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 Main subject - jan/feb 2008
Seed testing in the global seed industry
Adriel Garay
adriel.garay@oscs.orst.edu
www.seedlab.oscs.orst.edu
The Oregon State University Seed Laboratory (OSU Seedlab) has been operating for nearly 100 years. With that long history, one would guess that things remain constant in the lab, yet we find that the world we live in is constantly changing and the more the lab innovates to meet this change, the more innovation is needed. Other labs around the world may be facing similar challenges. For this reason, our approach may be of interest to other seed laboratories and the broader seed industry community.
The ever-changing seed world
The OSU Seedlab is surrounded by a diverse community of individuals, companies and organizations that need seed testing services. Some lab customers (seed growers, cleaners, trade and seed users) are focused on the local-regional market, while others are responding to markets in other states. Still others ship seeds to distant countries in Europe, Asia or South America. They have to harvest, clean, test, package, label and deliver seeds in time to meet their customer needs. When every step in the system depends on the previous step, each process has to be completed correctly and just in time. This includes seed testing.
In the international context, Oregon is recognized as the "Grass Seed Capital of the World." This becomes most evident when you visit Oregon during the seed maturation, harvesting, cleaning, testing and shipping season. Tension builds when the ship that will transport the seed is waiting in port and the seed testing report is yet to be completed. These pressures combined with the 100-200 grass seed samples arriving everyday for testing can be a very challenging task for any lab. Such is the nature of the industry: it is diverse, modern and very dynamic. The logical question is how the seed laboratory keeps pace with the changes in this local-global seed world.
Innovation at the laboratory.
The OSU Seed Lab is part of a larger seed services program within the university. As a self-supported unit, it combines a business approach with the policies and scholarly approach of a university system. The philosophy is to provide high quality service and innovate constantly. The changes and innovations are driven by several essential elements:
1. Customer focus
We believe that service starts with understanding the needs of the customers and ends with satisfying those needs. Therefore, we listen to our customers in a variety of ways. A formal method of communication is from an advisory group made up of industry people such as growers, seed conditioners, seed companies and other seed laboratories. The OSU Lab takes seriously the advice and needs expressed by this industry group of volunteers. Second, the lab presents current information to create customer awareness on available technologies. This two-way exchange of information flows through industry meetings and through direct communication with customers and companies. Depending on the nature of the needs, our response may be immediate or may require years of research. Finally, some input comes in the form of complaints. A lab is at its best when working with its customers on timely manner. The challenge for the laboratory is how to transform even a complaint into an opportunity to innovate. This is how the development of better equipment, information technology, and streamlining testing processes become clear goals. In the end, it generated ideas to achieve greater flexibility, accuracy, efficiency and timeliness.
2. Constant learning
The knowledge and commitment of the staff is a strong driver for performance and innovation. Purity work in small seeds in general and grass seed testing in particular requires highly experienced analysts. This experience cannot be acquired in training events alone; therefore, a very important mechanism used for professional development is constant learn-by-doing in a shared knowledge environment. For example, analysts with greater experience (some with 20-30 years) train new staff to insure the continuity of knowledge. This approach is further strengthened by participation in AOSA certification exams, referee testing, research projects, development of methods, presentations in workshops, and other organized events.
3. Research and development
Up-to-date research is critical to innovation in testing methods. It starts with a culture of critically evaluating existing methods of seed testing. Many testing concepts and methods were conceived in the middle of the last century when the grass seed industry was in its infancy. The current seed industry, such as the one in Oregon, now ships a greater volume of seed within a shorter time frame. A seed report that is not accurate and repeatable would create problems; likewise, a test result that arrives late would not have the same value as the one that arrives in time. For these reasons, todays's methods have to be expedient as well. To cope with these challenges, the lab management encourages the staff to identify process improvement opportunities in every step of the system. Some improvements were as simple as color-coding lab cards while others required research and development, such as using high-magnification seed inspection stations rather than using hand lense or determining ploidy by flow cytometry rather than by visual counting of chromosomes.
4. Information-communication technology
We are accustomed into thinking that our business is seed testing, but this is no longer sufficient for the world we are facing. If someone needs to know the identity of the seed, presence/absence of undesirable contaminants, germination capacity or presence of valuable genetic traits, we find ourselves in the information business as well. The information has to be processed and delivered in the most relevant form for every user. For that reason, OSU Seed Services (which includes the seed testing laboratory and the seed certification program) has developed a database system and customized applications. As a result, in addition to the traditional methods of communicating, customers can now use online services from around the corner or any place in the nation or the world. A growing number of customers are using a secure interface to enter sample information from their warehouse and access test results in real time. For those customers that are set up for on-site printing, reports are generated in PDF form for immediate viewing and printing at their office. As more customers use these technologies and as new capabilities and applications are added to the system, the advantages and conveniences of the modern information technologies are becoming a reality for the lab and to its customers.
5. Organization and teamwork.
The elements described along with leadership, staff, policies, procedures and operational standards are organized as a system designed to produce and deliver test results in a timely manner. Every step in the process, starting with sample reception, continuing with testing work, and ending with reporting are performed by well coordinated teams interested in providing the best service possible. Many customers use the data base to access test results at their convenience on a 24/7 schedule.
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