18 SEED TESTING INTERNATIONAL www.seedtest.org ASSOCIATION NEWS Figure 1. Reporting on Orange International Certificates for genetically modified organism testing by the nine laboratories participating in the experiment conducted within PT24 on Zea mays (details that could have allowed the identification of the laboratories are hidden with XXXX) Reporting Genetically Modified Organism Testing on ISTA Certificates Enrico Noli1, Elena Perri2, Bruno Zaccomer3, Nadine Ettel4, Branislava Opra5, Florina Palada6 1ISTA GMO Committee Chair 2ISTA GMO Committee Vice-Chair 3ISTA GMO Committee member 4ISTA Technical Committees Manager 5System Auditor, Quality Management and Standard PT Coordinator 6Head of ISTA Accreditation and Technical Department UNLIKE OTHER AREAS OF SEED QUALITY ASSESSMENT, there are no prescribed methods for testing genetically modified seeds (GMO) in the International Rules for Seed Testing (ISTA Rules), and laboratories are accredited according to the performance- based approach (PBA)[1]. This approach is the only suitable option for ISTA because of the great diversity in GMO testing worldwide (in terms of objectives, technologies, targets, units of measurement, new traits being obtained, etc.). Several organisations continuously develop and validate testing methods (particularly DNA-based methods), often for matrices other than seeds (mainly food and feed), therefore there is no need to reinvent the wheel. On the other hand, accredited laboratories must demonstrate their competence in applying those methods to seeds[2,3] and participate in the Proficiency Test (PT) programme with seed samples prepared by ISTA. In sharp contrast to the flexibility in choosing the method, ISTA requires clarity and uniformity in reporting GMO testing results on certificates, thus allowing their correct interpretation by stakeholders involved in international trade. Chapter 19 of the ISTA Rules[4] provides indications on how to report GMO testing on certificates (section 19.7). These include a detailed description of the testing objectives, of the working sample, and of the technical procedures followed. Furthermore, section 19.7.1 provides instructions on how to express results for the assessment of presence, while sections 19.7.2 and 19.7.3 provide instructions on how to express results for the estimation of level using either group testing or quantitative methods, respectively. As is customary for standard PTs, with the 24th ISTA Proficiency Test on GMO (PT24) it was decided to conduct the first exercise requiring participants to complete an Orange International Certificate (OIC). The objective of the exercise
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