• One of the largest public seed testing labs in the U.S.

Welcome to the ISU Seed Science Center

More than 100 Years of Excellence in Seed Testing, Research, and Outreach

The Seed Science Center at Iowa State University is a center of excellence nationally and internationally in seed research, education, technology transfer, and international seed programs. It provides a focus for teaching, research, and extension programs on seed in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and it is a global leader in introducing science into policy to benefit world seed trade.

The Seed Science Center is home to the largest public seed testing laboratory in the world. For more than 100 years, the lab has provided accurate and professional seed-testing services for members of the seed industry.

Seed Science Center faculty members are committed to providing quality research and education to produce the next generation of leaders in the seed industry. Faculty specializing in seed physiology, seed pathology, risk management, and seed conditioning conduct cutting-edge research projects in sustainable agriculture, biotechnology, crop utilization, computer technologies, microbiology, toxicology, and molecular biology.   

Working to provide access to quality seed, facilitating seed trade, and promoting the growth and development of the seed industry are important missions of the Center's Global Programs. In the past 20 years, center scientists have designed and conducted programs in more than 80 countries around the world to achieve these goals.
                         
For more information about the Seed Science Center at Iowa State University, contact seedsci@iastate.edu.

 

News

October 30, 2025
Gold seal
AMES, Iowa — The Seed Technology and Business (STB) Graduate Degree Program at Iowa State University’s Seed Science Center has earned international recognition, receiving a Gold Award in the Special Events category from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Circle of Excellence Awards for its biannual webinar series. Earlier this year, the Association of Communications...
October 29, 2025
Ship loading seed in Barcelona, Spain
As the National Seed Health System (NSHS) approaches its 25th anniversary in 2026, its mission remains as vital as ever: ensuring that seeds moving across international borders are healthy, tested, and trusted. Administered by Iowa State University’s Seed Science Center under authorization of USDA-APHIS, the NSHS has spent a quarter century protecting the integrity of U.S. seed exports and...
October 28, 2025
Dr. Manjit Misra presents scholarship to Ella McGrath
DES MOINES, Iowa - Surrounded by world leaders, scientists, and change-makers at the World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue, one Iowa State University student stood out for her quiet determination to make a global difference. Ella McGrath, a junior studying Horticulture and Global Resource Systems, was named the 2025 Lambert “Hunger Fighter” Scholar, recognized for her unwavering commitment to...

Now Available for Viewing

Join Iowa State University Seed Science Center on a journey around the world to discover the grand collaboration between nature and humanity to feed, clothe, and beautify the world! This film series was developed to engage and inspire youth, the public, and the policy makers on the beauty and value of seeds to society.