Corn Seed Production: Expertise That Ensures Quality
Bruno Gabastou, corn seed inspector
For the past 30 years, Bruno Gabastou has been visiting maize seed multiplication fields to verify their compliance. His role: seed maize and sorghum crop inspector. This expertise, combined with his experience in the laboratory of the FNPSMS, led him this year to Togo to assess the national laboratory, with a view to potentially strengthening the skills of its teams and improving its facilities and equipment. An interview/profile.
Bruno Gabastou, what exactly is your role?
For the past 30 years, my role has been to train, during the months of June and July, the accredited technicians (ATs) responsible for checking the compliance of the seed production fields assigned to them up to harvest. As a crop inspection officer, I also carry out audits of some of these ATs during the maize flowering period (July/August), while simultaneously inspecting field compliance. On average, I conduct two to three audits per day in southwestern France, amounting to around sixty audits per season. The number of field inspections, which also varies from year to year, can reach as many as 110 annually.
Why is this mission so important?
This role is one of the key links in ensuring the production of high-quality maize seed, in compliance with the requirements of the French technical regulations. Among the criteria inspected are the quality of rogueing, detasseling, and compliance with isolation requirements. For each of these aspects, specific tolerance thresholds are permitted, and it is my responsibility to ensure that these limits are not exceeded. For example, regarding the rogueing criterion, a maximum rate of 2 off-types or aberrant plants per 1,000 is allowed—no more. Likewise, a maize seed production field must not be located less than 200 metres from a maize field grown for consumption. This requirement helps prevent unwanted pollen cross-contamination and thereby preserves the genetic purity of the varieties being multiplied.
Your role took you to Togo in 2025. Could you tell us more about that experience?
In October, I spent a week in Togo to carry out an assessment of the National Seed Testing Laboratory, located in Sotouboua, in the central part of the country. The laboratory aims to strengthen its expertise in order to diversify and professionalize the testing of various crops, including maize, cassava, and pineapple. The initial objective is to gain access to the standards of the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) reference system, an internationally recognized accreditation framework for seed testing. ISTA accreditation enables laboratories to issue internationally recognized certificates, while also promoting research and providing training opportunities. Within this context, I was able to contribute my technical expertise to a particularly engaging and rewarding project.
Expertise Driving Maize Seed Quality and Performance
In short, maize seed production is a highly precise process in which every stage is critical. As Bruno Gabastou explains, the quality of premium seeds can only be guaranteed through a rigorous combination of field expertise—ensuring strict compliance in seed production fields—and technological innovation in the laboratory.