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SEED TESTING INTERNATIONAL APRIL 2026
 FEATURE ARTICLE
Reconstruction and Institutional Development 
After World War II
The outbreak of World War II disrupted the development of seed evaluation 
in Poland. After 1945, seed testing stations were gradually rebuilt. In 
the 1960s, a Seed Inspection was established, followed by structures 
that became part of the State Plant Health and Seed Inspection Service. 
Laboratories conducted tests in accordance with increasingly detailed 
standards, while Poland actively participated in ISTA’s work, implementing 
international methods into national practice.
In 1974, Poland co-organised the 17th ISTA Congress in Warsaw. The 
organising committee included Józef Bartz, then director of the Seed 
Testing Station in Zabikowo and ISTA Vice-President. The Congress marked 
the 50th anniversary of ISTA’s founding.
Reference Seed Laboratory in Poznan – 
Carrying Forward Zabikowo’s Heritage
The Greater Poland tradition of seed evaluation, which began in Zabikowo, 
is continued today in the Reference Seed Laboratory in Poznan – an 
institution of national and international significance, operating within 
the Main Inspectorate of Plant Health and Seed Inspection (GIORiN). 
The laboratory has held ISTA accreditation since 2000 and, since 2010, 
accreditation from the Polish Centre for Accreditation (PCA), covering 
selected testing methods published in the ISTA International Rules for Seed 
Testing. It also serves as the national reference laboratory, implementing 
and standardising testing methods in accordance with ISTA guidelines, 
while providing training and supervision of laboratories throughout 
Poland.
Directors of the Pozna  Laboratory Written into History 
• Józef Bartz – a distinguished seed evaluation specialist and ISTA Vice-
President (1971–1974), who helped establish standards and elevate Poland’s 
international standing.
• Piotr Mendelewski – contributed to the implementation of quality systems 
in Polish laboratories and achieved ISTA and PCA accreditation.
• Irena Gera – current laboratory director, ISTA auditor, member of the ISTA 
Executive Committee and Proficiency Testing Committee, who continues 
the tradition of international cooperation.
Halina and August Cieszkowski
The first document establishing the Seed Testing Station in abikowo

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