Phytosanitary Issues to be Hot Topic at ASTA’s Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference

ASTA’s 59^th Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference, Feb. 1-4 in Monterey, has several sessions dedicated to phytosanitary issues. A pre-conference workshop on the Regulatory Framework for Seed Health (ReFreSH) will be held January 31. The ReFreSH initiative allows harmonization of global seed health, easing the process of shipping seed around the world. This workshop will focus on the current status of the ReFreSH initiatives. Following this workshop, ASTA and USDA-APHIS will host a Phytosanitary Systems Approach Meeting. USDA-APHIS has developed a risk-based model that analyzes the efficacy of management practices in reducing phytosanitary risk along the seed production pathway. An interactive demonstration will be provided to guide users in running the model via an online interface and investigating how changes in production practices affect risk in seed production and multiplication.

On February 2, the popular Phytosanitary: Prognosis for 2020 session will provide an in-depth outlook on seed movement for the year ahead. Later in the day, the Emerging Diseases Subcommittee will host a meeting on current issues and trends, including discussion on the two USDA-APHIS Federal Orders on tomato and pepper seed.