market. The Judge evaluates
entries looking for desirable qualities such as novel flower
forms, flower colors, flower show above foliage, fragrance,
length
of flowering season, and disease or pest tolerances or resistance.
Vegetables are judged looking for such traits as earliness
to harvest, total yield, fruit taste, fruit quality, ease of
harvest,
plant habit, disease and pest resistance. The Judges evaluate
AAS trials all season and then based on the superior qualities,
each Judge scores each entry. Only the entries with the highest
average score are considered to be worthy of an AAS Award.
