Manager’s Corner

August 2023

Continual Improvements at the Iowa State Seed Lab

Self help advice has been a popular topic for many years.  Years ago it was available through books, magazines and talk shows, but today it likely is podcasts and “googling” for information.  Just as many of us work to improve ourselves in our private lives, many organizations seek to improve themselves through concepts such as quality management systems and LEAN management principles.  The ISU Seed Lab has been ISO 9001 certified since about 2002 and USDA Accredited Seed Lab (ASL) certified since 2011.  Certification has promoted changes that have helped us serve our customers more efficiently and make it more convenient for them.

I am happy to report that in the last nine months or so the pace of change has really accelerated.  As it is critical to get information to customers ASAP, it is neat that almost all of our reports of analysis are now sent via email rather than by the much slower U.S. Mail.  This change eliminated unnecessary steps in the reporting process while making information available to customers much faster.  Along with this we are promoting changes “on the other end” – submitting samples.  While we’ve had “e-transfer”  available for a while, it is much easier for customers to use now.  E-transfer is adding sample submission information to an Excel E-transfer spreadsheet which is emailed to Seed Lab Customer Care and uploaded into out testing database CySeed (“Cy” for Cyclones).  Advantages of e-transfer include eliminating CC staff entering sample information, no confusion over what is on submission forms and quicker availability of samples for the testing process to begin.

We’ve always been proud of our highly regarded focus on customer care.  Cherie’s friendly manner and focus acting on customer requests ASAP were highly appreciated by our customers.  The “baton” was passed to Mattea and now is in the capable hands of Tess and Day.  Tess is our Manager of Customer Relations and as such does a lot of higher level customer care work (most notably working to streamline processes and to make improvements to Customer Care equipment and facilities).  Day (short for Dayana) is our Customer Relations Coordinator and Day’s focus is receiving samples, reporting results and interacting with customers and prospective customers.  Recent changes to CySeed have improved tracking samples, inputting information, generating results and more.  One of the most exciting advances is the use of “Cackle”, our new internal system for tracking communication with customers and also within the Seed Lab.  Cackle has made it much easier for all staff involved with particular samples or situations to be instantly knowledgeable of their status.

DORMANCY – As we make our annual move into testing cover crop seed, DORMANCY once more will be a frequently used word for Seed Lab staff and for many customers.  Please refer to last May’s Manager’s Corner for information about what is dormancy in seeds, how it may be broken during testing and how it affects the length of testing.  Customer Care’s new “Roots” newsletter, which will be sent out soon, provides useful information about Seed Lab Customer Care, dormancy, and other topics.  Testing cover crop seeds typically involves adding a prechill period to the germination period to be able to get a good idea of germination rate of seeds once dormancy has been broken, if it is present.  If the submitted seeds were grown more than six months ago or so, then a prechill isn’t needed.  Notifying ISU Seed Lab Customer Care of the approximate harvest date when the sample is submitted will improve the turnaround time of the sample.

Did you know that the first course listed in an Iowa State College (now ISU) course catalog was Botany XIV “Seeds & Seed Testing”?  In that tradition, Beginner Purity week of the Seed Analyst Short Course will be held the week of August 14th.  Advanced Purity and Germination weeks were held last April.  Please check the Seed Lab website (www.seedlab.iastate.edu) for information about workshops to be offered in 2024 and a lot of information on seed testing.

Archives

Dealing with the Unexpected

In last fall’s Manager’s Corner I focused on renewal – whether the rebirth of plant life in colder climates or the testing of cover crop seed serving as a prelude to the busier winter testing season at the ISU Seed Lab.  Little did I know last September that I would experience personal renewal by the replacement of a heart valve via open heart surgery in late December.  I could have keeled over when the surgeon told me I would be away from the ISU Seed Lab for ten weeks.  In my forty plus years of testing I’ve almost never been away for more than a week.  By the end of ten weeks I wondered if I could adjust to working ten hour days testing seed.  I returned to doing what I love – seeing seedlings grow, identifying fungi on germination tests, talking to co-workers and interacting with customers – and it was almost as if I never left for my ten week “holiday”.

Farmers and other end users of seed also have to be prepared to deal with the unexpected.  Those unexpected occurrences include late frosts, organisms that attack seeds and seedlings, issues with chemicals, equipment issues and much more.  Seed testing can eliminate or reduce the effect of unforeseen and foreseen problems.  For instance utilizing various vigor tests can prove that a seed lot not only will germinate well in good conditions, but do well in moderate to more severe conditions.  Seed health testing can make sure that seeds aren’t carrying pathogens that will hurt the seedlings in the field, but for organisms like White Mold (Sclerotinia), keep a field from having issues for some time in the future.  Extension and Seed Lab staff are good sources for information about which tests should be utilized, while information sources like seed lab web sites or search engines (with the ability to detect what is accurate and what may not be) often are.

Part of many seed species’ mechanisms that help ensure a successful renewal (good field stand, etc.) is dormancy.  “Mother Nature” is “smart enough” to know that seeds harvested before an ongoing winter better not germinate until suitable growing conditions return.  Dormancy may be broken by exposure to cool, wet conditions, to varying temperatures, to light, by further maturing of the seed after harvest, or by other means.  Some species that used to routinely have another coping mechanism, hard seeds, have had it bred out to facilitate uniform field stand.

Table 6A in Volume 1 of the AOSA Rules For Testing Seeds tells seed analysts and technologists for more than 800 species which planting media can be used, what temperature options there are, the length of the standard or warm germination test, specific special requirements for some species and finally what to do to break dormancy in species that may have it.  Dormancy breaking measures include the use of chemicals (Potassium Nitrate – KNO3, Gibberelic Acid – GA3, Ethylene or Ethephon), prechill or predry, scarification and more. Adding a prechill means placing the planted seeds (on towels, blotters, sand, etc.) in a prechill chamber at 5C or 10C for five, seven or more days and then placing the tests in the correct warm temperature.  In today’s world where time is money, an unnecessary prechill means adding to the days until a report of analysis is created.  To that end it is important that seed lab staff know if incoming samples contain seeds that are “recently harvested” (Volume 1 Section 6.9e).  Often there is confusion on what qualifies as recently harvested.  The best bet may be for those sending seed samples to supply the month and year of harvest.   If the month is available, then knowing the year of harvest may be helpful.

If it is discovered that dormancy exists in a seed sample, then options include “TZ-ing” ungerminated seeds (using tetrazolium to tell if seeds are dead or if they are dormant) or doing a retest using the proper dormancy-breaking measures.  Since customers are anxious for results and lab personnel are busy, the best bet is supplying harvest information.

