During the 32nd International Seed Testing Association’s (ISTA) Annual Meeting, which was held in conjunction with the Association of Official Seed Analysts and the Society of Commercial Seed Technologists, members voted to add two subchapters in Chapter 7 and to revise Chapter 18 of ISTA’s International Rules for Seed Testing.
In Chapter 7, which focuses on seed health, the additions will be:
- 7-031, Filtration method for detection of Ditylenchus dipsaci on Medicago sativa, Ditylenchus dipsaci and Ditylenchus gigas on Vicia faba.
- 7-032, Detection of Verticillium dahliae on Spinacia oleracea (spinach) seed.
Chapter 18 hones in on testing seed mixtures.
The meeting, which brought together 284 participants from 35 countries, was an opportunity to consolidate and strengthen the interactions within the seed testing community that already exist, and for members of all three organizations to discuss and exchange ideas. The main objectives of the ISTA Annual Meeting are to decide on proposals for changes to the lnternational Rules for Seed Testing, to present the work of ISTA’s Technical Committees and to provide a forum for exchange of recent scientific advancements in seed science and technology.
The program began with two half day sessions on trait purity testing for GMO and building relations and collaboration in seed testing. Workshops on applications on statistics in seed sampling, native seed testing, flower seeds testing and tolerances in seed testing preceded the conference.
During the closing banquet, participants heard from Craig McGill, ISTA president; Randy Crowl, president of AOSA; Barbara Cleave, president of SCST; and Craig Morris, a representative from the United States Department of Agriculture.
Next year’s annual meeting will take place June 11-14 in Sapporo, Japan.
