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SEED TESTING INTERNATIONAL   www.seedtest.org
TRAINING AND EDUCATION •
and analysing the purity of Triticum aestivum 
subsp. aestivum was then carried out, giving all 
participants the opportunity to perform tests on 
all the proposed species.
The following day, Bülent Öztürk reviewed the 
ISTA Accreditation Standards and demonstrated 
quality assurance procedures in seed sampling. 
This lecture was followed by practical exercises in 
other seed determination and the purity test on 
Triticum aestivum subsp. aestivum and Solanum 
melongena seeds.
Day three was entirely dedicated to coated 
seeds and seed mixtures, with practical training 
on other seed determination and purity. The 
purification and separation of components, 
weighing, percentage calculations and recording 
of the results were demonstrated practically, 
and each participant was able to perform their 
own tests on specifically prepared samples. 
The identification of other seeds present in the 
sample was also carried out and reported.
AN ISTA WORKSHOP ON PURITY, 
OTHER SEED DETERMINATION AND 
MOISTURE ANALYSIS WAS HELD OVER 
FIVE DAYS IN ANTALYA (TÜRKIYE), in 
November 2025. The workshop was organised 
in collaboration with Yüksel Seed Laboratory, 
under the leadership of Selma Kurt from the 
Variety Registration and Seed Certification 
Centre (VRSCC). The participants were hosted 
at Yüksel Tohum Seed Laboratory, located 
20 km from the city centre. The activities, in 
accordance with the International Rules for Seed 
Testing (ISTA Rules), aimed to improve different 
features of purity and other seed determination 
tests, as well as sampling for moisture tests and 
moisture analysis. The workshop was designed 
to improve information exchange, and it allowed 
participants to get to know new methods and 
equipment. Furthermore, the event was intended 
to help participants to understand the ISTA 
Rules in seed testing methods. The workshop 
successfully improved the participants’ expertise 
in three areas: sampling, testing and quality 
assurance.
As expected, the workshop attracted a great 
deal of interest. This was evident in the number 
of participants, with a total of 25 people in 
attendance. The countries represented were 
Latvia (1), Ukraine (1), France (1), Poland (2), 
Iraq (4), Italy (2), Sweden (4), India (1), Ireland (1) 
and Türkiye (8). The lecturers were Selma Kurt, 
Daniela Villa and Bülent Öztürk (ISTA Bulking 
and Sampling Technical Committee; Türkiye-
VRSSC).
The workshop was officially opened by the Yüksel 
Seed Board Chairman, the Antalya Agriculture 
Provincial Deputy Director, the Antalya Seed 
Certification Test Manager and Selma Kurt on 
behalf of the organising committee. The opening 
was followed by a short round of introductions 
of the participants and the lecturers. The talks 
began with an overview of ISTA, after which the 
general principles of purity analysis and other 
seed determination were presented, as well as 
purity tests for coated seeds and seed mixtures. 
Practical training in determining other seeds 
ISTA Workshop on Purity, Other Seed Determination 
and Moisture Analysis 
10–14 November 2025, Antalya, Türkiye
Selma Kurt1 and Daniela Villa2
1Member of ISTA Purity and Moisture Committees; Variety Registration and Seed Certification Centre (VRSCC), Ankara, Türkiye
2Vice-Chair of ISTA Moisture Committee; Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification 
(CREA DC), Tavazzano, Italy; daniela.villa@crea.gov.it
Theoretical presentation by Daniela Villa
Practical session on other seed determination

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