Summer Workshops:  After two successful workshops in April (Advanced Purity and Germination), the focus switches to pretty much weekly conditioning workshops from early June to mid-August.  The summer finishes with a Beginner Purity workshop.  All workshops have plenty of hands-on, talks supplying useful information and networking opportunities.  Please check the Training page on the ISU Seed Lab website (www.seedlab.iastate.edu) for more information.

Best wishes for great summer!

“Renewal”

To me spring is the season of renewal – snow is done (except for those occasional “fun” Iowa spring storms), the landscape is no longer pretty much barren and there is no longer the count down for winter to be done with.  Every winter I watch daily historical record low temperatures increase as the calendar moves forward.  By the time we get to March there is still the possibility of heavy snow, but much less chance of needing heavy winter clothing.

Fall also is a season of renewal for testing species that are harvested mid to late summer or in the fall. At the Iowa State University Seed Lab we are busy year round, it just varies on just how busy.  The health testing side seems to be very busy year-round, while “non-health” testing’s peak time tends to be sometime in October to sometime in April.  Another sign of renewal at Iowa State is the number of students on campus increasing dramatically with the start of fall semester.

I feel that we are also in renewal as COVID backs off.  It, like the flu, is to be reckoned with, but at least we’ve returned to in-person conferences, athletic events, concerts and so on.  With the complications from COVID, the war in Ukraine, the delayed availability of products and so on has come the dramatic increase in costs and prices.  At the ISU Seed Lab we are pleased that we were able to pretty much hold the line on prices since 2016.  Finally we had to give in to higher costs and raise prices on the non-Health side (effective October 1).  Increases on the Health side have been made gradually.  Price lists for traditional testing (Purity, Germination, Vigor & associated other tests) and for Trait (biotech trait detection and quantification) are available on the ISU Seed Lab website (https://seedlab.iastate.edu/seed-testing-price-list/).  Prices are also available with the description of each test method.

This November marks the 43rd  year that I have worked at the Seed Lab.  Doesn’t time fly by?  If you check out the video on the home page of the Seed Lab web page you will see that time has changed me – grayer, heavier and fuzzier.  Time has also changed the way we send out the majority of our reports of analysis.  Years ago, it was almost exclusively by mail, then it went to mainly mail with some faxed reports to mostly mail with some emailed to today when the bulk of reports are emailed or printed from the web locker system.  Are you aware that reports in our secure, available 24 hours a day web locker system are exactly the same as what we email or mail out? Samples can be submitted using the submission form available on the website.  E-transfer is a possible option in which information about samples is placed into a special Excel spreadsheet and then it is uploaded into our seed testing database CySeed.  Submitting samples via e-transfer saves the time normally spent keying in information, plus what a customer submits is what is uploaded into CySeed.

Also, with COVID backing off is the return to in-person conferences. I will run the ISU Seed Lab booth at this fall’s Western Seed Conference/ASTA Farm & Lawn Seed Conference in Kansas City. ISU Seed Science Center seed conditioning specialist Alan Gaul and I will run the booth in Chicago at the ASTA CSS Seed Conference plus there will be others from Iowa State there.  Conferences we will attend in early 2023 include the IPSA Conference in Tucson, ASTA Vegetable & Flower Conference in Orlando and the Agribusiness Expo in Des Moines.   AOSA and SCST held a successful annual meeting in early June near Chicago in which we celebrated SCST’s 100 years of improving seed testing.  This summer saw the return to seed conditioning workshops here in Seed Science while last spring we added another week of training to the Seed Analyst Short Course.  Watch for the opening of registration for next spring’s two weeks of the Seed Analyst Short Course (Advanced Purity and Germination) and next fall’s Beginner Purity week.

We love to talk with customers, email or otherwise communicate about seed testing options, troubleshooting, training and much more.  Here is wishing you a GREAT fall! Enjoy the terrific weather and look forward to the renewal of nature and our spirits next spring.

“Much More Than Corn and Soybeans”

Ever heard the song “We’re from Iowa … Iowa”?  It ends with “That’s where the tall corn grows”.  Then there is an alternative Iowa song and it starts out with “Corn, corn, corn, corn … look a tree!”.  Corn and soybeans definitely are the major crops of Iowa (even though there are quite a bit of oats, rye and other crops grown).  As expected, the ISU Seed Lab tests a lot of corn and soybean seed samples.  What might not be expected is that we’ve tested more than 300 species of seeds, including cactus, palm trees and tobacco.  Would it surprise you that we test quite a bit of cotton and peanuts each year?

Along with the variety of seed species we offer a wide variety of tests.  Testing categories include purity, germination, vigor, health, biotech trait detection & confirmation and other tests.  Within the categories are many options.  For instance, vigor tests offered include cold, saturated cold, accelerated aging, cool test on cotton seed, electrical conductivity, tetrazolium and more.  Health testing has an even wider variety of methods in detecting and/or quantifying fungi, bacteria, viruses, viroids, nematodes, and smuts (more than 400 pathogen/seed species combinations).

Recently we completed three weeks of the long-running Seed Analyst Short Course: Beginner Purity, Germination and Advanced Purity.  These were the first workshops since COVID swept around the world, except for hosting the week-long SCST Genetic Testing Workshop in early March.  The sessions were well attended while matching attendance to COVID safety and facilitating one-to-one training.  Session evaluations confirmed that attendees enjoyed learning as much as instructors enjoyed interacting with attendees.  We were pleased to offer the AOSA & SCST consolidated purity and germination exams during those three weeks as we safely did twice during the two years COVID reduced opportunities.

The Iowa State University Seed Science building is one of the best equipped facilities in the world.  From having multiple conference rooms to well-equipped PCR lab to a beautiful courtyard.  A couple of years ago four growth rooms were added which reduced reliance on other greenhouses on campus plus facilitated the type of grow outs we offer.  Instead of the glass or acrylic panels of a greenhouse we have a beautiful red brick addition lit by modern lighting which offers the necessary wavelengths for optimum plant growth.  The most recent update is remodeling the Seed Lab Customer Care office.  It is terrific that the improved ergonomics will enhance the already outstanding customer service the Seed Lab prides itself in.  Although the Seed Lab is big enough to offer a wide variety of tests on a wide variety of seed species, our emphasis is offering personal, friendly service.

Best wishes for a happy, relaxing and safe summer!

I think all of us have perfected our coping skills after about 20 months of dealing with the many effects of COVID.  Not only doing our best to avoid COVID, but also to deal with shortages of items and of labor.  Farmers and ranchers are feeling the effects of more than COVID: skyrocketing fertilizer prices, shortages of propane, increasing costs of other inputs and so on.  Because of the critical nature of seed testing, I believe it is one of the best “buys” in agriculture. Basic testing, such as the standard (warm) germination test, costs less than $20 per sample for some species at a number of labs.   Even more expensive tests, such as PCR testing for pathogens or biotech traits, are relatively cheap considering their critical nature and the requirements of expertise and high tech equipment.

