Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
12
Seed Laboratory
Management,
Accreditation,
and Quality
Assurance
A modern seed testing laboratory must have more than competent, well-trained analysts. Improved ergo-
nomic equipment and innovative, eficient, and repeatable methods have become essential elements to
deliver accurate, consistent, and timely results to the seed industry. All laboratories are confronted with
ever-increasing pressures of delivering timely and accurate results to customers, while dealing with spiral-
ing costs, government regulations and technical innovation. The seed industry, farmers, and other clientele
are becoming more sophisticated, quality conscious, and demanding of better and faster services represent-
ing a wide range of different tests. This places ever-increasing pressures on seed laboratories far beyond
those faced by past generations and demands more eficient, cost effective management that responds to
dynamic customer needs. At the same time, it continues to require the dedication and professional compe-
tence that has always been the trademark of seed analysts and seed testing.
The emergence of genetically modiied seed brought more challenges to the seed testing world and
demanded new tests to detect genetic traits. In addition, testing native species brings challenges to purity
and germination analysts since many of these native species do not have rules for testing and are unique to
speciic areas of the country. In many cases, quick research on a small sample of the species in question can
be helpful to determine the best germination or TZ procedure.
The globalization of the seed industry made the quality assurance programs and accreditation systems
a must for seed laboratories. Such accreditation facilitates the movement of seed across countries and gives
assurance to the customers about the quality of the testing being conducted at any accredited laboratory.
Successful seed laboratory management tries to improve seed laboratory practices through increasing
the proiciency level of seed analysts, streamlining processes, improving equipment, and using eficient
methods. This should result in delivering results in a timely fashion, increased eficiency, and keeping
customers satisied.
This chapter focuses on the management aspects of modern seed laboratories. It addresses the manage-
rial and technical aspects of planning for facilities, equipment, and laboratory design and layout as well as
analyst certiication and training programs. Attention to these concerns enables laboratories to keep up with
advances in seed testing and be able to provide quality services needed by an ever changing seed industry.
Furthermore, it covers the issue of quality assurance, which addresses the laboratory's ability to produce
repeatable, technically sound, timely results by methods that are consistent with good laboratory practices
and seed testing rules. Finally, it addresses the issue of laboratory accreditation to assure a laboratory's
capability to provide quality services needed by the national and international seed industry.
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