b'ISTA works closely with the International Seed FederationCanada has hosted ISTA workshops in the past to help spread (ISF), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation andthe knowledge on quality assurance, sampling, purity and ger-Development (OECD), the International Union for the Protectionmination testing. Workshops can also be held in Canada in the of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), the Food and Agriculturefuture. ISTA workshops are excellent value and the expert lectur-Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and national seeders from ISTA committees give their time for free. certification agencies that all make use of ISTA test methods. Seed certification is one of the best-kept secrets, and it works to ensure traceability with distinct varieties, tracking the generations through multiplication in the field, using crop inspection, unique seed lot identification, for ISTA maximum seed lot sizes, and through sampling and then to testing while following internation-ally agreed-upon standard methods. The work ensures quality control and consistency for end users. Seed certification is one of the best-kept secrets . The Without the expertise in seed analysis, the seed industrywork ensures quality control and consistency for end worldwide could have many more issues, and the role of the seed scientist and analyst is often undervalued. Though we needusers. breeders to develop new varieties and crops, we also need sci-entists and technicians able to test them and help achieve ISTAs mission statement, Uniformity in Seed Testing. ISTA has helped achieve these objectives via their accredita-tion of laboratories or separate sampling entities, and the use of standardised methods and standardised reporting on the Orange International Seed Lot Certificate (OIC). Canadian analysts already make use of the ISTA Rules via My Goals for ISTA as its New President the Canadian Methods and Procedures for Seed Testing (M&P). Some of my roles over the next three years as ISTA PresidentThe M&P is uniquely Canadian to facilitate testing to meet the are to:Canadian grade standards, something that could change withContinue to support the science in ISTA,seed regulatory modernization. Not surprising, since CanadaHelp facilitate training in regions,was a founding member of ISTA in 1924 and over the years manyDevelop networks for train the trainer; andCanadians have worked with ISTA to develop the methods. The Build on IT-based learning tools the ISTA Technicalfact that the ISTA Rules are internationally agreed means indi-Committees are already providing.vidual countries or laboratories do not need to develop their own ISTA workshops organized by the ISTA Technical Committeesstandardized methods but can set their certification or trading are excellent training tools but often only reach 20 to 30 par- standards themselves. ticipants. So how can we reach more people? This is one of theRecent Rules changes that have helped the Canadian seed challenges we face in ISTA and Canada.industry are, for example: standardized vigour test methods, DNA-based varietal test methods, adding new species to the Canadas Involvement with ISTAtesting rules like Brassica carinata and discussions on the use of In Canada we have two ISTA-accredited government labs:soil-less media as a primary substrate for germination testing.one in the Seed Science & Technology Section, SaskatoonThanks go to Saskatoon laboratory director Marc Sabourin Laboratory, where we are accredited for percentage of analyti- and SSTS head Janine Maruschak for supporting my work in ISTA cal purity, other seed determination, germination and tetra- since 2008 and now as ISTA president.zolium; and the second being the Ottawa Plant Laboratory,If there are other areas I can facilitate things for Canada, Fallowfield, who are accredited for seed diseases and who alsoplease let me know. Email stevek.jones@canada.ca have expertise in varietal and DNA testing methods. There are also two private independent ISTA-accreditedEditors Note: This column was originally written for our sister laboratories: 20/20 Seed Labs Inc. and SGS BioVision, plus non- publication, Germination. However, we thought that Steve shared accredited member laboratories like Seed Check Technologiessome great insights about seed certification that you, our Seed Inc. and the Canadian Grain Commission. World readers, should know! We hope you enjoy.SWSEPTEMBER 2019SEEDWORLD.COM /53'