Seed E-News

November 12, 2004

USDA Confirms Soybean Rust In US
In Washington, DC on November 10, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the presence of soybean rust on soybean leaf samples taken from two plots associated with a Louisiana State University research farm. While this is the first instance of soybean rust to be found in the United States, the detection comes at a time when most soybeans have been harvested across the country. As a result of the harvest, the impact of the fungus should be minimal this year. To read the APHIS news release, follow this link Soybean Rust. APHIS has developed a strategic plan for dealing with soybean rust which can be found here APHIS.

Chicago On-Line Registration Closed
On-line registration for ASTA’s Corn & Sorghum and Soybean Conferences in Chicago December 8-10, 2004 will close on November 15 after which date you can only register on site.

Vegetable & Flower Conference Registration
You can now register on-line for ASTA’s Vegetable & Flower Conference in San Francisco January 22-25, 2005. Simply follow this link Registration. Please note that late fees will be charged for registrations made after January 12, 2005.

U.S. Grains Council Global Update
At the request of the Corn & Sorghum Division, ASTA E-News includes a link to the U.S. Grains Council’s weekly Global Updates. Click on the links to read the update for November 12, 2004.

All-America Selections Announces 2006 Fast Track Winners
All-America Selections has announced four new varieties as 2006 AAS Fast Track Winners:

• Bedding Plant Award Winner – Nicotiana F1 'Perfume Deep Purple'. Bred for scent and the unique deep purple flower color. Bred by ASTA member Floranova Ltd. For more information, e-mail bwilson@floranova.us.
• Flower Award Winner – Salvia farinacea 'Evolution'. AAS New violet flower color. Medium height annual with heat and drought tolerances. Bred by E. Benary Seed Growers. For more information email DSinning@benary.com.
• Flower Award Winner – Zinnia F1 'Zowie!Yellow Flame'. Novel flower color combination, scarlet rose flower center with yellow petal edge. Bred by ASTA member Goldsmith Seeds. For additional information contact alecia@goldsmithseeds.com.
• Vegetable Award Winner – Carrot F1 'Purple Haze'. The only imperator-shaped purple carrot for home gardens – 10 to 12 inch carrots. Bred by ASTA member Bejo Seeds. Inc. For more information, e-mail greg@bejoseeds.com.

Industry and People

ASTA member, Seedway, Inc., has announced the acquisition of the commercial vegetable seed business of Agrisales, Plant City, FL which has served vegetable growers in the southeastern US for more than 20 years. Seedway will maintain the successful and popular Agriset brand varieties, including fresh market tomatoes, cucumbers, Jalapeno peppers and zucchini. Key Agrisales employees will remain with the company, providing uninterrupted sales and service to customers, and the Plant City, FL facility will remain in operation, serving local growers in that area. For more information call (800-952-7333) or visit the Seedway website at www.seedway.com.

If you have any personnel changes, or other developments in your company, that you would like included in E-News, please send details to ppatterson@amseed.org.

ASTA Meetings & Opportunities

December 8-10, 2004
ASTA 34th Soybean & 59th Corn & Sorghum Conferences and Seed Expo 2004
Hyatt Regency Chicago
Chicago, IL
Tel: 1-888.890.7333

January 22-25, 2005
ASTA 44th Vegetable & Flower Conference
Grand Hyatt San Francisco
San Francisco, CA

February 16-18, 2005
ASTA Advanced Management Forum
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN

February 28-March 3, 2005
18th ASTA Management Academy
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN

June 19-22, 2005
122nd ASTA Annual Convention
Sheraton Seattle Hotel and Tower
Seattle, WA

July 8-12, 2006
Joint ASTA-CSTA Annual Convention
Hyatt Regency Chicago
Chicago, IL

Upcoming Events

November 2004
ISTA Workshop on Statistical Aspects of GMO Detection
The International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) is organizing a workshop with the aim of helping laboratories address the test planning, and the use of results, on GM detection in seeds. The objective of the workshop is to give and exchange information on matters that have been mentioned by laboratories which already participated to the ISTA proficiency tests, or intend to join. The workshop will run November 17-19 at Monsanto, St Louis, MO. The number of participants is limited to a maximum of 20, so register early. For more information and to register, follow this link ISTA.

