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The ISU Seed Lab offers a wide range of testing services.

At the Seed Laboratory at Iowa State University, we are committed to exceeding your expectations by offering the highest-quality seed testing services in the industry. We are also committed to a strategy of continual improvement of our laboratory’s operation.

Remember!

Include your ACCOUNT NUMBER on all correspondence, sample bags, and submission forms

FAQ’s

How do I set up an account with the ISU Seed Lab?

An account will be created once we have received your first sample, and you will be assigned an account number. If you have conducted business with the Seed Lab in the past, your account number will appear on your test report or summary.

In order to open an account we must have 5 key information indicated on the submission form:

  1. Company/Customer name.
  2. Contact name
  3. Address
  4. Email
  5. Phone number

Contact Customer Care at 515-294-6826 or seedlab@iastate.edu if you have any questions or concerns.

The Iowa State University Seed Laboratory conducts many types of tests on more than 300 species of seed. A partial list of tests appears on the Testing Methods page. If you are sending cereals/grasses to test, please make sure to indicate the year when crop was harvested. Contact Customer Care at 515-294-6826 for more information about the tests we offer.

Test duration depends upon the crop being tested and the type of test being performed, and the volume of samples being sent into the lab. If you require more information than is available on this page, contact Customer Care at 515-294-6826.

“The ISO 9000 (the International Organization for Standardization) family of standards represents an international consensus on good management practices with the aim of ensuring that the organization can time and time again deliver the product or services that:

—Meet the customer’s quality requirements, and
—applicable regulatory requirements, while aiming to
—enhance customer satisfaction, and
—achieve continual improvement of its performance in pursuit of these objectives.”

Our certification by an independent auditor means that the Iowa State University Seed Testing Laboratory has adopted—and follows—the absolute best possible procedures to benefit our customers. 

—AOSA — (The Association of Official Seed Analysts) Rules for Testing Seeds for domestic and international seed movement.

—ISTA  (The International Seed Testing Association) for international movement of seed.

—Canadian M &P — Seed to be shipped into Canada.

—NSHS — (The National Seed Health System) – phytosanitary testing

—Biotech Trait Providers requirements — trait testing

Our ISO 9001:2015 certification is our guarantee to our customers that rigorous standards are consistently applied to every test we perform.

Labeling requirements require the following tests:
—Purity
—Standard (Warm) Germination
—Noxious Weed Exam