Members of AOSA (Association of Official Seed Analysts – of which the ISU Seed Lab is a member lab), SCST (Society of Commercial Seed Technologists – of which the ISU Seed Lab has four Registered or Certified individual members) and ISTA (International Seed Testing Association) have been cooperating to improve seed testing procedures and to add additional species to the AOSA and the ISTA Rules for testing seeds.  How are you at acronyms?  AOSA, SCST, ISTA, ASTA, AASCO, AOSCA, USDA, CFIA and other organizations are working together to improve the uniformity of testing results, within and between seed labs.  In the last year AOSA and SCST made significant process identifying a number of changes – increased availability of training, working to standardize reports of analysis, making changes to the AOSA Rules for Testing Seeds, and more.

The ISU Seed Lab and the Seed Science Center (SSC) are key players in seed testing, research, training worldwide and being active in and with many seed-related organizations.  The National Seed Health System (NSHS) was developed with significant input from former SSC seed pathologist Dr. Denis McGee.  Improvement in seed health testing methods and addition of entities certified under the NSHS system involve Seed Lab and SSC personnel.  Seed Lab staff have served on many committees and boards plus have provided leadership in a number of organizations (AOSA, SCST, ASTA, APA, to mention a few).  We love seeds and we love contributing to improvements for farmers, gardeners, seed companies, Seed Lab customers and many others.

After a prudent period of not offering in-person workshops since 2020 (we last offered training in late January and early February 2020), dates have been set for Purity and Germination workshops.  A beginner Purity workshop is set for April 18-21, a Germination workshop for April 25-28 and an advanced Purity workshop for May 2-5.  Plans are to host the AOSA SCST Consolidated Exams on Fridays during two of those weeks.  Registration for the workshops should be available soon.  Please go to www.seedlab.iastate.edu/training for information on training in seed testing and seed conditioning training or for the SSC’s unique on-line Master’s degree in seed technology and in business (STB).

Despite the drought that hampered crops in much of the central and western U.S. last summer we are seeing signs of disease issues in some soybean seed lots.  A rainy and/or foggy late summer and early fall can encourage Phomopsis to move from pods of soybean plants to seeds.  Next spring might see continued dry conditions in the Midwest or it could be cold and wet.  The ISU Seed Lab offers various vigor tests (cold, saturated cold, accelerated aging, cool, etc.) that provide useful information for seed going into less than favorable conditions. The standard (warm) germination test gives an indication of emergence in better conditions.

Best wishes for the remainder of 2021 and for 2022!  Be safe!

—Mike Stahr, ISU Seed Lab Manager

I typically say that autumn is my favorite time of the year. After a frost, insect pests are gone, and temperatures are moderate.  I welcome spring after dealing with an Iowa winter, but I don’t look forward to the mud, in the garden, in the barn lot (mud and more!), and in the field.  That hasn’t been much of an issue this spring as Iowa hopes to recover from a drought.

Interestingly, two of the non-Health tests we offer that have increased most in popularity are the saturated cold test and the fast green test.  It has been a very busy testing season in both health testing and “non-Health testing.”  The saturated cold test inflicts more stress (normally done on corn, but sometimes on soybean and other types of seeds) than a regular cold test.  With much of the Midwest experiencing warmer than average temperatures this spring, the cold test might be a better indication of the suitability of seed to deal with wet and cold field conditions.

The fast green test is typically done on “field” corn seeds (we’ve done it on popcorn, sweet corn, and sorghum) and indicates damage to the pericarp, which is the outer layer of a grass family seed not a seed coat.  I believe that the fast green test is most useful to track damage that may have been caused during conditioning.  Since the embryo of corn seed is well protected, I don’t think that the fast green test is a good predictor of the results of a germination test.  Unlike the sodium hypochlorite (soak) test on soybeans which is a good predictor unless there are fungal issues in the seed lot.

Wow, it was good to lead off a column without mentioned COVID!  While we continue to work to protect Seed Science personnel from COVID and it continues to complicate planning and holding workshops, we are breathing a bit of a sigh of relief as COVID drops back.  At this point, the earliest a seed testing workshop could be held at ISU Seed Science would be in August, but that depends on COVID continuing to diminish.  Please check the Training page of this website for updates.

It is encouraging that ASTA plans to hold an in-person CSS Seed Conference next December.  Many seed-related conferences this summer (AOSA/SCST, AASCO, AOSCA) will be held virtually.  The AOSA SCST Annual Meeting is set to be held June 14-17.  Details can be found at www.Analyzeseeds.com.  It is neat that anybody can view the Open Rules session and other larger sessions of the annual meeting by paying a small fee.  Committee meetings likely will be held in May.  The ISU Seed Lab tests according to the AOSA Rules, ISTA Rules, or the Canadian M&P, as is appropriate.  The AOSA SCST website contains details of two year’s worth of Rule proposals that will be considered in June.

The end of May will be both happy and sad for the Seed Lab as friendly, capable Customer Care lead Cherie Hill will be retiring.  Whether you’ve talked to her on the phone, exchanged e-mails, or talked to her at a seed conference, you experienced her adding a personal aspect to doing business with the Iowa State University Seed Lab.  While the Seed Lab is large enough to offer more than 50 types of tests on more than 300 species of seeds (far more than corn and soybeans!) and test for over 350 pathogens, we appreciate being able to offer “next-door neighbor” type service due to people like Cherie.  We wish her an amazing retirement!

—Mike Stahr, ISU Seed Lab Manager

I will cover  six topics in this Manager’s Corner: Update on testing during the pandemic, expectations for quality of incoming seed from agronomic species, testing industrial hemp & cover crop seed, Seed Science’s new growth room addition, virtual seed conferences and the FREE STB virtual fall short course.

Testing during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Our dedicated staff, temps and students have continued testing seeds and reporting results right through this terrible pandemic.  We’ve taken the precautions of requiring face masks, social distancing, wiping down surfaces and restricting entry to the building.  Those at Iowa State University as a whole have done a good job continuing to attend classes, work and even play football and do so as safely as is possible.

Early Report on Seed Quality:  Quality of cereal seed samples has been good with many samples not having an issue with Fusarium (Wheat Scab). However, for the ones that do we’ve added counts to our evaluations and spaced seeds further apart when retesting problem samples.  Corn and soybean germs have looked good so far.  It does appear that a significant number of soybean samples will have an issue with swollen and hard seeds.  Swollen seeds slow down testing a bit as swollen seeds must be moved to fresh planting media and extended up to five days.  With much of Iowa dealing with a drought there has been a surprising number of soybean samples with Fusarium and/or Phompsis present.   The ISU Seed Lab tests many more species than these, over 300!

