Euroseeds Joins Over 100 European Associations in Signing Joint Statement for an Ambitious FP10
In the shaping of the next European Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10), Euroseeds together with 109 European associations representing key European RD&I stakeholders, have urged the EU Institutions to increase the current budget in view of FP10 and to make pan-European collaborative research the cornerstone of FP10, answering industrial needs by excellence.
€78 Million for Research on Resilient Crops and Ecosystems
A new research project will focus on the development of climate-resilient crops. The project, led by the University of Copenhagen, will receive around €78 million euros over a period of seven years. Researchers from MARUM will be contributing significantly to the project.
Snapshots from the ISTA Gala
When one event brings together more than 200 passionate seed experts, every available moment is filled with learning, chatting, reminiscing and exchanging ideas. Here’s a look into the International Seed Testing Association’s Centenary Annual Meeting so far.
Major Genetic Resource Regulatory Decisions Ahead for ITPGRFA
Michael Ryan, co-chair of the working group at the International Treaty for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), talks through some of the biggest issues in seed regulatory today, from the extension of crops in Annex 1 to including DSI/GSD in the ABS system.
The Seed Industry in the Land of the Free
This Fourth of July, I’ll spend the day with my family having fun (hopefully under the sun), eating American staples and capping it off with an amazing fireworks show. I also want to urge myself and you to take a moment to reflect on the spirit of independence that defines this great nation. Today, we celebrate freedom, resilience and the innovative spirit that has driven the United States through generations. The seed industry is an often-overlooked hero of American progress.
Here’s How We Saw It: Snapshots from Wednesday at ISTA
When one event brings together more than 200 passionate seed experts, every available moment is filled with learning, chatting, reminiscing and exchanging ideas. Here’s a look into the International Seed Testing Association’s Centenary Annual Meeting so far.
Priorities, Politics, and Seed Testing’s Role: Thoughts from ISTA 2024 So Far
We’re three days into the International Seed Testing Association’s Centenary Annual Meeting and I thought I’d take a moment to get some of the thoughts buzzing in my head onto paper. Seed testing is an absolutely critical component of the functioning of the seed value chain, but it’s often easy to narrow it to terms like ‘compliance’ and ‘quality assurance’ rather than thinking of ISTA’s even more important attribute: people.
Here’s How We Saw It: Snapshots from Tuesday at ISTA
Friendships renewed, business partnerships confirmed, business deals in discussion… and a whole lot of handshakes. Here’s a sneak peek at Day 2 of the ISTA Centenary Annual Meeting in Cambridge.
ISTA Holds Open the Door for Young Talent
Like every organization across every part of the seed sector and beyond, the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) knows attracting the next generation — the talented professionals, researchers, analysts and scientists who will be willing and capable of carrying ISTA into the future — is a critical priority. Recognising that need, ISTA initiated a program to support seed testing up-and-comers and spread ISTA’s messages to a demographic ISTA admits it hasn’t always been successful in reaching.
Highlights from ISTA Day 2: How the Work Gets Done
ISTA is, by its very nature and its core mandate, an organization focused on details and structure. Perhaps not surprisingly, it breaks its association work down into an impressively long list of clearly defined working groups called Technical Committees. At ISTA’s Centenary Annual Meeting, the schedule both today (Day 2 of the event) and tomorrow are committed near solely to updates from each of ISTA’s many Technical Committees, including:
Onwards for APSA!
Five months into her new role as executive director at the Asia and Pacific Seed Alliance, Francine Sayoc has grabbed confident hold of the reins and is leading the association in bold new ways forward.
Here’s How We Saw It: Snapshots from Monday at ISTA
Friendships renewed, business partnerships confirmed, business deals in discussion… and a whole lot of handshakes. Here’s a sneak peek at Day 1 of the ISTA Centenary Annual Meeting in Cambridge.
LIVE from ISTA: Highlights from Day 1
During the last three three-year strategic periods, the ISTA strategy concentrated on growing membership especially in regions where ISTA accredited laboratories were not sufficiently available to the ISTA stakeholders.
ISTA Centennial Annual Meeting Officially Underway: Stay in the Know
The International Seed Trade Association (ISTA) today officially welcomed more than 200 researchers, seed testers, regulators, and more to beautiful Cambridge, UK for the start of ISTA’s Annual Meeting. This year’s event is extra special because it marks ISTA’s 100th anniversary, celebrated in the same city where ISTA was formally created back in 1924.
Low-Cost Soil Nitrate Sensors For Better Nutrient Management
Engineers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW-Madison) have created low-cost sensors that allow for real-time, continuous monitoring of nitrate in soil types prevalent in Wisconsin. A UW-Madison news release said these innovative printed electrochemical sensors can help growers make better nutrient management decisions and see economic benefits.
EU Council Deadlock on NGTs Further Delays Innovation for Europe’s Plant Breeders and Farmers
Euroseeds expressed disappointment as EU Member States again failed to agree on the Commission’s proposal for regulating New Genomic Techniques (NGTs), according to a press release. Despite the Spanish and Belgian presidencies’ efforts, differences over the patentability of NGT-derived innovations prevented consensus.
Vandals Destroy Italy’s First Gene-Edited Rice Field Trial
Euroseeds condemns the destruction of Italy’s first open field trial of gene-edited rice by vandals on June 21 in northern Italy. This trial was crucial for testing the resistance of the rice, named ‘RIS8imo,’ against fungal diseases, representing a significant advance in sustainable agriculture.
