b'ASSOCIATION NEWS New ISTA Technical Committee Chairs for 2025David JohnstonGermination CommitteeDAVID JOHNSTON STARTED HISworking for several years in the vegetable seed INVOLVEMENT IN AGRICULTURE AS Aquality control laboratory at Monsanto. He YOUTH, working on his grandfathers small-rowbecame active in ISTA during the latter role, as crop and livestock farm in southeast Missouri.the Monsanto seed laboratory was already part The activity he found most interesting wasof the Association. While working for Monsanto, helping sow seeds in the field and anxiouslyDavid was responsible for ensuring the company watching for the miracle of the seedlings tofollowed the International Rules for Seed Testing slowly emerge through the crusty clay soil. His(ISTA Rules) for sampling and testing, issued grandfather passed away several years ago, butOrange International Seed Lot Certificates (OIC), David is fortunate that he still owns a smalland he was the ISTA accredited sampler trainer. portion of his familys farm, where seeds are stillHe also assisted other Monsanto laboratories being sown in the same fields he roamed as ain becoming ISTA accredited laboratories, child. Since the early days of helping sow thosesupporting them on ISTA-related topics and fields with his grandfather, seeds have alwaysproviding necessary training.held a special fascination for him.Davids career change from the governmental David enrolled in college and earned anto non-governmental sector required him to agriculture degree, starting his career in seedsconvert his CSA governmental credentials with in 1982 by becoming an official government seedAOSA to become a Registered Seed Technologist and feed inspector for the Missouri Department(RST) under the non-governmental Society of of Agriculture (MDA). He soon transitioned fullCommercial Seed Technologists (SCST). David time to working in the MDA seed laboratory,has been an accredited seed analyst for theis currently Co-Chair of the AOSA/SCST testing a wide range of seeds for numerousmajority of his career in seed testing. By workingGermination Committee. David has also served quality factors and for regulatory compliance.in both governmental and non-governmentalon the ISTA Germination Committee and the While working at MDA, David became a Certifiedorganisations, he is very sensitive to the impact ofBulking and Sampling Committee for several Seed Analyst (CSA) in 1987, under the Seedseed testing on the global seed trade. years. He continues to work alongside others to Analyst Accreditation Program of the Associationharmonise the AOSA and ISTA Rules whenever of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA). His laboratory experience includes conductingpossible.a wide range of tests (e.g. physical purity, other David has worked at a wide range of seedseed determination, noxious weed seed exams,One of Davids favourite lines is: If the seeds laboratories, including over 29 years in multiplegermination, tetrazolium, vigour) on a widedont grow, nothing else matters. With seed official government seed testing laboratoriesrange of seed kinds (e.g. agricultural, turf,germination, there is always something new to such as those in the states of Missouri, Michiganvegetables, flowers, herbs, wild species, trees,learn, problems to resolve and experiences to and Louisiana. The latter facility was also a seedshrubs). share. Over the years, he has enjoyed helping, certification laboratory. While in governmentsupporting and learning alongside others service, he was also involved in writing, revising,During his career, David has been electedinvolved in the fascinating world of seed testing. applying and enforcing seed-related regulations. to serve as the President and Vice-PresidentSince 2021, David has retired from reporting of AOSA, as well as serving on the Board ofto work every day but is still very active in seed David has also managed a private seed testingDirectors of SCST. He has also served ontesting and appreciates the opportunity to serve laboratory (SGS North America), as well asnumerous AOSA/SCST committees andas the new ISTA Germination Committee Chair.Andrea JonitzPurity CommitteeGROWING UP IN BADEN stayed in seed testing for different roles, assistingworking on the influence of insecticide WRTTEMBERG, ANDREA JONITZProfessor Norbert Leist in his work as Head ofingredients on germination of different FIRST ENCOUNTERED SEED TESTINGthe laboratory, and as an active ISTA member.agricultural seed species. While working on her IN A YEARLY PRACTICAL COURSE From the very beginning of Andreas career, seedthesis, Andrea was appointed as Deputy Head being carried out at the Centre of Agriculturaltesting has been synonymous to ISTA. of the seed testing station at Karlsruhe, at the Technology, Augustenberg (LTZ) as part of hersame time that Norbert Leist became President biology studies at the University of Karlsruhe.From 1998 to 1999 she was Head of the purityof ISTA. Together, they developed and facilitated After her diploma thesis on differentiationlaboratory at the seed testing station of Dresden,numerous ISTA workshops in the fields of purity, of several tree genera and species usingSaxony. In 2000 she started her doctoral thesisother seed determination, seed identification, electrophoresis of seed storage proteins, she(completed 2005) back at LTZ Augustenberg,germination, tetrazolium testing and variety SEED TESTING INTERNATIONAL OCTOBER 2025 21'