In the case of seed health testing, it is not really new seeds that have driven change, but the changes in seed production and seed-user demands that have revolutionized the technologies and protocols used to detect seed-borne pathogens. The basic technology for seed health testing has not changed much over the last few years, although serology and PCR have increased in use, these techniques have been applied to seed health methods for several years. What we see changing is the size of samples being tested for seed-borne pathogens and more precision in identifying the pathogen in the test method to protect the seed producer from liability risk. Seed production practices are more "healthy" and there are rarely large infections of seed-borne pathogens in seed fields, anymore. If a seed-borne pathogen does infect a seed lot these days, it tends to be infecting less seed with fewer numbers of the pathogen and it tends to be more deep-seated or internal, thus more difficult to detect. Increasing sample sizes are one way to improve confidence in the seed health test, as is using more tools, such as PCR.

As an example, it was only 2 years ago that seed producers were testing 10,000 seeds for bacterial fruit blotch (BFB), a highly contagious disease of watermelon and cantaloupe. Routinely now, producers are testing 30,000 to 50,000 seeds. The general grow out method for BFB testing has not changed since its development in 1994. It remains the standard for the industry and when done in precision controlled greenhouses, it is quite reliable. Our greenhouses maintain conditions that closely mimic the growing environment of the Southeastern United States, where BFB continues to cause problems in the melon industries. No test can be 100% accurate, but the grow-out has proven to be more than 99.9% accurate in the 8 years that STA has been performing the test. The primary reasons that sample sizes have increased 3-5 times in two years, is that BFB continues to cause economic losses to greenhouse grown transplants, where conditions for BFB are ideal at even the lowest levels of infection and it continues to be a liability risk to the seed producers. Also, overseas production of these hand-pollinated crops in the driest of climates has created a situation where symptoms of BFB are extremely difficult to observe. Seed producers are therefore, relying on seed health testing as their primary way to manage the risk of BFB seed contamination for their customers.