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SEED TESTING INTERNATIONAL   www.seedtest.org
TRAINING AND EDUCATION •
TWENTY-SEVEN 
PARTICIPANTS 
FROM 12 COUNTRIES 
ATTENDED THE ISTA 
WORKSHOP FOR 
ON GERMINATION 
AND VIGOUR held 
in Angers, 1st to 5th, 
France in December 2025. Lectures and practical 
work alternated throughout the week, requiring 
seven rooms to host the full programme. The 
group was very enthusiastic and enjoyed learning 
about uniformity in germination testing and 
gaining experience in applying the latest changes 
from the International Rules for Seed Testing 
(ISTA Rules) changes. A focus on temperature 
requirements for germination was delivered by 
Didier Demilly, and vigour testing was presented 
from the basic principles to validated methods.
Eight practical sessions were organised, 
requiring a total of 84000 seeds of ten species, 
with both mixing agricultural and vegetable 
crops (Beta vulgaris L., Brassica napus L., Brassica 
oleracea L., Glycine max (L.) Merr., Helianthus 
annuus L., Hordeum vulgare L., Raphanus sativus 
L., Triticum aestivum L., Triticum turgidum L., 
and Zea mays L.).
We hope that attendees enjoyed their week in 
Angers, a city they visited during a walking tour 
at the end of the fourth day, before a friendly 
dinner with singing.
ISTA Workshop on Seed Germination and Vigour 
1–5 December 2025, Angers, France
Sylvie Ducournau1, Gillian Musgrove1, Alison Powell2, Marie-Hélène Wagner2
1ISTA Germination Committee
2ISTA Vigour Committee
Members of the hosting laboratory with lecturers 
and participants
Two lecturers from the UK: Alison Powell [left] 
and Gillian Musgrove [right], former chairs of 
the ISTA Vigour and Germination Committees, 
respectively
Attentive participants during lectures and while visiting the laboratory
Social event to explore the city of Angers and its 
medieval castle
Practical work with the electrical conductivity test for radish [left] and evaluation of germination for 
sunflower [right]

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