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Seed Sampler FAQs
- If I plan to sell seed for multiple shipments from a single seed lot, can I still get an OIC?
- Why not use foil packaging?
- Where do I obtain information on International Seed Testing Association (ISTA)?
- How do you sample Hermetically sealed bags?
- Poly bags can be unsewn and resewn and you wouldn't be able to tell.
- How do you sample a mini bulk bag that is already sealed?
- If the pallet are staked 3 high do they need to be moved?
- Do you need to remove the shrink wrap from pallets?
- Can you sample off the gravity table?
- Do you plug the hole at the end of the Nobbe trier as you are withdrawing it from the bag?
- Does a nobbe trier have to reach all corners of a bag?
- At what speed do you withdraw the
- nobbe trier?
- Does an ISTA Orange International Certificate (OIC) get your seed into a country no matter what?
- Can an OIC be issued to a mixture of seed? (2 different seed types.)
- I ship seed internationally all the time. Why havent I ever heard of an OIC
- Should all tags on a pallet be visible?
- An international order is for a quantitiy that exceeds the ISTA maximum lot size. What do you do?
- What is a blended lot?
- Are seals numbered? Do they need to be accountable?
- Can you leave the sealed sample that is to be submitted to the testing lab with an unauthorized person?
- If you see non-uniformity can you remove that bag and replace with another?
- What do you do if you have one lot that is going to two different Locations (countries)?
- What is the difference between bag, unit and container?
- If I plan to sell seed for multiple shipments from a single seed lot, can I still get an OIC?
- On high dollar-valued or small seed lots, the submitted sample weight may create a financial burden. Is it okay to send less seed?
- Could duplicate authorized samples be submitted for a Phytosanitary certificate?
- If an OIC is issued for a seed lot and then the seed treatment is applied, does the seed lot require sampling and testing for the OIC to be issued?
- In 2.4.1 (size of lot) it states, "The lot shall not exceed the quantity indicated in column 2 of Table 2A, subject to a tolerance of 5% with the exception of herbage and amenity seed being transported loose in bulk containers." Does the exception apply to the tolerance of 5% or the lot quantity?
- Where do I obtain information on International Seed Testing Association (ISTA)?
- Why do you record the trier length and width?
- Which table do you use for sampling different containers?
Q. If I plan to sell seed for multiple shipments from a single seed lot, can I still get an OIC?
A. Yes, the certificate is for entire lot. Shipments for portions of the lot only require requesting a duplicate OIC from the issuing laboratory.
Q. Why not use foil packaging?
A. Use foil packaging only when a moisture test is required or seed is very low moisture.
Q. Where do I obtain information on International Seed Testing Association (ISTA)?
A. www.seedtest.org. The ISTA Handbook on Seed Sampling and the ISTA Rules can be purchased at that website also.
Q. How do you sample Hermetically sealed bags?
A. Recommend sampling before or during filling process.
Q. Poly bags can be unsewn and resewn and you wouldn't be able to tell.
A. Place a seal on the "opening end" of sewing string on poly mesh bags with a paper tag or a metal seal.
Q. How do you sample a mini bulk bag that is already sealed?
A. Remove seal, open bag, sample from top, close bag and reseal the neck area of bag.
Q. If the pallet are staked 3 high do they need to be moved?
A. This is up to the sampler. If the sampler feels that he/she is able to reach all areas of the pallets it is ok. It is best to have the Pallets moved so the sampler can have full access to the pallet and for safety reasons.
Q. Do you need to remove the shrink wrap from pallets?
A. Yes, due to seed leakage and applying the seals over the probe holes on paper bags.
Q. Can you sample off the gravity table?
A. No.
Q. Do you plug the hole at the end of the Nobbe trier as you are withdrawing it from the bag?
A. No. When inserting the Nobbe trier into the bag to be sampled you can hold your thumb over the hole. However, when you are removing the trier from the bag you should have a bucket at the end and allow the seed to free flow from the nobbe trier.
