Announcements
 
 
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

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:

  1. Seed Anatomy and Identification

  2. Seed Development and Metabolism

  3. Seed Germination and Viability

  4. Seed Purity Analysis

  5. Seed Separation and Conditioning

  6. Seed Storage and Deterioration

  7. Large Seeded Legume Seed Production

  8. Vegetable Seed Production

  9. Seed Dormancy

  10. 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.

2/17/2010 Seed Images
SEED IMAGES is a unique website of seed photos established by the SEED TECHNOLOGISTS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM (STEP) at Colorado State University in 2002 to help the seed analyst and anyone in the seed industry identify unknown or questionable seeds. It has undergone many changes and improvements during its 8 year history. Many new photos with seed descriptions have been added as well as a finely tuned search engine.

SEED IMAGES now contains over 1700 full color images of native, crop and weed seeds along with written descriptions of the species.

Some of the features of the website are:

1. Magnifica-tions of 100X for ease of identification.
2. The site has a user friendly search mechanism for many different seed characteristics including size, shape, color and texture.
3. Identification is by scientific and common names.
4. Species included are agricultural grain, forage, vegetable, tree, shrub, herb, flower and state and federal noxious weeds.

One of the most useful options in the SEED IMAGES database is the Seed Comparison Tool that allows one to identify seeds that look similar by showing two different seeds side-by-side on the same screen.

SEED IMAGES is in the process of adding a large number of tree, vegetable and range species to the photo collection. A video demonstration of how the database works can be seen by going to SeedImages.com and clicking on the "Seed Database Demo" link. SEED IMAGES is a virtual seed herbarium and a valuable resource for seed technologists, conditioners, company managers, educators and related research institutions. Users can subscribe or renew their subscriptions online.

Laboratories that are working with the two Photo Books issued by STEP can update their books by downloading new species from SEED IMAGES and print out the photos they desire. There are 5 different subscription options available: The most cost effective is the 24 month subscription for $200. The 12 month rate is $100. There are 3 trial subscription options: 3 days for $10, 3 months for $35, and 6 months for $65.

To renew a subscription or initially subscribe visit the SEED IMAGES website at www.seedimages.com and click on Subscribe Now.