PETKUS and ISF Partner to Empower Future Seed Industry Leaders
Netherlands – PETKUS signed partnership agreement and unveiled AI-assisted optical sorting software at the World Seed Congress in Rotterdam – the flagship event of the global seed industry.
This year, ISF World Seed Congress celebrates its historic 100th anniversary. A century ago, visionary seed traders from around the world gathered to standardize commercial seed exchanges and promote international cooperation, laying the foundation for an organization that has become the voice of the global private seed sector.
Nearly 2,000 seed professionals from 76 countries joined the event for business, trading, exhibitions, and networking opportunities.
AI-Assisted Sorting: Higher Yield and Easier Operation
With the world’s population now at 8 billion, maximizing yield per seed is more crucial than ever. PETKUS demonstrated the optical sorter OS f3.0 designed to clean small seeds at the highest quality level where standard color sorters fall short. The new AI-supported IRIS software not only greatly simplifies recipe creation but also improves the precision of optical fine seed sorting with the OS f.
Live sorting of Allium porrum seeds at PETKUS' booth attracted crowds who could witness outstanding sorting results in record time. Visitors could take an IRIS-sorted seed sample of Dianthus barbatus - a lovely biennial plant in a wide array of colors from white to dark red. Just imagine: the weight of 1000 Dianthus barbatus seeds is no more than 1.0–1.7 grams. Considering there are about 700–1,000 seeds per gram, cleaning and sorting such tiny seeds is challenging.
Along with the live sorting demonstrations, the international PETKUS team was available on the stand to discuss turnkey seed processing solutions.
Partnership for Educational Initiatives
During the World Seed Congress, Germany-based seed technology company PETKUS promoted a partnership for knowledge transfer with the International Seed Federation (ISF).
ISF and PETKUS have agreed to organize training workshops as part of future educational activities during the next three World Seed Congress events from 2025 to 2028.
These workshops aim to equip young professionals in the agricultural seed sector with the latest knowledge in seed technologies, seed processing, and industry innovations. The workshops will be conducted by members of the PETKUS Academy under the motto "Transforming Knowledge Into Skill".