2 SEED TESTING INTERNATIONAL www.seedtest.org Seed Testing International No. 171 April 2026 ISSN 1999-5229 Produced on behalf of the ISTA Executive Committee The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA). Every effort is made to ensure the published text is accurate. ISTA shall not be liable in any way for possible errors or omissions. ISTA makes no expressed or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or otherwise, concerning the use of any product or representation that is expressed or implied. In addition ISTA shall not be liable in any manner whatsoever for direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damage resulting from the use of, access of, or inability to use this information. No endorsement of any non-ISTA products or services mentioned in this publication is given or implied by ISTA. Chief Editor Andreas Wais Editor Yoana Uzunova, Sejal Patel International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) ISTA Secretariat Richtiarkade 18 8304 Wallisellen, Switzerland Phone: +41 44 838 60 00 Fax: +41 44 838 60 01 E-mail: sti@ista.ch Internet: www.seedtest.org Publication date: April 2026 Circulation: 1553 No. of copies printed: 1675 Seed Testing International No. 172 Deadline for article submission: 3rd July 2026 Instructions to contributors: www.seedtest.org/en/publications/ seed-testing-international.html Follow ISTA To subscribe to STI: CALGARY CALLING ARE YOU STILL DECIDING WHETHER TO COME TO CALGARY? There are a few things happening during this year’s Annual Meeting which may interest you and help make your decision. Let us start with the seminar on the first day, with the topic: ‘Practical implication of seed quality and seed testing’, and subtopics including: ‘Canadian plant breeding: past, present and future’, ‘Regulatory perspective of seed certification’ and ‘Technology advancement and applications to seed testing’. For the latter talk the organising committee have invited Nikolas Badminton (www.linkedin.com/in/futuristnikolasbadminton) as a keynote speaker. Nikolas is well known as a Futurist speaker also in the seed business. He will introduce us to artificial intelligence (AI) in our sector. Just remember, you can also register to the seminar only, especially if you are from the area around Calgary. There are also special student rates for the seminar. The following days in Calgary will concentrate on the reports of the ISTA Technical Committees and the Ordinary General Meeting, where voting on the changes to the 2027 International Rules for Seed Testing (ISTA Rules) will take place. As you know, the ISTA eCertificates are more than a strategic project for me. I am very happy that nearly 10% of the ISTA accredited laboratories are using this system and more than 1000 eCertificates have been issued, avoiding the misuse of ISTA Certificates, which is a common occurrence each year. If your laboratory wants to join the eCertificate system, just contact us at audit@ista.ch. Last but not least, some news on the ISTA Advocate system. Rosa Piña González (Pinto Piga Seeds SA) from Chile has become the ISTA Advocate for South America. Anyone who has attended an ISTA Annual Meeting or Congress will know Rosa Piña and her commitment to the Association. I am really looking forward to working with her in the near future. ISTA is also looking forward to appointing a candidate for the anglophone area of Africa. Please find more information on interesting topics and enjoy flicking through this latest issue of Seed Testing International. All the best, Andreas Wais Before going to press on this issue, we received the sad news that our valued colleague and long-term Vigour Committee member, Dr Stan Matthews, passed away on Monday, 16 March 2026. I would like to draw your attention to two articles in this issue, where Stan received honourable credits from both the Executive Committee and his colleagues of the Vigour Committee. It is very good to know that Stan received these honours in person last year. He will be remembered fondly by all of us. FROM THE EDITOR
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