b'GLOBAL SEED SECTOR 1859: On the Origin of Species - Charles Darwin 1924: Foundation of the International Seed Trade Darwins ground-breaking book argued that organismsFederation (FIS)First haploid reported 1922TIMELINE gradually evolve via natural selection. The concept thatIn the early 1900s, the public and private seed sectorBlakeslee et al. Start of the Canadian Seed organisms with genetic variations best suited to their en- witnessed continuous growth, with science and vironment tend to produce more o spring than organismscommerce expanding. With growth came the need of the same species without that variation was an entirelyto establish harmonized trade rules, which led to the1923 Trade Association (CSTA)Now that Seed World Group has unveiled its global family of Seednew concept at the time. Part of Darwins arguments for theestablishment of FIS. [In 1938, the desire to protect the World publications, we felt it would be good to look back at somepower of natural selection came from plant breeders afterfruits of their labour led plant breeders to form a sepa-he saw their success in improving crops via selection.rate organization, the International Association of Plant of the events that have had a big impact on the plant breeding andBreeders (ASSINSEL). In 2002, the two organizationsFoundation of FIS (one of1924seed sector over the past 160+ years. The overview of these eventsmerged to form the International Seed Federation (ISF)]. two ancestors of ISF)will of course never be complete, but even these few key moments in the seed sectors history showcase the incredible work done in1924 Foundation of International Seed a century and a half, and paint a good picture of where our SeedTesting Association (ISTA)World publicationst into a global timeline.1865: Publication of experiments on plant hybridization - Gregor Mendel 1948: Discovery of transposition - McClintock First experiments with seed1930s1859 On the Origin of Speciesdamental laws of inheritance. He deduced that genes come inTransposable elements, or jumping genes that changecoatingThrough his work on pea plants, Mendel discovered the fun-published - Darwin position on the chromosome, wererst identi ed by pairs and are inherited as distinct units, one from each parent.Barbara McClintock. Through her work in maize, she1933 CMS developed in maizeMendel tracked the segregation of parental genes and their was able to demonstrate that genes are responsible for Experiments on plant1865 appearance in the o spring as dominant or recessive traits. Heturning physical characteristics on and o . She developed hybridizationMendel recognized the mathematical patterns of inheritance from one theories to explain the suppression and expression of Discovery of DNA from nucleigeneration to the next. He stated the three laws of heredity:genetic information from one generation of maize plantsFoundation of Assinsel (one19381869Miescher the Law of Segregation, the Law of Independent Assortmentto the next. Her discovery challenged the concept of theof two ancestors of ISF)and the Law of Dominance. When genetic traits follow the rulesgenome as a static set of instructions passed betweenFirst continuously growing callus Paris Convention for theof inheritance that Mendel proposed, it is called Mendeliangenerations. In 1983, she received the Nobel prize in1939 culturesGautheret, White & protection of industrial property 1883 inheritance, no matter the organism. Physiology or Medicine for her work.NobecourtStart of American Seed TradeCon rmation that DNA carries Association (ASTA) genetic informationAvery,19431883 McCleod & McCarthyRediscovery of Mendel lawsde Vries, Tschermak1900 1908: Discovery of heterosis (hybrid vigour)Shull and East 1953: Description double helix structure of DNA - Watson,1948 Discovery of transposition - & Correns In 1876, Darwin noted that cross-pollinated (hybrid) plants haveMcClintockgreater height, weight, and fertility than their self-pollinatedCrick, Franklin & Wilkins Haberlandt counterparts. The agronomic exploitation of hybrid vigour isThe earlier discoveries of Miescher (1869), Levene (1919) andProtection Convention (IPPC) 19511902 Culture of isolated plant cellsbased on the independent rediscovery of heterosis in maize byCharga(1950) laid the groundwork for the work of WatsonStart of the International Plant George Shull and Edward East, as reported in their landmarkand Crick. The earlierndings, combined with the work on publications in 1908. Shull and East went beyond DarwinsX-ray di raction of Franklin and Wilkins made it possible for First embryo culture -1904 experiments by generating distinct and virtually homozygousWatson and Crick to come to the derivation of the three-dimen- Start of the OECD Seed Hanning lines that were subsequently crossed to generate hybridsional, double-helical model for the structure of DNA. In 1962,1953 Schemesplants. The observation that cross-pollinated hybrids are moreWatson, Crick and Wilkins jointly received the Nobel Prize in 1904 Canadian Seed Growersvigorous than their parents is nowadays commonly referred toPhysiology or Medicine for their discovery of the structure ofInduction of haploid callus from Association (CSGA) established as heterosis and is the major reason why hybrids plant varieties(DNA). Franklin was already deceased.mature pollen grainsTulecke 1953Discovery heterosis (hybrid1908 are so popular. Description double helix vigour)Shull 1953 structure of DNAWatson 1908 Association of Ocial Seed& CrickAnalysts formed 1915: Start of Seed World 1960s: Commercial development of seed coating Firsteld of hybrid sorghum1955 magazine plantedStart of Seed World 1915 Founded in 1915, Seed World Seed treatment isnt a new concept: ancient Egyptians andstarted as a monthly journal magazine devoted exclusively to Seed Interests, with its copyrightRomans treated seeds with, among other options, onion Identi cation of the base, sugarheld by the Seed Trade Reporting Bureau in Chicago, U.S.sap to protect them from pests. It wasnt until the 1960s,1958 Development of somatic 1919 and phosphate nucleotide unitsThe publication has been covering the seed industryshowever, that commercial application of low amountsembryosReinert & Stewardof DNA - Levene news, issues and people on everything from alfalfa toof exogenous materials was pioneered, with the goalFirst plant regenerated from Association of Ocial Seedzucchini and plant breeding to management for more thanof improving the number of seeds that germinate and Certifying Agencies founded100 years. Today, Seed World producing healthier roots and young shoots. Besides bettermature plant cellBraun 1959 delivers business-critical (originally named International1919 information to readers in print, online, via social media andcrop establishment, seeding coating delivers signi cantly Crop Improvement Association) through its e-newsletters.reduced environmental impact, more ecient planting, and Quantitative genetics andimproved ease of seed handling. 1960s Commercial development 1920s breeding developed of seed coatingFirst commercial double cross in corn hybridProduction of large quantities19601921 of protoplastsCockingreleasedEUROPEAN-SEED.COMISEED WORLD EUROPE I 39'