ISTA Laboratory Freising

In Bavaria, the first seed testing station was established in 1876 at Technische Hochschule München under the direction of Prof. Dr. Hiltner, a long-time assistant and deputy of Prof. Dr. F. Nobbe who had founded the world's first seed testing station in Germany. With the introduction of seed dressing with mercury compounds to prevent fungal diseases on grains, Hiltner gave the go-ahead for the development of the pesticide manufacturing industry in Germany. In 1906, Hiltner could prove the evidence of seed-borne diseases, particularly Fusarium species, with the still applicable brick grit test described in the ISTA's "Handbook of Vigour Test Methods". In 1929, Prof. G. Gentner found out that the roots of Lolium multiflorum seedlings fluoresce under ultraviolet light, while those of Lolium perenne do not fluoresce. ISTA made the test compulsory for its members with regard to determining identity and varietal purity. An unforgettable event for the Bavarian seed testing station was the 14th ISTA Congress in Munich in 1965 under the patronage of the Bavarian Ministry of Agriculture. From 1953 to 1968, the seed testing station was one of four German accreditation bodies for seed imports.

As member of the Vigour Committee, Dr. H. Fuchs was actively involved in the development of cold tests for maize. In the mid-90's, Fuchs and his staff member B. Voit modified the cold tests to allow the testing of ecologically produced seeds with regard to their suitability for undressed sowing. An appropriate cold test procedure for millet is currently being developed and introduced. Under the direction of Dr. B. Killermann, modern biotechnological methods (protein electrophoresis, PCR, ELISA) have been integrated into the seed testing station. Research priorities are the development of detection procedures for brand diseases and the definition of threshold levels. As chairwoman of the Variety Committee and member of the Rules Committee, Ms. Killermann is actively involved in many ISTA activities. 

More information:

Seed laboratory (only available in German)