International Seed Testing Association would like to add new techniques and species to Chapter 8 of the ISTA Rules

International Seed Testing Association (ISTA)would like to add new techniques and species to Chapter 8 of the ISTA Rules. The Variety Committee is organizing Comparative Tests to select and validate DNA-based microsatellite markers for the following crops:  Oat, Soybean, Pea, and Barley. The markers will be evaluated through testing a diverse set of varieties gathered from various regions worldwide.

 Interested parties can contribute with seed varieties of their region, and if your laboratory has access and experience using a denaturing gel or capillary electrophoresis system for DNA analysis, we also encourage you to participate in one or more Comparative Tests to help validate the new markers.

 If you are interested in contributing with regional seeds or participating directly in the Comparative Test for Barley, please email Verena Peterseil for more information: verena.peterseil@ages.at

 And, if you are interested in contributing with regional seeds or participating directly in the Comparative Test for Pea, Soybean or Oat, please email Marie-José Côte for more information: marie-jose.cote@canada.ca

 Please, contact us before September 1st.