Industrial Hemp and Cover Crop Seed:  Unlike what I’ve heard from other state seed labs, the ISU Seed Lab hasn’t been overwhelmed with samples of industrial hemp seed.  This isn’t a bad thing as AOSA and SCST (seed testing organizations) are working to update testing requirements for hemp.  Hemp has been in the AOSA Rules for Testing Seeds since the early 1900’s, but lack in some ways, such as ways to break dormancy.  Testing of cover crop seed went smoother this year as our Purity and Germination labs efficiently moved samples along.  Our newly purchased microscopes that utilize images appearing on a computer monitor aided in ergonomics and ease of identifying seeds.  We also introduced sample bags specifically for cover crop seed.

Growth Room Addition:  Thanks to a generous donor and the work of Seed Science Center Director Dr. Manjit Misra, ISU Seed Science has four new growth rooms to work in.  Seed Science has utilized space in several greenhouses over the years, but they aren’t next to the building and there hasn’t always been enough space available for health testing and testing for biotech traits.  Instead of adding greenhouse space to Seed Science, the four growth rooms  utilize modern lighting so as to be energy efficient (and safe from hail storms!).

Finally, please visit our booth at ASTA’s virtual seed conferences (CSS and the Vegetable & Flower conference).  Also virtual this early November will be the STB Fall short course.  For more information on the FREE short course visit https://www.seedgrad.iastate.edu/virtual-webinar-series/.

Best wishes for a safe and healthy winter!

I will cover three topics in this Manager Corner:  COVID-19 & seed testing, testing cover crop seed and industrial hemp.

It seems like ages since COVID-19 started stirring things up just before Spring Break.  Shortly after Spring Break many employees of Iowa State began working from home and departments that remained open operated behind locked doors.  Although our doors are locked for now, we never stopped testing seeds.  We are following ISU policy as to social distancing and when to wear a mask.  Samples can be dropped off in the drop box on the east loading dock on the north side of Seed Science or shipped as usual.

The number of cover crop seed samples we test increases every year.  We will soon create a section on the Seed Lab web page with many details on cover crop testing (currently information is in more than one place) but I would like to hit a few main points here.  Farmers not participating in the NRCS cover crop program and wanting to check the quality of seeds can request only a warm (standard) germination test.  NRCS requires a purity test and a germination test for their program.  If a farmer plans on selling then a noxious weed exam is required along with the purity and germination tests.  We need to know how freshly harvested the seed lot is as it make a difference in whether we work to break possible dormancy in the seeds.  Basically, we need a little over a pound of cereal (rye, oats) seeds to conduct purity, noxious and germination tests.  If just purity and germination testing is needed then the amount is less than half that. What you can expect:

  • A report of analysis (mailed or e-mailed) that also has the cost of testing.
  • A billing statement from us (Do not pay).
  • An invoice from Iowa State (Submit payment with this invoice).

If you have any questions about testing cover crop seeds please contact Seed Lab Customer Care at 515-294-6828/seedlab@iastate.edu or me at mgstahr@iastate.edu.

We received permission to test industrial hemp seed late last winter.  On hemp seed we offer (mechanical) purity, noxious weed exam, germination, moisture and health testing.  Genetic purity testing, whether seed is feminized, etc. isn’t available at the ISU Seed Lab.  As industrial hemp seed is very valuable we are happy to return seeds that weren’t needed for testing minus a small portion in case there is a need for further testing.  There is a charge to return the seeds to pay for shipping or you can provide a UPS or other delivery service account.  Testing hemp seed isn’t new to the Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA) or the Society of Commercial Seed Technologists (SCST) as it has been in the AOSA rules for testing seeds since the early 1900’s.  Testing a variety of seeds isn’t new to the ISU Seed Lab as we test over 300 types of seeds ranging from agronomic crops to flowers to vegetables to tree seeds.

Best wishes that you and yours stay healthy through the pandemic and that it is over ASAP!

Whom do I contact at the ISU Seed Lab?

The cheery voice you hear when calling 515-294-6821 is likely to be Cherie Hill, but it could be Connie or Morgan.  To contact ISU Seed Lab Customer Care by e-mail: seedlab@iastate.edu.

Lab Manager Mike Stahr:  mgstahr@iastate.edu (best way to contact me) or 515-294-6826

ISU Seed Lab website:  www.seedlab.iastate.edu

ISU Seed Science  Center website:  www.seeds.iastate.edu

The holiday season coincides with a busy time for staff, temp and student workers at the ISU Seed Lab as it also coincides with a busy time for many of our customers.  I have had the pleasure of working at the Seed Lab for ~40 years, if my two years as a student worker are included.  Years ago we had two slower times of the year: late spring into the summer and the month of September.  That changed a few years later when our summers included many samples of flower and vegetable seeds.  Even though we are based in corn and soybean country, we test over 300 species of seeds, including grasses, small-seeded legumes, flower, vegetables and even cotton & peanuts!

August & September 2018 and 2019 were different as we tested many samples of rye seeds and oat seeds for use by farmers as cover crops.  That testing is either for a farmer to meet NRCS requirements (purity, germination, from which Pure Live Seed can be calculated) or for farmers and seed companies wishing to sell to farmers (purity, noxious, germination).  Testing has to be done in a timely manner because many farmers seed from the air and they have seedling dates locked in.  Fortunately, the rye samples (for the most part) didn’t have a problem with Fusarium, but unfortunately, some of the oat samples were pretty dirty (a lot of inert matter).  The dirtier the sample with weed seeds and inert matter, the longer it takes to process and the more expensive it is for the customer.

As of October 28, we switched all testing to our new seed testing database CySeed (Go Cyclones!).  Health testing switched in late June.  There have been some bumps and for that I apologize to our customers who we affected.  CySeed offers many advantages for both our staff and our customers. We have greatly improved search capabilities, increased options to receive information about samples and also the ability to connect Excel spreadsheets, images and instrument-generated reports with samples.  We continue to offer secure web locker accounts, accessible 24 hours a day, in which reports can be printed, results checked and testing progress tracked. To have an account set up please contact me at mgstahr@iastate.edu and provide your account number and a password of your choosing.  Another option which is available for qualifying accounts is e-transfer.  E-Transfer uploads customer and sample information directly into CySeed.  This is especially helpful when variety, lot or information consists of long strings of letters and numbers.  Please contact Cherie or myself (seedlab@iastate.edu, 515-294-6826) anytime you have a question or a comment.

