May is normally a transition month at the Iowa State Seed Laboratory —when the volume of samples for corn and soybean testing tapers off, and the focus shifts more to samples for flower and vegetable seed testing. That is less true, however, for our Seed Health Testing Laboratory, as a significant portion of phytosanitary testing involves vegetable seed year-round. In May of 2018, we not only completed an extremely successful Seed Analyst Short Course, but we also witnessed an influx of many more samples than normal of corn and soybeans for testing. This could be a result, in part, of delayed corn planting progress in the Midwest, or of sweeping changes in the seed industry as giants like Dow, DuPont, Syngenta, Bayer, and others reposition themselves.

2018 Seed Analyst Short Course Receives High Marks

Once again this year, we were pleased to find reviews from our Seed Analyst Short Course participants extremely positive. Seventeen individuals participated each week of the 2018 Seed Analyst Short Course. Attendees of Germination Week had the opportunity to evaluate seedlings from 16 species of seeds, and conduct tetrazolium testing on four species. Purity Week focused on methods to distinguish the many seed species that analysts may potentially encounter when conducting mechanical purity tests or noxious weed exams. Hands-on work was also offered. On Friday of both weeks, a respective Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA) and Society of Commercial Seed Technologists (SCST) consolidated exam was given to participants. Written and practical components of the exams reflect the knowledge and abilities of each analyst, and eventually lead to certification as an RST (Registered Seed Technologist) or a CSA (Certified Seed Analyst).
Plans for our mid-August Tetrazolium Workshop are already underway. A few seats still remain open, so feel free to visit our registration page and consider taking part in it and other summer Seed Conditioning Workshops! http://register.extension.iastate.edu/seedscience 

Summer Seed Industry Meetings

As you may already be aware, the AOSA/SCST Annual Meeting and Tradeshow will be held in Raleigh, North Carolina, June 1-8 this year. A major activity that takes place during the Annual Meeting is the review of proposals for approval to add to the AOSA Rules for Testing Seeds, or to update information already included in it. During the Annual Meeting, joint committee meetings are held on just about every seed-testing topic that you can imagine, including: germination, purity, cultivar purity, genetic technology, tetrazolium, statistics, and more. As a result, these Annual Meetings can be anything but relaxing, as committee and other meetings are conducted from first thing in the morning to late each evening.
June and July of 2018 will be busy months for seed industry meetings. The International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) Annual Meeting will take place in Sopporo, Japan, on June 11-14. The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) will hold its annual Policy and Leadership Development Conference July 9-13 in Washington, D.C.; the Association of Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA) will meet in Atlanta June 24-27; and the Association of American Seed Control Officials (AASCO) will hold their 2018 Annual Meeting in Des Moines, July 15-19.

ISU Seed Lab Upgrades ISO Accreditation, Analysts Build Skills/Complete Certification

This spring the Iowa State University (ISU) Seed Lab upgraded its International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Quality Management System accreditation from ISO 9001:2008 to 9001:2015. Efforts are underway to become a USDA Accredited Seed Lab (ASL) certified with ISO 17025 in the near future. The possibility of becoming a member lab of ISTA is also being explored.

ISU Seed Lab testing staff continue to hone their seed testing knowledge and skills throughout the year. During the winter, they participated in numerous referees and also in proficiency testing. Three of our Germination Lab staff members will head west in July for a two-day workshop presented by the Idaho Seed Analyst Association. In addition, others have, or will, complete certification testing in either germination or genetic technology.

The ISU Seed Lab has tested for more than 300 species of seed, and currently tests well over 120 species each year. The Seed Health Lab conducts tests to detect more than 300 pathogens.

Look for the ISU Seed Lab Booth at These Upcoming Seed Conferences!

At the ISU Seed Lab, you are more than an account number, you are family! So be sure to look for the ISU Seed Lab booth and come visit us at the following upcoming seed conferences! Dry Bean Convention, Bonita Springs, FL, July 21-24; Western Seed Conference/ASTA Farm & Lawn Seed Conference, Kansas City, MO, Oct. 30 – Nov. 2; ASTA CSS Seed Conference, Chicago, IL, Dec. 3-6; Southern Seed Conference, Jan. 2019; Independent Professional Seed Conference January 7-10, Indian Wells, California; and the ASTA Vegetable & Flower Conference, Orlando, FL, February 1-5, 2019.

—Mike Stahr, Manager