15 SEED TESTING INTERNATIONAL OCTOBER 2026 ASSOCIATION NEWS Audience during the Technical Committee presentations Appreciation shown to Sylvie Ducournau for her contributions to ISTA Technical Committees created by AI. These references may look correct, but no associated papers can be found. A manual reference check is therefore essential. The Germination Committee (GER) is currently working on a Frequently Asked Questions webpage. A method validation report on Solanum torvum is under review, with the aim of including the new species in the 2028 edition of the ISTA Rules. A method validation study is also planned to add Moringa oleifera to Table 5A. Following a request from a member, the Committee carried out a proof-of-concept experiment to validate 25 °C for the germination of Solanum lycopersicum, with a positive outcome. The next step will be a study to validate the method for the ISTA Rules. In addition, the Committee is looking for participants for a method validation study on reducing the test duration for Dactylis glomerata, Agrostis capillaris and A. stolonifera. If you are interested, please contact Dot Vittrup Pedersen at dot@dlf.com. The Moisture Committee (MOI) has introduced a new approach for people interested in joining their Committee: applicants can first get involved in a working group as applicant members; they will be able to contribute to the whole communication within the MOI, but they will have no voting rights. After one year the formal process of member application starts. The Committee is especially looking for new members from the American continents. A combined Purity/Moisture workshop took place in Türkiye with 25 participants. The Committee is working on new moisture methods for Moringa oleifera and Abelmoschus esculentus. For this, two method validation studies were performed. Other topics the Committee is exploring are water activity (eRH), a new version of the Moisture Calculator and the calibration of moisture meters. The GMO Committee reported that an overestimation in quantitative results was observed during the last GMO Proficiency Test (PT24). Low scores were more frequent among laboratories reporting by percentage weight and, to some extent, by percentage copy. One possible explanation is that the samples were spiked with homozygous GM seeds (T25), while both homozygous and hemizygous reference materials were available for this event. In this situation, if no correction factor is applied, laboratories using hemizygous reference material may overestimate. Information obtained from some laboratories supports this hypothesis. To support further improvement, for future PTs the zygosity of the GM seeds will be stated in the technical protocol accompanying the samples. This will allow laboratories to use the relevant reference material or apply the appropriate conversion factor (also known as the ‘biological factor’ in SeedCalc8) to obtain their estimates. Participants are also encouraged to share information on key technical aspects of their analysis, such as test targets and reference materials used. For the first time, an exercise on completing an Orange International Certificate (OIC) was included in the PT; details can be found in this issue of STI on p. 18 The Nomenclature Committee (NOM) has submitted a project proposal to create a SQL database for approximately 8 900 scientific names, supporting ISTA members and TCOMs. A general search interface would allow users to see which publications include a certain species, with links to the relevant publications. An editorial interface would enable TCOM members to update and correct publication details and generate lists of taxa by publication for TCOM work. The database would help ensure the availability and integrity of ISTA data for ISTA purposes. After the Committee’s presentation at the 2026 Annual Meeting, the question was raised whether there should also be an ISTA Stabilised List of Pathogens. This is something for the Committee to consider, but it would require expertise within the Committee. Experts in this field are welcome to contact NOM Chair Melanie Schori at NOM.chair@ista.ch. The Proficiency Test Committee (PTC), responsible for the ISTA Standard Proficiency Tests, recorded 840 participations across the five PT rounds carried out in 2025. One noticeable result was the still low retrieval or identification rate for Dactylis glomerata in PT25-1 Festuca rubra, of 67.9 % for two seeds. Similar results were seen in previous PTs, including PT20-3 Festuca pratensis at 54.7 % for four seeds and PT17-1 Festuca arundinaceae at 71.2 % for four seeds, based on results from all laboratories.
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