Food Security is National Security
Cyber attacks targeting the food and agriculture industry, including the seed sector, are on the rise in the United States. To address these evolving threats, the National Food and Agriculture Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) has partnered with Iowa State University, the University of Nebraska, Purdue University, and Virginia Tech. This collaboration aims to pair university research experts with real-world industry threats, designing solutions to protect the sector.
Four St. Louis Startups will be Given the Spotlight at the NAPB’s Upcoming Meeting
The National Association of Plant Breeders (NAPB) is getting ready to hold its 2024 meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, from July 21-25 — and this year’s concept is an important […]
USDA Invests $70 Million in Agricultural Projects
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announces a significant investment in innovative agricultural projects. These projects aim to enhance sustainability, boost production, and reduce the environmental impact of agriculture in the United States.
Welcome to Cambridge!
ISTA has made tremendous progress in the field of seed science, sampling and testing in the past 100 years. It has become a key organization for verifying the quality of seeds worldwide and has long been at the forefront of global seed and food security.
Plant Breeding for Climate Change – Carbon Sequestration
“Six years ago, all the professors in plant biology at the Salk Institute decided we wanted to work on climate change because we thought that was the biggest problem that we currently face,” Wolfgang Busch, executive director of Harnessing Plants Initiative at the Salk Institute of Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, says. “We obviously knew that plants are great at capturing carbon dioxide from the air through the process of photosynthesis and we started to think [about] what we could change in plants to make them better at storing more of this captured carbon dioxide for longer.”
Laser Beams and 3-D Printing Improving Crops
Modern plant breeding is now a data-driven endeavor, harnessing machine learning algorithms and advanced imaging technology to select desirable traits. “Plant phenotyping,” the science of gathering precise information and measurements on plants, has seen significant advancements in recent years.
NC State Introduces AI Crop Analysis Tools
North Carolina State University’s N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative (PSI) introduced a robot named BenchBot 3.0 that will be tied to PSI’s newly acquired supercomputer, the NVIDIA Grace Hopper 200, according to a NCSU news release. Together, the two tools will deliver enhanced AI-based data-collection and data analysis for agricultural applications.
ISTA International Rules for Seed Testing are Pivotal to Global Seed Quality
The International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) International Rules for Seed Testing includes 19 Chapters describing principles and definitions in detail. The Rules are designed for many agricultural crops, flowers, trees, shrubs, medical and herbage species.
NAPB Announces 2024 Scholarship Recipients
As it prepares for its annual meeting next month (register by July 1 for a discounted rate), the National Association of Plant Breeders (NAPB) has announced the recipients of its […]
ISTA: How the Work Gets Done
The principal objective of ISTA Technical Committees (TCOMs) is to develop, standardise and validate methods for sampling and testing seed quality, using the best scientific knowledge available.
Corn of the Future
University of Washington researchers combined climate projections with plant models to determine what combination of traits might be best adapted to future climates, according to a release. The study used projections of weather and climate across the U.S. projected to 2050 and 2100 alongside a model that simulates corn’s growth to find the mix of traits that will produce the highest, most reliable yield under future conditions across the country.
Bayer and Solynta are Bringing True Potato Seed to Smallholder Markets
Agreement focuses on commercialization and distribution of disease-free, high-quality starting material to smallholder farmers in Kenya and India, the companies said. Bayer and Solynta have reached an agreement to collaborate […]
NIAB Chief Urges Next Government to Prioritize Implementing Rules for Precision Breeding in Agriculture
Speaking at a Westminster Forum event titled ‘Next steps for gene edited foods in England’ on June 17, NIAB chief executive Professor Mario Caccamo outlined that following 10 months of scrutiny and debate, both Houses of Parliament approved the Precision Breeding Act in March 2023. This legislation establishes a framework for expediting and streamlining the regulation of precision breeding techniques, including CRISPR gene editing, in agriculture.
USDA Updates Climate Adaptation Plan to Bolster Resilience Nationwide
The White House Council on Environmental Quality and the Office of Management and Budget, are working to better integrate climate risk across their mission, operations and asset management.
ISTA: A Century of Progress in Seed Quality Assurance
Founded in 1924 in Cambridge, England, the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) is inextricably linked with the history of seed testing. Today, Member Laboratories and Sampling Entities, Personal Members and Associate Members represent over 80 countries worldwide.
Study Reveals Stable Soil Moisture Variability
A multi-institutional study led by University of Illinois and Agroecosystem Sustainability Center (ASC) scientists concluded that, although soil moisture varies significantly both within a single field and from field to field due to varying soil properties and different management practices, soil moisture distribution relative to the field average remains consistent across time within each field.
Dan Foor Activated as New ASTA Chair
Dan Foor, senior vice president of distribution at DLF North America, is the new chair of the American Seed Trade Association’s (ASTA) board of directors. In a gavel-passing ceremony at ASTA’s Leadership Summit in Nashville, Dave Armstrong, concluded his one-year term and shared thanks and personal reflections in his final address.
ISTA: A Brief History of Seed Testing
Frederich Nobbe published his famous Handbook of Seed Science and the motto of the meeting held in Hamburg that year was “uniformity in seed testing”. This later became the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) logo.
You Won’t Want to Miss Cambridge!
The International Seed Testing Association is in the final planning stages of its Centennial Annual Meeting, coming up July 1-5 in Cambridge, UK. Mark your calendar to be part of the celebration and the goal setting as ISTA steps into its second century.