Seed Technologist
Newsletter, Vol. 84, No. 2, May 2010 now available!
2010 All States Noxious Weed Lists
now available
Federal Noxious Weed
Disseminules of the US (FNW E2)
April Items of Interest in Seed Control
Variety
Fluorescence Levels Recognized by the AOSCA National Grass
Variety Review Board
Soybean Virtual
Referee
International Committee Survey
2010 AOSA-SCST
Annual
Meeting Website
February
Newsletter
2010 AOSA Rule
Proposals
Completely
revised AOSA Seed Vigor Testing Handbook
CSU Seed
Analyst Certification Program
Seed Images
Website Expanded and Improved with More Photos
5/10/2010
The May issue of the
Seed Technologist Newsletter, Vol. 84, No. 2 is now
available. The Newsletter can be downloaded from the Member's Only
webpage, contact the AOSA Office if you need the log-in information or
want a copy emailed to you:
aosa.office@twcny.rr.com, 607-256-3313
5/3/2010
The 2010 All States
Noxious Weed Seed List is now available,
download
PDF. You can also download a database of the All States
Noxious Weed Seed list and subscribe to receive email notifications from
the USDA-AMS SRTB from this website:
www.ams.usda.gov/seed
The link to all USDA-AMS SRTB publications
*************************************************************************************************
CPHST announces the release
of the second edition of Federal Noxious Weed
Disseminules of the U.S. (FNW E2), a
tool for the identification or verification of plant
disseminules (seeds and fruits) of taxa on the U.S.
Federal Noxious Weed List, arriving five years after
release of the first edition.
FNW E2 features. . .
- The 11 new taxa that have been added to the list since 2005
- New and simplified key features making the keys easier to use
- A "Key to Keys" to assist users in choosing the correct key to
use
- High quality images of the new taxa
- New descriptive information about disseminule types and detailed
information about the Fabaceae and Poaceae families
FNW E2 is available on the Internet at:
http://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/FNWE2
4/1/2010
April Items of Interest in
Seed Control
now
available (published by the USDA AMS
Seed Regulatory & Testing Branch)
Download PDF
This issue of the Items
of Interest in Seed (IOI) includes two articles based on
the technical aspects of seed testing as promised in the
October 2009 publication. The first article,
―Identification and Characteristics of Select Solanum
Species‖ by Botanist Pattsy Jackson, discusses four
species, three of which are recognized as either noxious
or undesirable weeds in several states. The other article,
―Seed Purity and Identification of Five Poa Species and
Puccinellia‖ by Botanist Charlene Burton, presents helpful
information for analysts trying to distinguish among a few
common species of bluegrass.
The Seed Regulatory and Testing Branch (SRTB) has received
several complaints from customers and State Seed Control
Officials concerning the sale of small-packet vegetable
seed over the Internet. Seed Marketing Specialist Roger
Burton addresses this issue in his article ―Internet Seed
Sales and the Federal Seed Act.‖ To test your knowledge of
what the FSA says about internet seed sales, turn to page
11.
Seed Marketing Specialist Gene Wilson takes us on a
historic journey with his article ―Seed Quality: USDA and
Seed Testing in the Early Years.‖ The article, along with
photographs from the SRTB archives, spotlights the
important role USDA played in the development of seed
testing procedures and requirements. It is interesting to
note that some testing protocols from the turn of the
century are still valid today.
Finally, your feedback concerning our IOI provides SRTB an
excellent way to measure whether we are addressing the
topics that interest you the most. Please send your
comments and suggestions to
linda.vanderhoof@ams.usda.gov.
On behalf of the SRTB staff, I hope you enjoy these
articles and continue to find them informative.
Linda Vanderhoof
IOI Editor
3/22/2010
Variety Fluorescence Levels
Memorandum and the "Variety Fluorescence Levels Recognized
by the AOSCA National Grass Variety Review Board" now available.
Download
Memorandum (PDF)
Download Fluorescence Levels March 2010
(PDF)
2/26/2010
Soybean Virtual Referee
The 2010Soybean
Virtual Referee is now available to download from the SCST website.
