44 / SEEDWORLD.COM JANUARY 2019 POTATO SPINDLE TUBER Viroid (PSTVd) is one of the top challenges to international tomato seed shipments due to strict phytosanitary regulations by importing countries. It reduces both the yield and marketable quality of the fruit. Seed is believed to be the source of PSTVd outbreaks in tomato and there- fore, many countries impose rigid phy- tosanitary regulation on this pathogen. In addition to PSTVd, several other pospivi- roids cause disease in tomato. These are all regulated in part or in total by some countries. Methods to precisely and quickly detect pospiviroids directly from seed would be of great help to the seed industry. However, there are challenges in detecting these pathogens from seeds. Unlike viruses, viroids do not encode any proteins. Therefore, classical ELISA methods that are regularly used to detect viruses are not useful for finding viroids. Molecular methods are the best choice for quick detection. Most of the publicly available methods are useful to detect viroids from infected tissues but not from seeds. Only a few methods are currently available in the public domain to detect pospiviroids from seeds, but they are either not validated for large scale testing or are not user friendly. A phytosanitary requirement from one country requires the testing of 20,000 seeds subdivided into 50 - 400 seed subsamples. This is a very expensive and time-consuming procedure. Scientists from the global seed industry are collectively working to develop a detection method that not only meets phytosanitary requirements but also serves as an industry standard A Regulated Pathogen Challenges Global Tomato Seed Shipments RAVI CHITRAMPALAM, RESEARCH PLANT PATHOLOGIST, EUROFINS BIODIAGNOSTICS PeriasamyChitrampalam@eurofinsUS.com • eurofinsus.com/biodiagnostics for internal quality assurance testing. The new method will be subjected to rigorous validation before it’s accepted for rou- tine testing. Eurofins BioDiagnostics Inc. has optimized a protocol for efficiently detecting pospiviroids from both tomato and pepper seeds. These molecular methods do not reveal any information on the viability and virulence of the patho- gens. Seed lots with non-viable or non-path- ogenic strains could be detected as posi- tive and thus give a false positive result. To overcome this issue, scientists from both academia and industry are doing extensive research to develop a bioassay and/or pathogenicity assay to determine the viability and virulence of these un- culturable pathogens. COMPETITION IN THE seed business is fierce. The market share battles are creating more urgency for companies to strike now. This pressure can lead to overextending resources, making unsus- tainable business decisions or setting unrealistic expectations. Here are two business practices to create long-term business opportunities without putting your company at risk. Over Promise and Over Deliver If you under promise in today’s com- petitive environment, you are leaving the door open for a competitor to offer a more attractive solution. Business deci- sions are being made at a faster pace every year. You don’t often have the luxury of having two to three “trial” years to earn new business. You need to make sure each perspective client or customer knows exactly what your business can do for them. Do not to sell yourself short. You absolutely cannot under deliver on the expectations you create. The moment you don’t meet those expecta- tions the client or customer could be lost. Doing what you say you can do will build trust and give your clients and customers confidence in your performance and lead to future opportunities. Fix Any Mistakes Quickly and Fairly There is no such thing as perfect seed or perfect performance, but your clients or customers can still have a perfect experi- ence. The moment something doesn’t go well is when your business integrity and reputation are tested. Treating your clients and customers fairly and resolving issues quickly proves you stand behind your company’s and/or products’ performance. Good Business Practices Beat Great Marketing Every Time JIM SCHWEIGERT GRO ALLIANCE PRESIDENT @jim_schweigert • jim.schweigert@groalliance.com • GroAlliance.com When faced with performance issues, take immediate ownership and offer solutions. Also, you cannot wait to alert your client or customer. Almost every issue has a resolution, but if you wait too long to communicate the problem, options may no longer be available. Quickly assess the situation, communicate the problem, take ownership and offer an immediate resolu- tion. You’ll demonstrate your integrity and built trust with your client or customer. The old adage “treat others as you want to be treated” really does apply to business. I believe it’s even more important now than ever. The fight for every acre, every bag and every dollar is intense. Getting too caught up in the moment could lead to decisions that pro- duce short-term results but damage your reputation in the future.