This will be an even busier year than normal for workshops.  In late January we will conduct Purity Week of the Seed Analyst Short Course.  In the past it has been held the week before or after Germination week. Purity week has received rave reviews the past two years as RST Jessica Blake has done a great job organizing and teaching a course that focuses on participants not only getting lots of hands-on time, but also getting much “how to” information from Jessica, other instructors and other students.  The first week of February we will host the SCST Genetic Testing Super Workshop.  Germination week will be the last week of April with the AOSA SCST Germination exam April 30 and the Purity exam May 4.  From there we go to a summer of seed conditioning workshops organized by our colleague Alan Gaul. Please check the Training page for more information.

As always, we very much appreciate our customers!

Mike

Whom do I contact at the ISU Seed Lab?

The cheery voice you hear when calling 515-294-6821 is likely to be Cherie Hill, but it could be Connie or Morgan.  To contact ISU Seed Lab Customer Care by e-mail: seedlab@iastate.edu.

Lab Manager Mike Stahr:  mgstahr@iastate.edu (best way to contact me) or 515-294-6826

ISU Seed Lab website:  www.seedlab.iastate.edu

ISU Seed Science  Center website:  www.seeds.iastate.edu

As we move into our fall and winter testing season I would like to touch on a couple of items:

Submitting Seeds for Cover Crops

Please note the information about cover crop seeds under the picture of the guy who is next to a tray of corn on the lower part of the Seed Lab home page.  If you will be planting seeds that you raised on your own land, then NRCS requires that a (mechanical) Purity Test and Germination Test.  If you will be selling that seed to your neighbor, you must have a noxious weed exam done in addition to the purity and germination tests.  Testing can be done at the Iowa State University Seed Lab or other nearby seed labs (South Dakota State, Illinois Crop, etc.).  A minimum of 75 grams (~3 ounces) of cereal seeds are needed for a purity & germ test; 500 grams (a little over a pound) are need for a noxious weed exam.

How do I submit seeds and where do I send them?

https://www.seedlab.iastate.edu/submitting-samples-forms-e-transfer

How do oats, rye and wheat seed look so far?

It is very unusual for oat seeds to have problems with fungi and we don’t expect problems this year.  Wheat, rye and triticale are a different matter as these types of seeds grown in Iowa are prone to problems with fungi, primarily Fusarium.  Illinois Crop recently reported in its newsletter that there are   problems in Illinois this year with Fusarium and Iowa looks to be in a similar situation.  We haven’t received a lot of rye seed for testing so far, but that is changing as the phone is ringing off the hook with questions about cover crops.

Can anything be done with cereal seed that are of low quality because of Fusarium?

There are a couple of options, depending on the severity of the problem. (Dead seeds can’t be brought back!).  The first is conditioning (processing) the seeds.  Badly infected seeds tend to be lighter and thus an air screen cleaner or gravity table might help.  Alan Gaul (agaul@iastate.edu, 515-294-6826) is charge of the seed conditioning unit at the Seed Science Center.  He has many years of experience working with a wide range of species of seeds.  A second option is to apply seed treatment.  This isn’t always a readily available option for farmers as it isn’t likely that there is a seed company or other facility nearby that does custom treating.  The best bet might be to check with the local county extension office.  On the testing side of things, we can spread seeds further apart to reduce the chance of the fungi spreading in the germination test and we can increase the number of times we check the sample while it is germinating.  Depending on our workload we can custom treat the sample of seeds to give an indication if seed treatment will help.  Unfortunately, this isn’t a good option if a farmer doesn’t have a place to get seeds treated.

Whom do I contact at the ISU Seed Lab?

The cheery voice you hear when calling 515-294-6821 is likely to be Cherie Hill, but it could be Connie or Morgan.  To contact ISU Seed Lab Customer Care by e-mail: seedlab@iastate.edu.

Lab Manager Mike Stahr:  mgstahr@iastate.edu (best way to contact me) or 515-294-6826

ISU Seed Lab website:  www.seedlab.iastate.edu

ISU Seed Science  Center website:  www.seeds.iastate.edu

Dealing with Soybean Seed with Fungal Issues

Dealing last summer with rye seeds that had issues with fungal infection by Fusarium spp. and low germination was a bit of a warning about potential corn and soybean seed quality this fall and winter.  The rains that occurred during the summer became more numerous in September and October, with rainy stretches lasting on & off for a week or more.  Corn seemed to “weather” the conditions very well, but soybeans are a different situation.  Apparently, soybean seed and grain that were harvested before the week-long rains were least affected by fungi.  However, soybeans that endured repeated periods of rain, fog and dry conditions for the most part have problems with Phomopsis (Diaporthe) and Fusarium species.

Phomopsis (Diaporthe) spp. produce overwintering bodies called pycnidia which contain spores (conidia).  The spores infect the stems and pods (pod and stem blight) and if field conditions are rainy and/or foggy, infection can spread to seeds inside the pods.  So far, standard germination tests using crepe cellulose paper (Versapak TM ) have had a range in results from 10% to 99% germination with many seed lots in the range of 50% – 70%.  If Phomopsis is mostly on seed coats then normally a sand germination test or paper towel test will strip the seed coat from the seed and help with the germination test result.  That is not the case this fall with sand and regular germination tests usually being within 5-10% of each other.  Fusarium spp. don’t produce pycnidia and is present superficially or within soybean seeds.  Sand has the advantage of separating seeds on trays of seeds, but Iowa State University Seed Lab staff have done a good job of recognizing when fungi spread from one seedling to another and that is compensated for.  An interesting tidbit about Phomopsis spp. is that it dies out during the hot, humid period of the accelerated aging (AA) test and so it isn’t unusual to have higher AA results than germination test result.

What can a seed company or farmer do to improve germination test scores and hopefully field emergence for seeds with these fungi?  During this testing season, seeds that were fungicide-treated have shown improvements in germination scores of up to 20%, with the most common improvement 10-15%.  At the ASTA CSS Seed Conference held earlier this month in Chicago there were reports of improvement up to 40%, but that seems to be a rare and unlikely increase.  The other alternative is to condition the seeds to remove seeds which are discolored (color sorter), misshapen (spiral separator) or light (gravity table).

The Seed Lab offers custom treating of seed samples to be tested which will give the sender a reasonable idea of likely improvement should the entire seed lot be treated.  For more information on seed conditioning e-mail Alan Gaul, seed conditioning specialist at the Seed Science Center or call 515-294-4011.  For more information on testing “moldy” seeds and possibly improving results of testing, contact Dr. Charles Block (seed pathologist) or Mike Stahr (Seed Lab manager) at 515-294-6826 or e-mail seedlab@iastate.edu.  The Seed Lab web page is available at www.seedlab.iastate.edu.

