b'ASSOCIATION NEWS and from earlier work by other authors. The key may be utilised to quickly assess the response to drying of previously untested species. The issue of poor longevity of rainforest seeds in storage at the standard banking temperature of 20 C was also highlighted. Of 107 species tested for response to freezing after drying, 24% were found to be very short-lived. Differential scanning calorimetry was then discussed as a technique for early identification of potentially short-lived species and the identification of storage temperatures that might lead to greater longevity for those species. The webinar had 293 registrants, with 122 attending live. The talk is now available online (go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgXz-td280M).Special Session at ISTA Centenary CelebrationsA special session on Optimising seed storage from genebanks to farmers: a critical step in food security was organised on 1 July 2024 by the Seed Storage Committee during the Science Symposium at the ISTA Centenary Celebrations and Annual Meeting. There were three talks covered in this session on the following topics: (i) Cryopreservation, emphasis on long-term security of crop germplasm and recalcitrant seeds by Jayanthi Nadarajan; (ii) Seed storage and the relative effects of temperature, moisture and oxygen by Steven Groot; and (iii) Seed longevity and genetic variation of orthodox seed in crop genebanks by Manuela Nagel.Seed Storage HandbookWriting content for the Seed Storage Handbook is at the height of its activity, as the Committee members have dedicated most of their time on this task during the year. Chapters were diligently selected to provide fundamental scientific knowledge, technical information and practical guidelines on several topics that affect seed storage. Where appropriate, external co-authors with expertise in specific fields were invited to contribute. Most chapters are at the stage of first draft completion and the Committee is seeking to have this handbook published by 2026.Relevant Publications From Committee Members1.Guzzon, F., Costich, D.E., Afzal, I., Barboza Barquero, L., Vargas, A.A.M. et al. (2024). Applications of dry chain technology to maintain high seed viability in tropical climates. PeerJ, 12:(2023). Saatgutreserve im ewigen Eis [SeedIheringia Serie Botanica, 79: e20241356.e18146. doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18146 reserve in the permafrost]. BIOspektrum, 29,7.Sommerville, K.D. (2024). The Rainforest 2.Bicalho, E.M. (2024). Soil seed banks,425426. dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12268-023-1950-7 Seed Conservation Project. The Gardens persistence and recruitment: memories of a5.Francisqueti, A.M., Marin, R.R., Hengling,Magazine, 141, 1213. issuu.com/foundation.partially non-lived life? Theor. Exp. Plant Physiol.,M.M., Hosomi, S.T., Pritchard, H.W., Custdio,friends/docs/winter24_magazine_issuu36, 583587. doi.org/10.1007/s40626-024-00319-2 C.C. and Machado-Neto, N.B. (2024). Orchid8.Offord, C.A., Liyanage, G.S., Sommerville, 3.Griffo, A., Sehmisch, S., Laager, F., Pagano,seeds are not always short-lived in a conventionalK.D., Errington, G., Rollason, A. and Viler, V. A., Balestrazzi, A., Macovei, A. and Brner, A.seed bank! Annals of Botany, 133, 941952. doi. (2024). Ex situ conservation for threatened (2024). Non-invasive methods to assess seedorg/10.1093/aob/mcae021 subtropical rainforest species: options are quality based on ultra-weak photon emission6.Singer, R.B., Predengardst, K., Buzatto, C.R.,available but are species-specificcase studies and delayed luminescence. Sci. Rep., 14: 26838.Farias-Singer, R., Custodio, C.C. and Machado- from the Tweed Caldera region. Australasian dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-74207-9 Neto, N.B. (2024). You do not have to kill thePlant Conservation: Journal of the Australian 4.Brner, A., Nagel, M. and Lohwasser, U.orchids: good practices in orchid research.Network for Plant Conservation, 32(4), 713.SEED TESTING INTERNATIONAL OCTOBER 2025 43'