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.
Do you Know an Amazing Manager? Tell us!
A maverick tends to break away from conventional expectations, showing creativity and originality. This trait can be especially valuable in a seed industry that requires innovation and fresh perspectives. Mavericks […]
CSGA Makes its Pitch to Reintroduce Two Membership Classes
At its virtual annual meeting held June 26, the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association made it pitch to reintroduce two membership classes in what Executive Director Doug Miller said is partly […]
Syngenta Seeds Opens a New-and-Improved Arva R&D Innovation Centre
Syngenta Seeds North America leaders recently welcomed representatives from government, grower organizations, and the seed industry to celebrate the grand re-opening of the Arva Research & Development (R&D) Innovation Centre. […]
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.
Rijk Zwaan Celebrating a Century in Business: What’s Ahead?
In this one-on-one chat, Marco van Leeuwen, Managing Director of Rijk Zwaan, looks to the innovations, adaptation, opportunities and challenges on the seed sector’s horizon.
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.
Early Action Smooths the Way for Both Travel and Contra-Season Production
You’d never know from how calm my house looks that soon we will be locking the door and heading north for two months. We head to North Carolina in June […]
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.
Innovative Crops Could Significantly Reduce Agriculture’s Climate Impact and Environmental Footprint
The Novo Nordisk Foundation has granted CIMMYT up to USD $21.1 million for an initiative aimed at developing new wheat varieties that can reduce agriculture’s nitrogen footprint. Known as the CropSustaiN initiative, this holds promise for enhancing global food security and environmental sustainability.
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.”
ASTA’s Andy LaVigne to Open Seeds Canada’s Annual Meeting in Edmonton
Editor’s Note: Registration is still open for the the Seeds Canada annual meeting! Register via the Seeds Canada website. Seeds Canada’s annual meeting in Edmonton, Alta., taking place July 8-10 […]
Glenn Logan is Helping Pave the Path for Future Seed Leaders as CSGA’s Incoming President
I’ve always believed in the importance of being a good listener. “We have two ears and one mouth for a reason — to listen twice as much as we speak.” Sage […]
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 […]
Hope From an Unexpected Source in the Global Race to Stop Wheat Blast
When seeking resistance to diseases it is common to search among varieties or old landraces from regions where the disease originated. As wheat blast is a disease of humid sub-tropical regions, efforts to control the disease have focused on finding resistance genes among wheat varieties adapted to warmer climates.
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.
Hear About Innovations Like Speed Breeding at AgSmart
New scientific innovations that bring new seed varieties to the market faster will be the topic of an important panel discussion at AgSmart in Olds on July 30. The panel A […]
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.
Register for our Next Webinar to Find out What’s New in the Battle Against Pests and Disease
François Eudes says AAFC’s Role in Plant Science is Evolving, and it has Everything to do with Technology
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s scientific capacity today is not less than it was prior to 2000, François Eudes says. What’s really changed is the speed of technology. François Eudes wears […]
How to Become an Effective CEO of Your Career
We sat down with Jovan Djordjevic, director of education at UC Davis’ Seed Biotechnology Center (SBC) and co-founder of Murray River Seeds, to talk about why continuing education is worth the investment, no matter what part of the seed value chain you call home.