Options for Low Quality Soybean Seed Lots

Seed producers and farmers in southern Iowa struggling through dry conditions this summer probably never dreamed they would be dealing with weeks of rain this fall.  If you live in the Midwest you are undoubtedly accustomed to swings in temperature and precipitation, but it is probably safe to assume you haven’t experienced a fall like this one.

Iowa experienced a wet spring, followed by a dry July and a resurgence of rain in August and September. Wet conditions are conducive to fungi growth, especially in cereals and soybeans.  Farmers planning to plant rye seed they harvested as cover crops in their fields were likely shocked with warm germination test results required by NRCS and for farmers wishing to sell cereal seed to their neighbors.  In general, seeds looked good, but germination test results in the 40-70 percent range were not unusual.

New crop soybean seed has been arriving at the Iowa State University Seed Testing Laboratory and it looks like it could be a tough year for soybean seed quality.  Foggy, rainy weather this fall facilitated Phomopsis to spread from pods to seeds.  Wet weather encourages spores within overwintering structures known as pycnidia to germinate and move to seeds.  October’s wet weather with occasional dry periods will also likely lead to cracking of seed coats, increasing amounts of fungi, and possibly to pods shattering before or during combining.

The best bet for producers is to have a warm germination test conducted on bin run seed.  Running this test will help producers know if seed quality has dropped and if there is a problem with fungi.  Although a fungal screen using blotters or agar plates conducted by a seed pathology lab is the most accurate way of identifying the presence of fungi and determining the level of infection, the germination test can also provide useful information.

Based on the bin run results, conditioning seed can significantly improve quality.  According to Alan Gaul, seed conditioning specialist at the Iowa State University Seed Science Center, useful cleaning equipment for conditioning soybean seed include an air screen cleaner, spiral or belt separators, gravity table, and color sorter.  Although color sorters have gained wide acceptance, the most significant improvement will often come from increasing the air during post-aspiration, using a spiral separator or gravity table, and finishing with a color sorter.

A viable option in most cases is to treat the seed. The effectiveness of treatment will depend on the severity of fungal damage.  Seed treatments have proven effective, but reach their limit when seeds are damaged to the point of no return.  Some seed labs custom treat seeds upon request.  When germs are unexpectedly low, it might save time and money for a seed company or farmer to have a lab treat seeds from a seed sample and then conduct another test.  If the producer treats the seed lot because of the success of the custom treating of the seed sample, then another germination test must be done on the finished product. If seed treatment isn’t an option due to seeds being organic, then germination results may be improved by planting in sand or in rolled paper towels rather than using creped cellulose paper (i.e. Versapak TM).  Seedlings growing in sand or towels have the advantage of friction removing seed coats.  Seed coats can have fungi present, while the seed itself does not.

The Iowa State University Seed Lab offers many services and educational experiences to help you maintain the best health in your seed. For more information on improving seed quality through conditioning, contact Alan Gaul at agaul@iastate.edu.  For information on fungal infection of seeds or testing low quality seeds contact the Seed Lab at 515-294-6826 or seedlab@iastate.edu.

Contact Mike Stahr at mgstahr@iastate.edu if you have questions about seed testing. If you have questions about reporting or the status of submitted samples, contact ISU Seed Lab Customer Care specialist, Cherie Hill, at seedlab@iastate.edu, or 515-294-6826.

—Mike Stahr, ISU Seed Lab Manager

There’s Never a Dull Moment at the ISU Seed Science Center!

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

Dispelling Misconceptions about the ISU Seed Lab | A Leader in Seed Health Testing | Testing is Our Number One Priority

It’s funny how misconceptions can have so much impact on our decision-making process.  For instance, when driving across the country, when you think about flat, tedious landscapes, what comes to mind?  Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa?  And when you envision a seed lab testing only a few species of seeds— predominately corn and soybeans—does the ISU Seed Lab come to mind because it is located in the middle of a vast expanse of corn and soybean fields?  Well, as many of you are aware, Iowa is anything but flat—just ask anyone who rides a bike in RAGBRAI!  And, in an average year analysts at the ISU Seed Lab test more than 100 different species of seeds. In fact, the ISU Seed Lab has tested for more than 300 species of seeds.

I guess you could say that Iowa State University Seed Lab is both a “typical” AOSA lab, and a “far from a typical” AOSA lab. ISU Seed Lab is a typical seed lab in that it integrates seed testing with a large amount of student training.  However, ISU isn’t a typical seed lab because the Seed Science Center spends each summer designing and hosting conditioning workshops where both entry-level and seasoned industry professionals can receive hands-on, in-depth instruction on the latest in industry equipment. In addition, the ISU Seed Lab conducts a Seed Analyst Short Course on purity and germination each spring and a Seed Quality Workshop each August.  And finally, ISU Seed Lab isn’t a typical seed lab, because we offer custom workshops for seed companies and international visitors, as well as a biennial SCST Genetic Testing Super Workshop—something other labs don’t offer.

A Leader in Seed Health Testing

Industry-wide it is no secret that the ISU Seed Science Center houses one of the top seed health testing labs in the world. In fact, you would be hard pressed to mention a seed-borne fungus, bacteria, or virus that the ISU Seed Lab has not tested for. Additionally, our Iowa (tray) cold test has been an industry standard for testing corn for more than 40 years.  But are you aware that this two-week test is also available as a one-week test?  Many seed companies and researchers choose the Iowa cold test for seed safety testing and custom testing because it is certified to confirm that corn and soybean seed samples meet trait provider standards for all biotech traits, as well as undesired traits. Actually, the more than 100 species tested each year include a significant number of native species.

Testing is Our Number One Priority

When you test with the ISU Seed Lab, you can rest assured that testing seeds is always our number one priority.  Our goal is to provide timely and accurate results to all of our customers while also offering the highest level of customer service available in the industry.

To learn more about what the ISU Seed Lab can do for your company, visit our websites at seeds.iastate.edu and seedlab.iastate.edu, or contact Customer Care Lead Cherie Hill (515-294-6826 or seedlab@iastate.edu) or me, Mike Stahr, at (mgstahr@iastate.edu or 515-294-0117).  We also plan to attend the following conferences, where we’d love to have you stop by to discuss why testing with ISU Seed Lab is always your best option! American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) CSS Seed Conference, Chicago, December 4-8; Independent Professional Seed Association (IPSA) Seed Conference Indianapolis, Jan 8-10; and ASTA Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference, San Diego, Jan 27-30. We look forward to seeing you there!

