8 SEED TESTING INTERNATIONAL www.seedtest.org ASSOCIATION NEWS Species: Bellis perennis; family: Asteraceae THE ISTA WILD SPECIES COMMITTEE (WSC) IS EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THE LAUNCH OF A NEW WEBSITE, Testing Wild Species (wild-seeds.net), which focuses on wild species that currently have no ISTA or AOSA Rules, with the aim to provide protocols for these species. The site is functional, but not yet complete. In August 2025, we began to run out of money for developing and programming the website. We decided to focus on being able to post protocols and seed images, with the goal of going live on 5 December 2025. Have a look at the site and note our progress to date! Currently, the website has over 8 000 seed images of more than 3 000 species (multiple images for many species) from at least 200 families. GrinGlobal is our nomenclature authority. There are over 90 seed testing protocols that show the kind of content we offer, and once programming is complete many more will be added. Our database has over 5 500 species. The website has been programmed to update nomenclature changes in our ‘species list’ and the changes are then automatically updated throughout the site. The website currently has methodology chapters about germination, purity and moisture testing. We have a link to the International Seed Morphology Association (ISMA) website that will help with seed identification. A tetrazolium (TZ) methodology chapter will be posted when it is ready. We are compiling a glossary for the site, which currently has over 500 words and terms. Should a seed analyst run into any word or term that is underlined throughout the website, they can click on such words, and the definition(s) will pop up. An electronic submission form will be made available for use by seed analysts and researchers working with wild species. This form will enable users worldwide to submit seed testing protocols for species with no ISTA or AOSA Rules and not currently on the site. The submission form will also facilitate submission of images of seeds, seedling or TZ analysis to the website. Once we have a fully functioning site and a reasonable amount of content is available, the WSC will begin making virtual training sheets, and we will eventually create and offer a three- day wild species seed testing workshop to present throughout the world for training purposes, which will enable analysts to test wild species uniformly. Launch of Wild-Seeds.Net Gil Waibel ISTA Wild Species Committee Chair We are happy to share this website and any submission at no cost to the user. If a person is making a presentation or article about wild seeds, the images and other content are available for use. We only ask that credit is given for the content you use. The website is being programmed and developed by Terry Harker (byteKultur GmbH) and supported by the expertise of Sejal Patel (ISTA IT Business Solutions Manager). Species: Brassica juncea; family: Brassicaceae Species: Carex flava; family: Cyperaceae Species: Juncus torreyi; family: Juncaceae Species: Plantago ovata; family: Plantaginaceae Species: Silphium perfoliatum; family: Asteraceae
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