Q. Does a nobbe trier have to reach all corners of a bag?
A. No. A nobbe trier must reach at least half way across the bag
Q. At what speed do you withdraw the nobbe trier?
A. The speed should decrease as the nobbe trier is removed.
Q. Does an ISTA Orange International Certificate (OIC) get your seed into a country no matter what?
A. Normally, however some countries may still require additional testing before the seed can be sold. Canada requires that pedigreed seed including OECD seed be graded prior to sale.
Q. Can an OIC be issued to a mixture of seed? (2 different seed types.)
A. No. ISTA rules do not allow for mixtures.
Q. I ship seed internationally all the time. Why havent I ever heard of an OIC
A. Prior to May 2004, the US ISTA Designated Authority would not allow issuance of OIC within the United States.
Q. Should all tags on a pallet be visible?
A. Yes, it makes it easy to see all bags are marked and sealed.
Q. An international order is for a quantitiy that exceeds the ISTA maximum lot size. What do you do?
A. Split the lot and create two unique seed lot identities. Sample each for an OIC.
Q. What is a blended lot?
A. A blended lot is a lot of seed that was initially two different fields or lots that are mechanically mixed (blended) but must be of identical parentage.
Q. Are seals numbered? Do they need to be accountable?
A. No, seals are not numbered. Yes, seal should not be left with anyone that is not an authorized sampler.
Q. Can you leave the sealed sample that is to be submitted to the testing lab with an unauthorized person?
A. Only if the sample has been sealed and all the paper work has been completed.
Q. If you see non-uniformity can you remove that bag and replace with another?
A. No. The sampler should stop sampling. The entire lot should be re-conditioned, re-bagged or each bag should be sampled to guarantee homogeneity.
Q. What do you do if you have one lot that is going to two different Locations (countries)?
A. If you don't want the client to know how large the lot size is, divide the lot into sublots and have an ISTA OIC issued on each sublot. If the client is allowed to know the total lot size then yes you can have one original ISTA OIC issued for the lot and have duplicate copies issued for the lot.
Q. What is the difference between bag, unit and container?
A. All are containers, however sampling intensity and number of bags in a sampling unit can vary.
Q. If I plan to sell seed for multiple shipments from a single seed lot, can I still get an OIC?
A. Yes, the certificate is for the entire lot. Shipments for portions of the lot only require requesting a duplicate OIC from the issuing laboratory.
Q. On high dollar-valued or small seed lots, the submitted sample weight may create a financial burden. Is it okay to send less seed?
A. The owner of seed can request that the majority of the sample be returned after testing. The laboratory will retain a portion of the sample.
Q. Could duplicate authorized samples be submitted for a Phytosanitary certificate?
A. They may be used for a Phyto certificate only if the authorized sampler is employed by a company or agency accredited by the National Seed Health System (NSHS). www.seedhealth.org
Q. If an OIC is issued for a seed lot and then the seed treatment is applied, does the seed lot require sampling and testing for the OIC to be issued?
A. Yes. In the International Rules for Seed Testing, if the seed lot has been chemically treated or coated seed lots that have been previously tested in the untreated state, the seed lot must be sampled and tested on the lot in the chemically treated state. An OIC may be issued on the chemicaly treated seed lot (See 17.6).
Q. In 2.4.1 (size of lot) it states, "The lot shall not exceed the quantity indicated in column 2 of Table 2A, subject to a tolerance of 5% with the exception of herbage and amenity seed being transported loose in bulk containers." Does the exception apply to the tolerance of 5% or the lot quantity?
A. The exception applies to the lot size. If you have several seed lots of one herbage species and each of them does not exceed maximum lot size and all of them are of similar quality (within tolerances) they may be combined to one "compound lot", e.g. for shipping to another continent.
Q. Where do I obtain information on International Seed Testing Association (ISTA)?
A. www.seedtest.org. The ISTA Handbook on Seed Sampling and the ISTA Rules can be purchased at that website also.
Q. Why do you record the trier length and width?
A. This is recorded as an auditing measure. If the lab sees that the wrong size trier was used or if the lab doesn't think the sample is representative the lab will contact the sampler and ask them to use a different size trier.
Q. Which table do you use for sampling different containers?
A. Table 2.6.2 covers sampling intensity for these categories of containers.