Participants will receive one continuing education point. Results
are due May 1, 2010.
Referee webpage link
International Committee Survey
Please complete a quick online survey from the
International Committee:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/H2NJ6C9
Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback to this
committee.
2/23/2010
February Newsletter
The
February Seed Technologist Newsletter is now available to
download from the SCST Members Only webpage. The
username is: seed and the password is: tech!. Both
are case sensitive and you need to include the exclamation
point in the password. If you have trouble accessing the
Member’s Only webpage or would prefer to receive an
emailed or CD copy of the Newsletter and 2010 Rules
Proposals please contact me.
2010 AOSA Rule Proposals
The proposals
are posted on the Rules Committee webpage, you can
download the individual files or one file containing all
of the proposals. Again, please contact me if you need to
receive these by email, on a CD, or in some other manner.
All SCST voting members have the right and responsibility
to review and discuss the proposals prior to voting on
them at the annual meeting. Rule proposals have been
reviewed by the Rules committee to ensure they have the
appropriate documentation and have followed the
established guidelines, this does not mean that the
proposals are endorsed or sanctioned by the
committee. It is the responsibility of every voting
member of SCST to carefully evaluate the proposals on
their technical merit. http://www.aosaseed.com/rules_committee.htm
2010 Annual Meeting Website
& Registration
The website
for the AOSA/SCST Annual Meeting is now available!
The meeting schedule, workshops, hotel link, registration
forms, and all other meeting related information can be
found at:
http://www.aosaseed.com/2010/2010_AOSA-SCST.htm
The website is the source for planning your attendance,
please note the following deadlines: Early
registration must be received by May 1 to avoid late
fees, please make your hotel reservations by May 3 to
receive the meeting room rate.
****New this
year- you can pay
for your registration on-line using the secure PayPal
service (membership NOT required) and immediately receive
a receipt and confirmation. Utilizing this service
allows us to accept additional payment methods beyond VISA
and MasterCard and streamlines the process. The
system is completely secure and very easy to use but
please contact me if you have questions or need
assistance.
2/20/2010
AOSA SEED VIGOR TESTING
HANDBOOK
The Association of Official Seed Analysts is pleased to
announce the publication of a new Seed Vigor Testing
Handbook. The new handbook is a comprehensive revision
of the 1983 and 2002 versions that set the standard for
vigor testing. As a methodical and detailed resource, the
handbook will be of value to seed technologists,
scientists, students, and industry personnel interested in
the fascinating subjects of seed vigor and seed quality.
The Seed Vigor Testing Handbook has been
internationally recognized as an important tool for all
aspects of vigor testing, and the new edition represents
the definitive authority on the theory, standardization,
applications and methods of seed vigor testing.
The handbook is divided into
four parts, each covering a different aspect of vigor
testing. Part One focuses on explaining the importance of
vigor testing, its rich history, basic vigor concepts and
definition of seed vigor. Part Two emphasizes important
issues related to the standardization of vigor tests such
as use of standards, control samples, tolerances, sampling
techniques, etc., general procedures for controlling
variation, as well as presentation and interpretation of
vigor test results. In Parts Three and Four, the authors
have taken a new approach to classifying seed vigor tests
by dividing them into categories according to Aging, Cold,
Conductivity, Seedling Performance, and Tetrazolium tests.
Part Three focuses on the principles of each vigor test,
while Part Four presents detailed descriptions of test
procedures. Considerable research in vigor testing has
been reported since 1983 for specific crops. This
information is compiled in an Appendix that lists more
than 50 major crops and the vigor tests that have been
successfully used to test them.
BRIEF OVERVIEW OF CONTENTS
PART ONE: THE IMPORTANCE OF SEED VIGOR TESTING.
History of Seed Vigor
Testing; Standardization of Seed Vigor Tests; Seed Vigor
Concepts.
PART TWO:
VARIABLES AND GENERAL PROCEDURES IN VIGOR TESTING.
