Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The Association of official Seed Analysts (www.aosaseed.com)
The Association of Oficial Seed Analysts (AOSA) is an organization composed of oficial state, federal,
and university member laboratories throughout the United States and Canada. Membership includes labo-
ratories, analysts who are employed in those laboratories, and other individuals who contribute to seed
testing.
The AOSA was formally organized in Washington, DC in 1908 with sixteen states represented. Since
its early days, the Association has held annual meetings almost every year. The minutes of these meetings
and papers presented are published in the journal
Seed Technology
(prior to 1976, the
AOSA Proceedings
).
It collaborates with the Society of Commercial Seed Technologists (SCST) in publishing a newsletter that
includes articles on seed testing topics. The Association has published many special publications, among
which are the “Rules for Testing Seeds,” as well as a series of handbooks on selected seed testing topics. In
addition, the AOSA organizes training courses and workshops for its members.
The AOSA has made great contributions in bringing seed testing to a respected and scientiic level
in both the U.S. and Canada. Perhaps its greatest contribution has been the development of rules and pro-
cedures for seed testing and the standardization of their interpretation. It also has greatly inluenced seed
legislation in every state as well as at the federal level. Some of the AOSA's primary roles include:
1. Develop and publish standardized rules for seed testing that are used by most states.
2. Standardize seed testing procedures to minimize variability in test results between seed analysts
and among laboratories.
3. Contribute to the establishment of seed legislation at the state and federal levels.
4. Offer certiication of or accreditation of seed analysts who pass qualiication examinations.
5. Research and development of new seed testing methods as needed by the seed industry.
The AOSA has been accrediting individuals that work in member laboratories since 1986. Individuals
may become accredited by way of national examination in the areas of purity testing (including all methods
of purity analysis and seed identiication) or germination testing (including seed physiology, laboratory
germination methods, seedling morphology evaluation, tetrazolium viability determination, and seed vigor
assessment). The exams also test candidates' knowledge of federal and state laws pertaining to seed quality,
orderly marketing, and movement of seed in the trade. Individuals who pass the examinations are known as
Certiied Seed Analysts (CSA)
.
The Society of Commercial Seed Technologists (www.seedtechnology.net)
The Society of Commercial Seed Technologists (SCST) is an organization of seed technologists from private
and commercial seed laboratories throughout the United States and Canada. This includes self-employed
seed technologists who primarily test seed on a custom-fee basis, technologists employed by seed compa-
nies who test seed handled in their company's business, and technologists employed in the public sector.
The SCST originated in the early 1920s largely as a liaison between the AOSA and the American
Seed Trade Association (ASTA). At the combined AOSA and ASTA meeting in Chicago in 1922, thirteen
commercial seed analysts met to form what was irst called the American Society of Commercial Analysts.
From the time SCST was irst organized, there has been good cooperation between the SCST and AOSA.
These two organizations have held their annual meetings at a common place, presented papers, exchanged
ideas, and participated in referee/research testing together. The AOSA welcomed the new organization
because it created a new bond of communication with the ASTA on a more technical and professional level.
The respect for the SCST was strengthened by the high standards it established for society membership.
In 1947, membership standards were further strengthened by the establishment of a comprehensive
examination for accreditation. Practical experience in seed analysis was established as a requirement prior
