This issue of Seed Science Research is my last at the helm. Some of you will cheer and some will sigh. As editor for the past 10 years, I have done much of what I set out to do. My thanks to David Nicholson and Jenny Thorp, who helped me make the transition from writer to editor, to Sue Tuck, and most especially, to Linda Antoniw (our long-time copy editor), and to Michael Black for the opportunity and his confidence in me. I have greatly appreciated the support and camaraderie of the Associate Editors and the members of the Editorial Board for their efforts to maintain the journal as an outpost for well-crafted research and scholarship.

Approaching the age of 60, I needed to decide if the rest of my career would be devoted to editing/writing, or a return to a more active role in the lab and mentoring of students. Over the decade, yearly enrolment in my seed physiology class has increased to 35–40 students, my graduate ‘professional development’ course has become wildly popular, and our research programme has expanded to encompass seed recalcitrance. Writing up my own work for publication and conducting the simple, but critical, experiments for our continued success have taken a back seat. There simply has not been enough time to keep all of this going at the level I set for myself and continue to ‘grow’ the journal. In the end, the choice was not difficult.

Over the decade, Henk Hilhorst has been a valued Associate Editor and scientific colleague, as well as a devoted friend. Dr Hilhorst will assume the editorship of Seed Science Research in 2009. I leave you in good hands.

All the best,