Proficiency Tests
All ISTA Member Laboratories are eligible to participate in all Proficiency test (PT) rounds of the ISTA PT Programme.
It is mandatory for ISTA Accredited Member Laboratories (depending on their Scope of Accreditation) and voluntary for non-accredited laboratories who want to benchmark themselves with accredited laboratories and prepare themselves for ISTA Accreditation in the future. ISTA offers the following Proficiency Tests:
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Standard PT
The first comparative test system organised by ISTA with the aim to estimate the technical competence of member laboratories and prepare them for ISTA Accreditation. It includes traditional tests that are most common in the seed testing laboratories such as purity, other seed determination, germination, moisture, and viability tests.
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GMO PT
Participating laboratories can verify their ability to detect GM seeds in samples of conventional seeds. For the testing procedure, laboratories can select the appropriate method to detect the presence or absence of GM seed and to quantify their presence.
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Seed Health PT
Participating laboratories can verify their ability to detect a particular pathogen on seeds of a specific species. For the testing procedure, laboratories should follow the testing procedures described in the ISTA Rules.
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DNA PT
Participating laboratories can verify their ability to obtaining DNA profiles using marker sets. For the testing procedure, laboratories should follow the testing procedures described in the ISTA Rules.
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Non-members of ISTA may participate in the ISTA PT Programme
| Participation cost |
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GMO PT : 1000 CHF per round |
Participation comprises shipment of samples, statistical analysis, and reporting to the participating laboratory. Non-members who wish to participate should contact the ISTA Secretariat.