—Mike Stahr, ISU Seed Lab Manager

ISU Seed Analyst Workshops | Palmer Amaranth Concerns | AOSA/SCST/ISTA 2017 Meeting in Denver

A great deal has occurred since writing my last Manager’s Corner column in February. My staff and I have completed the two weeks of ISU Seed Analyst Short Course training, an American Seed Trade Association (ASTA)-sponsored summit on Palmer amaranth was held recently in Des Moines, and the joint Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA), Society of Commercial Seed Technologists (SCST), and International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) meeting in Denver is fast approaching.

2017 Germination and Purity Short Course Training A Success

Our ISU Seed Analyst Short Courses, held the first two weeks of May (Germination the first week, and Purity the second), once again included many hands-on activities and offered exposure to many species of seed and several testing methods. During Germination week, we spent a full day on tetrazolium (TZ) testing. Participants prepared and evaluated a number of species using TZ methods.  Purity week also offered hands-on experiences on a wide range of seed species and numerous helpful hints for seed identification. A special highlight of Purity week this year was the inclusion of two exceptional webinars provided by Jennifer Neudorf of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Jennifer discussed ways to differentiate species of grass seed and tips for separating Brassicas. As always, both weeks of the short course concluded with their respective AOSA and SCST consolidated exams (germination and purity). The Iowa State University Seed Lab is proud to be one of only a few locations in the U.S. offering the AOSA and SCST tests each year.

Industry Meets to Discuss Palmer Amaranth Concerns

Seed industry professionals and government officials recently convened in Des Moines to discuss issues relating to the prevention of the further spread of Palmer amaranth in the U.S. In the span of a little more than a year, the map of Palmer amaranth infestation in Iowa, which initially included one county in the southern part of the state, and one county in the northwest area of the state, transformed into a virtual checkerboard of affected counties. There continues to be disagreement on how this staggering progression took place. A focus on testing to identify high purity seed lots will undoubtedly slow the spread of Palmer amaranth. It is common knowledge that Palmer seeds are visually indistinguishable from several other Amaranth species.  As a result, the only viable options at this time are a grow-out of suspected seeds or a DNA test. Although a DNA test is a highly accurate option, this high-tech solution comes with a significant cost: $100 per seed (with price breaks at 28 and 49 seeds tested). It will be interesting to see how this situation plays out.

AOSA/SCST/ISTA Meeting in Denver a Unique Opportunity for Seed Professionals

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for seed industry professionals to take part in a global meeting of the minds will take place June 16-23, 2017, in Denver. The joint AOSA/SCST/ISTA meeting will kick-off June 16-18 with four workshops preceding the meeting followed by numerous symposiums, research presentations, and committee meetings following on June 19-22. The event will conclude with a June 23 day-long tour of local seed-related points of interest: Applewood Seed Company, Eurofins STA Lab, and the National Lab for Genetic Resources Preservation. Throughout the week, a number of AOSA, SCST, and ISTA committees will hold joint meetings. As a result, attendees from around the world will have an opportunity to take part in Rule-proposal discussions and other dialogues relating to issues affecting all three organizations. In fact, 28 AOSA Rule change proposals are scheduled for consideration in Denver, on issues ranging from adding native seed species to the Rules, adding a procedure for working with super chaffy seed species to the Rules, to Rule changes reflecting advancements in seed counters. Both the ISU Seed Lab and the ISU Graduate Program in Seed Technology and Business will have a booth at the AOSA/SCST/ISTA meeting in Denver. Be sure to take time out to stop in and visit with us!

For more information about the meeting, visit:  http://www.analyzeseeds.com/2017am/.

—Mike Stahr, ISU Seed Lab Manager

Palmer Amaranth |  2017 ISU Workshops and Short Courses | AOSA, SCST, ISTA Joint Conference | First Recipient of Lisa Shepherd Jenkins Scholarship Named

Challenges Involved in Identifying Palmer Amaranth

My August Manager’s Corner article was written during the early stages of news breaking on the discovery of Palmer Amaranth seed in Pollinator and other CRP fields. At that time, the seed industry seemed to be of the general belief that Palmer seeds could be distinguished from other pigweed seeds. Shortly thereafter, that line of thought was debunked. The problem then became, and remains: How does a seed lab classify pigweed seeds if, and when, they are found in a seed lot? At the time of this writing, Palmer Amaranth is not considered a noxious weed seed, nor a noxious weed in Iowa. That will likely change soon. However, until recently, even in states where Palmer seeds are deemed noxious, pigweed seeds found in a sample would have to be classified as noxious, or as common weeds (because they can’t be separated by species). A DNA test currently on the market that has shown to be effective in separating Palmer Amaranth seeds from other pigweed seeds is offered by the California State Testing Lab and Eurofins BDI. Soon other labs will be able to administer this test. Additionally, another method may soon be available from a lab in Colorado. Although it is critical to identify seed lots containing Palmer Amaranth, and there is a considerable amount of money at stake for farmers and seed producers, the cost of such DNA tests per seed/seeds may be prohibitive. My advice, if it is an option, is that producers ask to view their seed analysis report, as all weed seeds found during a mechanical purity test are listed on the report (rather than being listed as a percentage on the label).

2017 ISU Workshops and Short Courses

The Iowa State University Seed Lab will once again offer the Seed Analyst Short Course (Purity week May 8-11, and Germination week May 1-4) and the Corn & Soybean Seed Quality Workshop (August 15-17). On Friday of each week of the short course the AOSA/SCST consolidated exam will be offered (Germination May 5, Purity May 12). Participants must sign up at www.analyzeseeds.com and qualify to be eligible to take the exams. During each short course in-depth information will be provided by speakers. In addition, participants will receive handouts, will be able to take part in hands-on activities, and will have opportunities for networking. The seed quality workshop allows participants to conduct a variety of tests available for both corn and soybeans.

For more information about these events visit: https://www.seedlab.iastate.edu/training.

AOSA, SCST, ISTA Joint Conference Offers Unique Opportunity

In Denver this June there will be a rare opportunity – a joint meeting between the AOSA (official–public–seed analysts), the SCST (commercial technologists and official analysts), and the ISTA (international lab personnel). The conference will be held June 19-22, 2017, with workshops offered the week prior. Participants will not only be able to attend workshops, symposiums, and committee meetings on many areas of seed analysis, but will also have the opportunity to network with people from around the world. The website for the conference can be found at  www.analyzeseeds.com/2017am/.

Conference workshops will focus on native seeds, flower seeds, seed testing tolerances, and application of statistics. On June 23, tours to the National Seed Preservation/storage lab, Applewood Seed Company, and to the Eurofins STA lab will be made available.

