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Samantha Thomas- Challenges of Global Vegetable Seed Production and Delivery | GES Colloquium (Zoom)
November 17, 2020 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
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Challenges of Global Vegetable Seed Production and Delivery
Speaker: Samantha Thomas, PhD, External Engagement Strategy Lead and Fellow at Bayer Crop Science
Website | Twitter @bayer4crops
Last GESColloquium of 2020! Sam Thomas joins us from Bayer Crop Science to discuss production and delivery challenges faced by the global vegetable seed industry in an increasingly complex regulatory environment
Note: Colloquium will be held via Zoom until the university resumes normal operations. Click Register/Join button at the bottom of this page for Zoom link. See Virtual Colloquium: Zoom Instructions for Zoom information.
Abstract
This talk will provide some background on the global vegetable seed industry including touching on topics of trade, quality seed health and phytosanitary testing, and highlight the challenges of global trade against a new disease threat on tomatoes, Tomato Brown Fruit Rugose Virus (ToBRFV). ToBRFV emerged in 2014 in the Middle East and since then has spread throughout the globe into all high-value tomato production markets. The disease results in deformed discolored fruits that are unmarketable and may lead to plant collapse. In the past two years, there have been numerous regulations imposed that have made it difficult to ensure seed delivery to customers, including seed that is used for the US food supply.
Related:
- ASTA factsheet on ToBRRV: https://www.betterseed.org/wp-content/uploads/ToBRFV-QA.pdf
- ISF Pest List: https://www.worldseed.org/our-work/phytosanitary-matters/pest-lists/
Speaker Bio
Dr. Samantha Thomas (Sam) has earned a MS and Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from The Ohio State University. She has been with legacy companies now compromising Bayer Crop Science for 14 years. Currently she holds the position of External Engagement Strategy Lead. Sam works across seed industry and regulatory partners to develop and use quality tools to address the phytosanitary risks of seed movement. Her areas of expertise include seed pathology and seed health testing, seed movement, best management practices for vegetable seed production to which this expertise was recognized by her acceptance into the Bayer Fellow program in 2017.