Historical Paper - Volume 2 2008 - International Seed Testing ...

HISTORICAL REPORT FROM THE PURITY COMMITTEE
The Workshops were often used to try new test methods such as classification of
multiple seed units (MSU) before change of the Rules were presented at the ISTA
Congresses. This doubtless facilitated the understanding of the Rules proposals among
the ISTA membership.
The Workshops were also used to present the ongoing working programme of the
Purity Committee, and as a means to inform ISTA members about the changes planned in
the ISTA Rules. Through the discussions and exercises the participants became owners of
the ongoing changes, and the Purity Committee got valuable feedback, which helped in
the formulation of Rules proposals.
The summary of the workshop report from Wageningen 1978 (Anonymous 1979)
clearly express the purpose of the ISTA Workshops from that period: The primary object of
the workshop was uniform interpretation of the International Rules for Seed Testing…The
new Rules have been in force since 1976 and the analysts were therefore well prepared
to discuss the needs for further elucidations of difficult or unclear paragraphs. The
secondary object was to promote discussion of new ideas for testing seeds and of further
amendments to the present Rules to be presented at the Vienna Congress in 1980.
The use of special equipment in seed testing, such as blowers, sieves, magnetic
separators, indented cylinders, image analyses and other kind of equipment, have also
been part of most of the ISTA purity Workshops.
Information on seed collections, literature on seed morphology and not least the
identification of selected crop and weed seeds have always been part of the programme
(Jensen 1979a, 1979b, 1979c, 1979d).
Many regional workshops have been arranged, and they have played an important role
in teaching the use of the ISTA Rules and in the understanding of the work performed by
ISTA. Some were held in other languages than English. Reports on such workshops can
be found in the ISTA News Bulletin and in Seed Testing International.
One example: a regional workshop organised by Jack Butler, Australia, was held in
Colombia in 1984 on selected tropical grasses and legumes. It was concluded that the
Pure Seed Definitions (PSD) for many of the species tested needed revision (Landenmark
1987).
The ISTA Workshops were also excellent opportunities to exchange information on
analyses etc, and to meet colleagues and friends from other countries. The social events
have always been important in the ISTA family.
6.2. Other training activities
Study visits, exchange of scientific staff and analyst have played an important role in
improving the work and staff qualifications at ISTA seed testing laboratories. Participants
have obtained general knowledge on how to perform the purity analysis and determination
of other seeds by number as well as analyses of specific species. General purity courses
have been shared between the Scandinavian countries and between Germany and
Hungary.
A presentation of the training system for the seed analysts at the Wageningen Seed
Testing Station was published by Schoorel (1962), and training seed analysts has always
been of concern of the Purity Committee (Everson 1968a).
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