Recipient of First Lisa Shepherd Jenkins Scholarship Announced 

The first recipient of the Lisa Shepherd Jenkins Memorial Scholarship was announced February 15 during the 2017 Iowa Seed Association Scholarship recognition. The event was held in during the Agribusiness Showcase & Conference held at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. Shepherd Jenkins, who passed away in July 2015, served as Seed Health Testing Coordinator for the Seed Science Center and was Director of the Administrative Unit of the National Seed Health System.  She headed one of the most active phytosanitary seed testing programs in the country. Lisa had a great love for many things to do with seeds and the people who test and sell them. For more information about the scholarship recipient visit:  https://www.seeds.iastate.edu/news/moellers-named-first-lisa-shepherd-jenkins-memorial-scholarship-recipient%C2%A0

—Mike Stahr, ISU Seed Lab Manager

Testing Seed for Cover Crops

Currently, using cover crops and putting land into conservation reserve (specifically through the new Pollinator Program) is very popular. However, The Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) requires that seed used as a cover crop (typically rye or oat seeds) be sent to a seed lab for a warm (standard) germination test and a purity test. The Pure Live Seed (PLS) percentage will be calculated and noxious weeds will be checked for. Seed lots being tested will not be certified—as occurs in a crop improvement lab that certifies seeds as to variety, but rather the lab tests them to ensure to NRCS that producers are using quality seeds for cover crops. If seeds are to be sold to other producers, a mechanical purity test, noxious weed exam, and a germination test must be conducted. If primary noxious weed seeds are present in a sample, then the seed lot cannot be sold until the noxious weeds are removed through seed conditioning

If you have a cover crop seed lot that needs to be tested, feel free to send them to the Iowa State University Seed Lab for evaluation. For information on how to submit a sample to the ISU Seed Lab, visit the “Services” page of the Seed Lab website  and select “Submitting Samples, Forms, E-Transfer (https://www.seedlab.iastate.edu/submitting-samples-forms-e-transfer).”  Alternatively, you can call our customer service representative Cherie Hill at 515-295-6826 or e-mail seedlab@iastate.edu.

For more information about requirements for farmers wishing to sell seed, read the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s (IDALS) Selling Agricultural Seed in Iowa” Including Selling Direct From the Farm Permit & Labeling Requirements document, or contact (Robin.Pruisner@Iowaagriculture.gov).

Seed Testing is a Year-Round Occurrence at ISU Seed Lab

Although Iowans and individuals from other states tend to think of fall as the end of the growing season, in reality seed testing is a year-round occurrence. In mid-summer oats are harvested, and testing them requires that a pre-chill be conducted to force the seeds out of their dormancy. Mother Nature wisely prevents many types of seeds from sprouting until after they experience cold temperatures followed by extended periods of warmer temperatures. Seed corn is typically harvested in September, and soybeans in September or October. However, because the ISU Seed Lab receives several hundred species of seeds from across the U.S. and around the world, seed testing in the ISU Seed Lab happens year round. In fact, we continually conduct more than 50 types of tests on flowers, vegetables, grasses, forages, and other species.  The tests range from tests for mechanical purity, to germination & vigor, to phytosanitary evaluations, to tests that verify desired and undesired presence of biotech traits.

Putting Our Customers First

Even though the Iowa State University Seed Lab is one of the largest public seed labs in the world, our focus is on treating seed companies, researchers, farmers, and others as cordially as if we are neighbors talking across the back fence. We offer tests that are essential to the industry—tests that may not be offered elsewhere—while making it a priority that your results are accurate and received in a timely manner.

At the ISU Seed Lab we love what we do. That is reflected by our customers, who continually rate our services as among the best in the industry. As a seed analyst with more than 37 years of experience in seed testing, I look forward to learning something new each day. And, I am proud to say that at the ISU Seed Lab, we carry that enthusiasm forward into serving in leadership positions for such organizations as the AOSA, SCST, and ISTA.

ASTA’s motto for many years has been “First the Seed.” At the ISU Seed Lab you’ll find that we are passionate about seeds—and as always, we will continue to put you, our customer, first.

Mike

Workshops and Certification

Uniformity is of great significance to individuals involved in the marketing of seeds. Consistent and accurate seed testing results provide a solid foundation for the sale of quality seeds between seed companies, as well as from companies to farmers and other end-users. However, lately seed companies and brokers have expressed concern that testing results may differ from testing lab to testing lab—or even within a testing lab.  In response to these concerns, the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), the Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA), and the Society of Commercial Seed Technologists (SCST) have worked to develop strategies to ensure uniformity in seed testing. These strategies include the certification and proficiency testing of seed analysts, and the provision of increased training opportunities.

This year the Iowa State University Seed Science Center hosted the SCST Genetic Testing Super Workshop at Ames on February 8-12.  The Super Workshop consisted of five individual workshops on  the topics of: Molecular Biology, PCR, Immunoassay (ELISA and lateral flow strips), Herbicide Bioassay, and Electrophoresis.  Participants traveled from across the U.S. to take part in this valuable educational program.  In addition to the Super Workshop, the Seed Science Center offers many training opportunities, including the Seed Analyst Short Course, the Corn and Soybean Seed Quality Workshop, and a summer-long schedule of seed conditioning workshops.  This year’s Seed Analyst Short Course will be held on April 18-21 (Purity) and April 25-28 (Germination).  As in past years, the seed analysis exam will be offered on Friday of each week.  What is fairly new, however, is that the purity and the germination exams  are consolidated— AOSA and SCST  jointly offers them.  While Iowa State has offered the AOSA exams for many years, the consolidated exam has only been offered recently .

The Seed Analyst Short Course is designed for beginners, those studying to take AOSA CSA exams or SCST RST exams (same exams – Purity and  Germination – different title awarded on successful completion) and others interested in obtaining well-rounded training in seed analysis.  One-on-one attention is offered to each participant; in fact, we truly believe that the only “dumb” question is the one that wasn’t asked! To register for one or both weeks of the Seed Analyst Short Course, visit our Training page. For additional information on the exams, and to access the application forms necessary for taking the exams, visit the AOSA website at (www.aosaseed.com) or the SCST website at (www.seedtechnology.net).

There aren’t many seed  testing-related  short courses or workshops offered annually in the United States. Past workshops have been located at venues such as the Federal Lab in North Carolina, or at Mississippi State, Colorado State, Oregon State, and the Idaho Seed Analysts Association. Therefore, we hope you’ll consider joining us at Iowa State University Seed Lab where our short courses are recognized for their wide range of species information, training topics, and friendly instructors.  For more information about upcoming ISU training opportunities, including tentative agendas, visit our Training section or contact Seed Lab Manager Mike Stahr  (mgstahr@iastate.edu, 515-294-0117) for more information.

Mike