Variables in Vigor Testing; Use of Control Samples;
Tolerances; Proper Sampling Techniques; Determinations of
Soil Moisture Content and Water Holding Capacity;
Adjusting Seed Moisture Content; Assessing Seed Size
(Weight) Variation; Proper Placement of Replicates in
Germination Chambers.
PART THREE: SEED VIGOR
TESTS – PRINCIPLES.
Aging tests; Cold Stress
Tests; Conductivity Tests; Seedling Performance Tests;
Tetrazolium Tests For Seed Vigor Determination.
PART FOUR: SEED VIGOR
TESTS – PROCEDURES.
Accelerated Aging Test;
Saturated Salt Accelerated Aging Test; Controlled
Deterioration Test; Cold Test; Saturated Cold Test; Cool
Germination Test; Electrical Conductivity Test; Single
Seed Conductivity Test; Potassium Leakage Test; Speed of
Germination Test; Seedling Growth Rate Test; Computer
Imaging Tests; Tetrazolium Vigor Test For Corn;
Tetrazolium Vigor Test For Peanut; Tetrazolium Vigor Test
For Cottonseed; Tetrazolium Vigor Test For Dry Beans;
Tetrazolium Vigor Test For Soybeans.
The
Association of Official Seed Analysts acknowledges the
significant contributions of all authors and especially
the four editors who reviewed the final draft: Drs. Riad
Baalbaki, Sabry Elias, Julio Marcos-Filho, and Miller B.
McDonald; their contributions to the advancement of seed
technology are sincerely appreciated. The new Seed
Vigor Testing Handbook is an important demonstration
of AOSA’s commitment to the refinement and modification of
the rules and procedures for seed testing, ensuring that
testing procedures are standardized between analysts and
among laboratories.
ORDERING
INFORMATION
In keeping with
the diverse needs of the seed industry the handbook is
available in several formats: a hardcopy three ring binder
in full color printed on archival quality paper, and
electronic format a CD. The CD includes one printing
license. The cost of the Handbook is $100 for the printed
version and $75 for the electronic options. Please
contact AOSA to order:http://www.aosaseed.com/publications.htm
AOSA, Inc.
101 East State St., #214
Ithaca, NY 14850 USA
Telephone: 607-256-3313
Fax: 607-273-1638
Email:
aosa.office@twcny.rr.com
2/19/2010
NEW SEED ANALYST TRAINING CERTIFICATE PROGRAM
SEED TECHNOLOGIST EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM (STEP) at
COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
Colorado State University
(CSU) is offering a new Certificate Program in Seed
Technology to train seed analysts to work in State or
Commercial Seed Laboratories. The Certificate is an
invaluable tool for anyone who wants a career in seed
technology or for current seed analysts working to
become a Registered Seed Technologist or a Certified Seed
Analyst (RST or CSA). The Certificate Program is designed
to help fill a well documented need for new seed analysts
within the industry.
Although CSU has been offering courses in seed technology
since 1998, it has recently expanded the training to a
Certificate Program which includes 10 online courses
and laboratory training. The program offers 10
distance education courses through CSU and 3 other
institutions: the University of Kentucky, Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and Iowa State University. The
laboratory training may be taken at CSU or at a wide range
of state and private seed testing labs throughout the
U.S.A. The courses are:
-
Seed Anatomy and
Identification
-
Seed Development and
Metabolism
-
Seed Germination and
Viability
-
Seed Purity Analysis
-
Seed Separation and
Conditioning
-
Seed Storage and
Deterioration
-
Large Seeded Legume Seed
Production
-
Vegetable Seed Production
-
Seed Dormancy
-
Vigor Testing
The
Certificate Program is a two year program that costs
about $3000. Scholarships are available for those
needing financial assistance. Anyone interested in this
new educational and employment opportunity should visit
http://step.colostate.edu. For further information
please contact Dr. Jack Fenwick at
j.fenwick@colostate.edu, phone # (970)-491-6907 at
Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colorado.
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