b'SINCE 1915 The first issue of Seed World was published in 1915. Here the editors will take you back in time to explore the numbers, news and issues that impacted the seed industryall covered by Seed World.19151920192519301931193519401945195019551960196519701971197519801985198919901993199520002005201020152020First electronDiffusion photometerMicrocomputersUSDA developsFirst DNA sequencing of a microscope built. designed; first light- invented. remote-sensingplant genome, the scattering instrument totechnology to measureflowering mustard measure the size ofsurface soil moisture,Arabidopsis thaliana. molecules. temperature, and other landscape characteristics.A MOMENT IN TIMEOur July 1989 issue featured a column on computers coming of age. Chris Tobias of Somex noted that it wasnt long ago when the word computer brought up images of a hushed room full of cabinets and wires attended by people in white coats. The column went on to note that despite their usefulness in doing bookkeeping and generating reports, computers were out of reach for small and medium-sized businesses. All that changed with the introduction of personal computers in the late 1970s. He writes that seed companies in particular can make good use of these machines. Software for blending seed can be a lifesaver. These programs let you look at how a combination of seed might turn out before you actually mix it. However, Tobias cautions that software for handling field records is new and has been slow in gaining acceptance. FACTS AND FIGURES FROMTHIS 2009 ISSUE:4%is the fraction of the Canadian population involved in agriculture in 1989.1966is the year when the concept of pack trials began in the United States.100%is the relative humidity needed to experience a botrytis epidemic in petunia.95%is the germination capacity Olympia Salmon Orange begonia.67%is the increase in irrigated seed acreage at the new Akin Seed production facility in Aroma Park, Ill.70/ SEEDWORLD.COMOCTOBER 2021'