ISHI 2026 Annual Conference in Montpellier: innovation for seed health

The International Seed Health Initiative (ISHI) held its annual technical meeting in Montpellier, France, from 5 to 9 October 2026. Every year, ISHI brings together international experts in seed health – ISHI members and observers representing seed companies, specialist laboratories and official bodies – to review progress on methods for detecting pathogens transmissible via vegetable crop seeds. The ISHI also develops guidelines and best practices for the development and validation of detection methods.

The 2026 event brought together more than 85 experts from 19 countries. The GEVES pathologists, as members of several ISHI working groups, were present to discuss a number of ongoing projects aimed at improving methods for analysing seed health.

A workshop focusing on the statistical analysis of data from inter-laboratory comparative trials was also organised with the participation of the ISTA (International Seed Testing Association) Seed Health and Statistics Committees. This session enabled participants to discuss the statistical approaches used for method validation and to harmonise practices with a view to enhancing the robustness and reliability of the protocols developed.