Main activities:

• Evaluate the physical quality of seeds
• Develop and improve testing methods
• Organise workshops and publish technical documents

Human resources:

• 21 people – 5 teams:
  • Purity and micro-cleaning
  • Purity and dust testing
  • Purity, moisture content and radiography
  • Cytology: determination of ploidy level and identification of species
  • Botany: expertise on seeds and seedlings

Specialised equipment:

• National reference collection of 17,000 species of seed
• 757 m² laboratory (radiography, botany, micro-cleaning)
• Faxitron x-ray system model MX-20DC12 (20 μm focal spot)
• Heubach Dustmeter
• Flow cytometer
• ID.SEED®

Missions :

• Evaluate the sanitary quality of seeds: 200 host/pathogens pairs
• Evaluate varietal resistance under controlled conditions: 171 host/pathogens pairs
• Evaluate (Biocontrol and conventional): 25 pathosystems
• Carry out NRL SV missions: 59 host/pathogens pairs
• Produce inoculum in various forms (contaminated seeds or grains, solid or liquid medium, plant organs, spores, DNA)

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The laboratory also carries out :

• coordinating and supervising the network of recognised and officials French laboratories
• training technicians and engineers in the
• sector qualification: certification of aptitude for base analysts and senior laboratory analysts
• carrying out official analyses and controls within various regulatory frameworks

To carry out these tasks, we are responsible for :

• Maintaining a collection of reference strains
• Co-organising the MATREF network
• Developing pathosystems
• Developing and improving methods
• Coordinating and participating in research and development projects
• Organising inter-laboratory trials (EIL)
• Training courses and visits
• Epidemiological studies
• Validating and supplying reference material
• Acting as an expert : in national and international mandates and technical committees
• Auditing

Human resources:

Our accreditations:

• COFRAC accreditation – ISO 17025
• ISTA accreditation
• CPVO autorization
• Quarantine agreemment
• DGAL accreditation

The laboratory in more detail:

• 550 strains of pests in a reference collection: list of pests available
• 221m² greenhouse / 156m² quarantine greenhouse
• 30 climate modules (with light-temperature-hygrometry controls) i.e. 216 m²
• M² quarantine zone

Missions :

• Assess the germinative quality of seeds (germination, vigour and viability of seeds)
• Evaluate the efficacy of bio stimulant treatments and the selectivity of seed treatments
• Lead and supervise a network of laboratories
• Develop and standardize methods
• Develop and make available tools e.g. PHENOTIC platform (phenotyping)

Human resources:

Specific equipment:

• 32 climatic room germinators (with light-temperature-hygrometry controls) with a total surface of 363 m²

• 447 m² of laboratory space (semi-automated sowing, seed treatment room, seed testing evaluation laboratories)

• 667 m² of workshop space (substrate preparation equipment, washing tunnel, storage areas)

• Phenotyping equipment: 5 germination phenotyping benches (Multicam); 1 growth phenotyping bench (Eloncam); WinRhizo

Seed quality analysis is one of GEVES’s main missions. The tests include various checks carried out at National Seed Testing Station (SNES).

Germination quality is determined by :

• Germination tests: the aim of these tests is to determine the percentage of normal seedlings in optimal germination conditions for the species tested

• Vigour tests: these tests are designed to assess the physiological quality of seeds under stressful germination conditions (cold test), or penalising storage conditions (accelerated ageing, controlled deterioration); or by indirect measurements of electrical conductivity indicative of any deterioration of the cell membranes

• Viability tests: these tests assess the viability of seeds without germination, by staining viable seed tissue with 2, 3, 5 triphenyl tetrazolium chloride

The methods used in these tests are mainly described in the ISTA Rules (current version) and in the ISTA Handbooks related to these different tests.

The effect of seed treatments (bio stimulants or other products) can be assessed by testing :

• The presence or absence of toxicity abnormalities caused in the seedlings.
• The impact of the treatment on seed germination rate
• The effect of the treatment on seedling growth (growth rate, size of developed seedlings).