Seed Sampling Workshop
Mid-West Seed Services, Inc. will be holding seed sampling workshop in Boise, ID, November 30-December 1, 2004 immediately preceding the IEOSA meeting to be held there. ISTA, AOSA and CFIA sampling rules will be reviewed, as will sampling methods, sealing seed lots, subdividing samples and a review of ISTA certificates. Participants completing the workshop will be taking the first step towards accreditation to sample for ISTA certificates. The session will begin at 8:00 a.m. on November 30th and conclude at noon on December 1st. The workshop will be held at the Grove Hotel in Boise, ID. Please see www.mwseed.com or contact Mid-West Seed Services, Inc at (605)-692-7611 for more details.

January 2005
Minnesota Crop Improvement Association
The Minnesota Crop Improvement Association will be holding its annual meeting on January 20-21, 2005, in St. Cloud, MN. If you require more information, you should contact:

Alana Rogers
Project Support Specialist
Minnesota Crop Improvement Association
1900 Hendon Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55108
Tel: 1-800-510-MCIA

February 2005
Indiana Crop Improvement Association Annual Conference
The Indiana Crop Improvement Association (ICIA) will be holding its 2005 Annual Conference on February 3-4, 2005 at the Sheraton North Hotel, Keystone at the Crossing, Indianapolis, IN. Prior that on February 2, ICIA is also holding the Illinois/Indiana Seed Conditioning Workshop at the same location. For more information, check out the web site at www.indianacrop.org or contact ICIA at

Larry Svajgr, Executive Director
Indiana Crop Improvement Association, Inc.
7700 Stockwell Road
Lafayette, IN 47909
Tel: 765-523-2535
Fax: 765-523-2536
Email: svajgr@indianacrop.org

March 2005
Symposium on “Plant Breeding and the Public Sector”
Michigan State University will be conducting a symposium March 9-11, 2005 to address the issue of who will train plant breeders in the U.S. and around the world. The keynote speakers will be:

• Dr. P. Stephen Baenziger (Eugene W. Price Distinguished Professor, University of Nebraska) – Plant Breeding Training in North America
• Dr. Fred Bliss (Senior Director, R & D Special Projects, Seminis Seeds and former Will W. Lester Endowed Chair at The University of California) – Plant Breeding in the Private Sector
• Gurdev Khush (Former Head of Plant Breeding at IRRI and World Food Prize 1996) – Plant Breeding Training in the International Sector

During the symposium, the participants will discuss:

• What kind of training do plant breeders need?
• What is the most effective balance between classical and molecular training?
• Should the training differ between domestic and international students?
• How will we provide improved varieties of subsistence crops?
• How can the private and public sector most effectively partner to train new generations of plant breeders

The number of participants will be limited to about 100 people to facilitate discussion. You can find more information and a registration form at http://www.hrt.msu.edu/PBSymp/.

April 2005
ISTA Ordinary Meeting 2005
At the invitation of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DOAE) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, ISTA will be holding its Ordinary Meeting 2005 in Bangkok, Thailand April 25-28, 2005. To register, follow this link ISTA Online. The meeting is aimed at discussing and deciding on proposals for changes to the ISTA International Rules for Seed Testing and business items of the Association, with the international participation of ISTA delegates and representatives from both the seed industry and governments, including experts in seed technology, scientific research and laboratory accreditation.

May 2005
ISF Congress 2005
The ISF Congress 2005 will be held in Santiago, Chile, May 30-June 1, 2005. The ISF Congress 2005 web site, which is under construction, can be found Here.