ISHI 2024: annual meeting

The annual meeting of ISHI (International Seed Health Initiative) members was held in Valencia, Spain, from 23 to 27 September.

This important international technical committee of the International Seed Federation (ISF) aims to develop and validate methods for detecting pathogens transmitted by vegetable seeds.ISHI also establishes guidelines and best practices for the development and application of methods. The event brought together 70 members from 16 countries, from private companies (seed and analysis) and examination offices (GEVES, Naktuinbouw, ANOVE-INIA).

The GEVES Pathology Laboratory and Detection Unit teams are heavily involved. They participate and coordinate nine projects for ISHI, on pathogens (bacteria, fungi and viruses) and various species such as squash, tomato, lamb’s lettuce and bean, contributing to developments in seed health quality analysis methods. The GEVES collections of isolates and seeds contribute to the validation of methods.

GEVES also coordinates the technical group on species of interest consumed as bulbs, roots and leaves, one of the 4 ISHI technical groups.

Find out more about the ISHI methods already published for pathogen detection and best practices.