Montpellier, France – Seed health experts of the International Seed Health Initiative (ISHI) gathered for the 2026 ISHI Technical Meeting on 5-9 October 2026. Two highlights stood out during the technical working group meetings: a joint workshop with ISTA on statistical tools for seed health comparative tests, and a social dinner sponsored by the French seed association, UFS (Union Française des Semences).
Workshop on statistical tools for seed health comparative tests
During the Technical Meeting, ISHI joined forces with the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) to organize a workshop on statistical tools for seed health comparative tests.
Through presentations and practical exercises, participants explored new statistical approaches to determine the number of samples needed for comparative tests, support their preparation, and analyze the results.
The collaboration has led to the development of an integrated statistical tool that combines existing and newly developed tools. It will be available on the ISTA website and will support a more robust and consistent evaluation of the reproducibility of seed health testing methods.
The Guidelines for the Organization of Comparative Tests will also be updated to incorporate these new advances.
UFS hosts social dinner for the ISHI community
On 5 October, ISHI members gathered for a social dinner sponsored by UFS, held alongside the Technical Meeting. It was a great opportunity to catch up with colleagues, exchange ideas, and enjoy good food and conversation outside the meeting room.
ISF would like to thank UFS for sponsoring the evening and bringing the ISHI community together, as well as the ISHI France members for their help in organizing it.#
