DEAS 1099: 2022  
ICS 65.020.20  
 
© EAC 2022                                                                                                                              First Edition 2021  
 EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Tomato  seed  — Requirements for certification  
 DEAS 1099 :2022  
ii © EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  
 Copyright notice  
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Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement.  
Violators may be prosecuted . DEAS 1099 :2022  
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  1 
4 Requirements for seed crop declaration  ................................ ................................ ............................  3 
5 Field requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................  3 
5.1 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  3 
5.2 Specific field requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  3 
6 Seed sampli ng and laboratory testing requirements  ................................ ................................ ........  4 
7 Certificates  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  4 
8 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  5 
9 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  5 
11 Post –control tests  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 5 
Annex  A (normative)   Seed crop declaration form  ................................ ................................ .........................  6 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  12 
 DEAS 1099 :2022  
iv © EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
Development of the East African Standards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing requirements 
governing quality of products and services in the East African Community. It is envisaged that through 
harmonized standardization, trade barriers that are encountered when goods and services are ex changed 
within the Community will be removed.  
The Community has established an East African Standards Committee  (EASC)  mandated to develop and 
issue East African Standards  (EAS) . The Committee is composed of representatives of the National 
Standards Bodie s in Partner States, together with the representatives from the public and private sector 
organizations  in the community .  
East African Standards are developed through  Technical Committees that are representative of key 
stakeholders including government, a cademia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties. 
Draft East African Standards are circulated to stakeholders through the National Standards Bodies in the 
Partner States. The comments received are discussed and incorporated before fina lization of standards, in 
accordance with the Principles and procedures for development of East African Standards.  
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the East 
African Standards are there fore expected to ensure that they always have the latest versions of the standards 
they are implementing .  
The committee responsible  for this document is Technical Committee EASC /TC 012, Seed and propagation 
materials . 
Attention is drawn to the possibility  that some of the elements of this document may be subject of patent 
rights. EAC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.  
 DRAFT  EAST AFRICA S TANDARD  DEAS 1099 :2022  
 
