17 SEED TESTING INTERNATIONAL OCTOBER 2026 ASSOCIATION NEWS Victorio Costa presents the application of the ISTA guideline for advanced technology Enrico Noli delivers the report from the GMO Committee (www.wild-seeds.net), followed by a webinar on ‘Wild Seeds in Focus: science and digital innovation’ (go to www.youtube.com/ watch?v=y3PT9XlFwgk&t=2s). The Committee is busy improving the website and adding new protocols, as well as working on an online submission form so that people can share their testing methods for wild species or submit photos. Once approved, these contributions will be published on the website. The Committee is also planning virtual and hands-on training for testing wild species. You can read more about the website on p. 08 of this issue of STI. The Purity Committee (PUR) will start updating the ISTA Handbook on Pure Seed Definitions and is looking for volunteers to help with this work. If you would like to get involved, please contact Ruojing Wang (ruojing.wang@ inspection.gc.ca). The Committee has delivered workshops in Uruguay, South Africa, Türkiye and Canada since 2025. A Committee project, supported by the ISTA Strategic Initiative Fund, has been completed and delivered for the ISTA Universal List of Species (see www.seedtest.org/ en/services-header/tools/purity-committee/ universal-list-species.html) with seed identification guide fact sheet and images. At the end of their presentation at the Annual Meeting, ISTA President Ernest Allen honoured the work of Andrea Jonitz, the previous PUR Chair. The Vigour Committee (VIG) has just finalised the 4th edition of the ISTA Handbook on Vigour Testing, which is currently with our Publications Consultant, Vanessa Sutcliffe, to prepare it for publication. The Committee is also working on introducing radicle emergence tests for seven new species, and on two projects to explain PT results for ‘PT24-1: Radicle emergence test for wheat’ and ‘PT23-2: Electro-conductivity for radish’. The Forest Tree and Shrub Seed Committee (FTS) conducted a survey to gather information on pests, including pathogens and insects, associated with forest seeds and the risk of their dissemination through international seed trade. The Committee also conducted a study aiming to determine the extent to which air sorting can select viable redwood seeds and to investigate whether X-ray imaging combined with machine learning approaches can predict redwood seed viability. A big thank you goes to Sylvie Ducournau, who is retiring from GER after 22 years and from the FSC after 28 years. She also served as the GER Chair for nine years. Her very active involvement in both committees will be greatly missed. Several TCOMs have mentioned that they are looking for new members. The GMO and ATC are especially looking for new members from African and Asian countries. FSC is looking for new members from all over the world, and NOM is looking for members with expertise in both nomenclature and seeds. VAR is currently missing members from Africa and Oceania. An application form and information on how to become a TCOM member can be found on the ISTA website (go to www.seedtest.org/en/ technical-committees/becoming-technical- committee-member.html). Most TCOMs also offer opportunities to get involved in a working group. If you are interested, please contact the TCOM Chair directly. Finally, I would like to thank all TCOM members for their active contribution to keeping the Association running and helping it develop further. As the heart of ISTA, their work is essential to us. All presentations from the ISTA Annual Meeting 2026 can be found on the ISTA website (see www.seedtest.org/en/events/ista- annual-meeting-2026.html).
View this content as a flipbook by clicking here.