<<< Back

Dr. Siham Assad Seed Health Specialist – ICARDA conducted a seminar on ICARDA Seed Health Testing and Quarantine Regulations on 14 July 2002. The seminar has been organized by ICARDA-APRP in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in Dubai, UAE. A total of 50 researchers and scientists from different related organizations within UAE participated in this seminar.

Seed health is important for successful seed production. Contaminated and infected seeds are of low quality and will result in poor seed establishment and/or low productivity. It is important to minimize the spread of the pathogens. This is of particular importance when the disease is seed-borne. Relatively little information is available on seed-borne pathogens of indigenous forage and range plants and very little research has been carried out. There is a need to establish laboratory and field standards for seed-borne pathogens.

 Similarly, quarantine measures preventing the introduction of dangerous pathogens and pests to the recipient country are not well understood and the risk of introducing infected seeds would be reduced by establishing and/or improving the national quarantine systems.

 ICARDA’s Seed Health Laboratory has long-standing experience in seed-borne pathogens. A survey needs to be conducted to assess seed-borne pathogens and additional applied research is needed to identify seed health practices to support seed production. The concept of seed health also needs to be introduced to the countries so that they can develop the necessary staff capabilities and work procedures for seed health testing and measures to quarantine pathogens during seed import and export.

<<< Back