b'ISTA: A CENTURY OF PROGRESS INSEED QUALITY ASSURANCEISTA INTERNATIONAL RULES FOR SEED TESTING ARE PIVOTAL TO GLOBAL SEED QUALITY ISTAs primary instruments in promoting uniformity in seed testing are the ISTA International Rules for Seed Testing, which lay down standard methods and procedures for seed sampling and testing.Dr. Andreas Wais and Dr. Keshavulu KunusothTHE INTERNATIONAL SEED TESTING Association (ISTA) International Rules for Seed Testing includes 19 Chapters describing principles and definitions in detail. The Rules are designed for many agricultural crops, flowers, trees, shrubs, medical and herbage species. The Rules are approved and amended at ISTA Ordinary Meetings based on advice ten-dered by the ISTA Technical Committees.The Rules are referenced in a number of seed laws worldwide as the standard for seed testing and are part of the standard contract of members of the International Seed Federation (ISF) for arbitration.ISTA Accreditation The aim of the ISTA AccreditationFig 1: ISTAs total number of certificates issued annually worldwide has grown by more than Programme is to verify if a seed testing labora- 30% over the past 14 years, or about 2.5% per year.tory is technically competent to carry out seed testing procedures in accordance with ISTAs published Rules.There are two types of ISTA certificates:Accredited laboratories must showThe Orange International Seed Lot Certificate refers to a seed lot, and sam-that they run a quality assurance systempling and testing are carried out under the responsibility of an ISTA Accredited fulfilling the requirements of the ISTASeed Testing Laboratory.Accreditation Standard. Only laborato- The Blue International Seed Sample Certificates is a laboratory report on ries accredited by ISTA are authorized totest results based on a seed sample as it was submitted by the applicant.issue ISTA International Seed AnalysisThe use of the Orange International Seed Lot and Blue International Seed Certificates. By reporting seed test results onSample Certificates has had a relatively constant rate of growth over the past ISTA International Orange Seed Analysisdecade and a half of about 2.5% annually, demonstrating the growing impor-Certificates, the issuing laboratory assures thattance of uniform seed testing (see Figure 1).the sampling and testing has been carried out in accordance with the ISTA Rules. eCertificates Coming SoonISTA International Seed AnalystAs we enter a new century, ISTA will introduce an electronic certificate system Certificates are accepted by many authorities(eCertificates). This will enable third parties not only to receive the originals and consumers as assuring reproducible andmuch quicker, but also to verify online. The system will be operated first in true results representing the quality of seed.parallel to the paper certificates on a voluntary basis, beginning after the ISTA SEPTEMBER 2024 SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA 29'