Skip to main content
Our Purpose

Providing protocols for species not included in the ISTA or AOSA Rules for Seed Testing

The Wild Species Working Group is a collaborative effort between the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA), KEW – Millennium Seed Bank Partnership, the Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA) and the Society of Commercial Seed Technologists (SCST) to create a web site designed to provide recommended protocols for species which are not included in the ISTA or AOSA Rules for Seed Testing.

About Methodology

Methodology chapters for testing wild species seeds for use as reference and training, a gallery of images to help confirm or identify unknown seeds and a glossary of botanic and testing terms are included in the web site.

More about Methodology

About Testing Wild Species

Testing wild species seeds is a fascinating practice that sometimes borders in the unexplored realm of understanding that begs discovery. From the varied colours and shapes captured in the seed images of our gallery to the perplexities of the mysterious levels of dormancy hidden within the seeds, we need and welcome all who wish to wander in this world of wild seeds. Should you have interest in testing wild species, this website has been built for you.

The Wild Species Working Group is comprised of highly knowledgeable people with many years of experience and who have served in a spectrum of seed testing leadership roles. The working group is built under the Terms of Agreement between the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA), KEW Millennium Seed Bank Partnership, the Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA) and the Society of Commercial Seed Technologists (SCST).

Should any seed analyst with an active interest in testing wild species (also called natives) be interested in helping with this project, please contact any member of the Working Group. The amount of work ahead is voluminous, and all help is welcome. Together, we can strive to build this website.

Understanding that begs discovery.

species

  • Species. A category of classification lower than a genus that is made up of plants which possess in common distinctive characteristics that are reproduced in their offspring. The species name included second to the genus in the scientific binomial. Fenwick, J.R. revised 1995. Laboratory Manual for General Crops- Glossary. Unpublished class notes. Dept. of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University. Pages 104-111

seed, seeds

  • Seed. The part of a plant which is able to develop into a new plant. ISTA Handbook on Pure Seed Definitions, Glossary. 3rd Edition 2010

  • Seed. Botanically, a seed is a mature fertilized ovule containing an embryonic plant; usually it has nutrient storage tissue and is surrounded by a protective coat, the testa. This structure is a "true seed"; however, the ovules of many species have additional structures of the mother plant attached or fused to the seed coat. For example, the "seed" of Triticum aestivum (wheat) is botanically a fruit because the pericarp (ovary wall) is fused with the seed coat. In these rules the term "seed" will be used in the agronomic sense (i.e. the true seed plus any accessory structures that may be attached when it is planted in the field; see section 3.2 of the AOSA Rules for Testing Seeds Vol. 1). Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA) Rules for Seed Testing, Volume 4, 2019

  • Seed. The ripened ovule, enclosing the rudimentary plant and food necessary for its germination. Fenwick, J.R. revised 1995. Laboratory Manual for General Crops- Glossary. Unpublished class notes. Dept. of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University. Pages 104-111

ISTA

International Rules for Seed Testing

AOSA

International Rules for Seed Testing

web

  • Web. The cluster of slender, soft hairs at the base of the floret, as in certain species of Poa. Fenwick, J.R. revised 1995. Laboratory Manual for General Crops- Glossary. Unpublished class notes. Dept. of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University. Pages 104-111

seed, seeds

  • Seed. The part of a plant which is able to develop into a new plant. ISTA Handbook on Pure Seed Definitions, Glossary. 3rd Edition 2010

  • Seed. Botanically, a seed is a mature fertilized ovule containing an embryonic plant; usually it has nutrient storage tissue and is surrounded by a protective coat, the testa. This structure is a "true seed"; however, the ovules of many species have additional structures of the mother plant attached or fused to the seed coat. For example, the "seed" of Triticum aestivum (wheat) is botanically a fruit because the pericarp (ovary wall) is fused with the seed coat. In these rules the term "seed" will be used in the agronomic sense (i.e. the true seed plus any accessory structures that may be attached when it is planted in the field; see section 3.2 of the AOSA Rules for Testing Seeds Vol. 1). Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA) Rules for Seed Testing, Volume 4, 2019

  • Seed. The ripened ovule, enclosing the rudimentary plant and food necessary for its germination. Fenwick, J.R. revised 1995. Laboratory Manual for General Crops- Glossary. Unpublished class notes. Dept. of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University. Pages 104-111

dormant seeds, dormancy

  • Dormant seeds. Viable seeds, other than hard seeds, which fail to germinate when provided the specified germination conditions for the kind of seed in question. Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA) Rules for Seed Testing, Volume 4, 2019

  • Dormancy. Delayed germination or growth; a condition of inactivity. SCST Seed Technologist Training Manual, 2018