National Seed Testing Station (SNES)
The SNES is the National Reference Laboratory in France for seed quality analysis for seed import and export. The station contributes to the implementation of seed certification regulations and facilitates national and international seed trade.
Missions
The SNES is responsible for supporting public policy and the industry and has been appointed National Reference Laboratory for Seeds and Plants (since 2017) and Plant Health (since 2020). The station contributes to the application of regulations and facilitates national and international seed trade.
The main activities of the SNES are:
You can consult all tests and services : All our field and forage tests, All our vegetables, ornamentals, fruits, aromatics tests
Organisation and resources
Since 1971, the SNES has been the GEVES technical sector dedicated to expertise on seeds and seedlings.
Based in Beaucouzé, the SNES comprises 4 specialised technical departments and an administrative service:
Examples of innovative material include:
- CT scanner
- Germination benches
- 2D and 3D x-ray imaging, visible imagery
- Phenotyping platform
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)
Click here to find out about all our services.
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
- Evaluate the germination quality of seeds
- Evaluate the effectiveness of biostimulant treatments and the selectivity of seed treatments
- Monitor and supervise a network of laboratories
- Methodological research, standardisation, and monitoring of scientific developments
- Develop tools (eg. Phenosem phenotyping platform) and make them available
- 22 people divided into 4 teams:
- Flower, vegetable and woody species,
- Vegetable, forage grass, and beetroot species
- Field crop species
- Substrate preparation workshop
- 32 growth chambers (with light/temperature/humidity settings), a total of 363m²
- 447 m² laboratory
- 667 m² workshop
Analyzes
Seed quality testing is one of GEVES’s primary missions. Tests include various analyses which are carried out at the National Seed Testing Station.
Physical quality is determined by the following analyses :
- Specific purity
- Determination of foreign species
- Moisture content
- Micro-cleaning
- Radiography
- Dust quantification
- Cytometry
- Botany
Germination quality is measured by:
- Evaluation of germination ability
- Vigour tests
- Viability tests
Seed health is determined by testing:
- Seed health state
- Selectivity and effectiveness of phyto-sanitary treatments
Quality at the SNES
The SNES is ISTA accredited since 2001 (N°FRDL0200). It is thereby authorised to deliver international certificates. The SNES is COFRAC accredited according to ISO 17025 since 2002 for seed testing (Cofrac section laboratoires N°1-1316 GEVES-Beaucouzé). Find out more about GEVES’s quality assurances
History
Contacts
| First and last name | Position | Email address |
|---|---|---|
|
Ms Clotilde POLDERMAN-ROUSSILLE |
Director of the SNES |
|
|
Alice RICHARD-JOLLY |
Head of Customer Service and Sampling |
|
|
Aurélie CHARRIER |
Head of the Physical Analysis Laboratory |
|
|
Jaiana MALABARBA |
Head of the Pathology Laboratory |
|
|
Sylvie DUCOURNAU |
Head of the Germination Laboratory Operational Supervisor of the Seed Phenotyping Platform |
|
|
Thibaut DECOURCELLE |
NRL Coordination & Development Officer |
|
|
Corinne GUIMIER |
Head of Quality at the SNES Customer Service |
|
|
|
Customer Service |