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  1 
 Tomato seeds  — Requirements for certification  
1 Scope   
This Draft  East Africa Standard specifies the certification requirements for pre-basic, basic and c ertified seed 
certification  for tomato seeds ( Solanum lycopersicum ), eligible varieties, application for certification , field 
requireme nts, field inspection , sampling , laboratory testing , certificates, packaging, labelling, and post -control 
tests . 
This standard  also applies to local ly produced and imported seeds . 
2 Normative references  
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a  way that some or all of their content constitutes 
requirements of this document.  For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, 
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.  
International Seed Testing Association ISTA Rules  
OECD Schemes for Varietal Certification or the Control of Seed Moving in the International Trade . 
OECD Seed Schemes; Guidelines for Control Plot Tests and Field Inspection of Seed Crops  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the p urposes of this document , the following terms and definitions apply.  
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:  
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp  
3.1  
seed  
part of plant which is or is intended to be used for p ropagation and includes any true seed, any vegetative 
material including seedling, corm, cutting, bulb, bulbil, layer, marcott, root, runner, scion, set, split, stem, stock, 
stump, sucker or tuber so used or intended to be so used  
3.2  
previous cropping  
number of growing seasons that elapse between the production of a crop of the same species in a field and 
the production of a crop entered in the certification scheme in the same field   
3.3  
isolation  
distance or time between two crops of tomato  that is required to prevent contamination either mechanically or 
by cross pollination   
2 © EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  
 3.4  
seed producer  
person or entity registered to produce seed  
3.5  
label  
tag or other device that is attached to seeds or that accompanies any lot of bulk seed and which describes the  
kind of seed and any other required information  
3.6  
inspector  
authorized official responsible for carrying out field and seed inspections for certification purposes   
3.7  
off-type 
plant of the same species which does not exhibit the recognized  and accepted habit and characteristics of the  
variety being grown  
3.8  
variety registration  
recording of a new variety in a national variety  list/catalogue when it has been tested and  satisfied the  
requirements for distinctness, uniformity, stability, and has value for cultivation and use  
3.9  
roguing  
removal of off -types and diseased plants or any other unwanted plant from a seed crop if they may reduce the  
quality of the harvested seed  
3.10 
seed certification  
process by which the quality and identity of a seed lot is assured  
3.11 
seed lot  
defined quantity of seed bearing the same reference number and for which the origin, production history and 
identity is known  
3.12 
stability  
condition of a variety disti nguishing characteristics to remain unchanged after repeated growing cycles  
3.13  
pre-basic seed  
seed that is derived from breeder seed and is used to produce basic seed through one cycle of multiplication  
3.14  
basic seed  
seed that has been produced from breeder or pre -basic seed and is used for the production of certified seed  
3.16  
certified seed  
seed that is produced from basic seed through one or two generations of multiplication  
3.17  
pure seed  
species stated by an applicant, or found to predominate i n a test, and includes all botanical varieties and 
cultivars of that species, including intact seeds and pieces of seed units larger than one -half their original size   
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  3 
 4 Requirements for seed crop declaration  
Seed producer of pre -basic, basic and certified  seeds shall apply for certification of a seed crop not later than  
two (2) weeks after planting by filling the form in Annex B.  
5 Field requirements  
5.1 General requirements  
5.1.1  Crop for locally produced seed shall be inspected by the national certifi cation agency . 
5.1.2  The inspector shall inspect the crop in accordance with OECD seed schemes.  
5.1.3  A minimum of two inspections shall be made, the first , during  flowering stage and the second at 
maturit y stage prior harvesting.  
5.1.4  The cultural condition of the field and the stage of development of the crop shall be such as to permit  
varietal identity and varietal purity and health status to be adequately checked.  
5.2 Specific field requirements  
Field for the production , tomato  seeds shall comply with minimum requirements specified in Table 1.  
Table 1 — Field requirements for tomato seeds  
S/N Variable, %, max.  Class  
Pre-basic  Basic  Certified 1  Certified 2  
i.  Previous cropping  (number of  season)  2 2 2 2 
ii.  Isolation distance , 
m, min.*1  Hybrid  200 200 100 N/A 
Open pollinated 
variety  50 50 25 25 
iii.  Off types, %,  max. Hybrid  0 0.01 0.05 N/A 
Open pollinated 
variety  0 0.1 0.2 N/A 
iv.  Corynebacterium michiganense  ( 
Bacterial Canker)  0 0.1 0.5 0.5 
v.  Xanthomonas  vesicatoria  ( Bacterial  
spot)  0 0.1 0.5 0.5 
vi.  Alternar ia solani  (Early blight)  0 0.1 0.5 0.5 
vii.  Didymella lycopersici  (stem canker, 
stem rot)  0 0.1 0.5 0.5 
viii.  Tobacco mosaic virus  ( T.m.v)  0 0.1 0.5 0.5 
NOTE 1  For enclosed fields (in green houses) the isolation can be reduced . 
NOTE 2  Seed born diseases are s pecified in Annex C . 
  
4 © EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  
 6 Seed sampling and laboratory testing requirements  
6.1 The harvested seeds from the field approved for certification shall be kept as an identified unit/one seed 
lot until processing. After processing, the seeds shall be subdivided into seed lots if they exceed the maximum 
size for certification.  
6.2 The maximum size of a seed lot for certification purposes is 10 000 kg; a seed lot larger than this shall 
be divided into seed lots and each shall be given a se parate lot number.  
6.3 A seed sampler shall draw a representative sample from each lot in accordance with ISTA rules.  
6.4 The submitted sample shall be divided into three sub -samples, one for testing in the laboratory, one to 
be stored for reference purpos es in case re -testing is necessary, and one for post -control plot tests. The 
samples shall be marked with the same identification as the seed lot, securely sealed and shall be stored in 
cool and dry conditions.  
6.5 Laboratories authorized by the national s eed certification authority to conduct seed testing for 
certification shall follow the methodology established in the ISTA rules for wheat seed.  
6.6 Tomato seeds shall comply with requirements given in Table 2 . 
Table 2 — Laboratory requirements tomato seeds  
S/N Class  Pure  seed, 
%, min. Inert  mater 
%,max. Other crop  
seeds,  
(number  per 
100 g), max. Weed seeds  
(number per  
100 g ), max . Germina tion, 
%,min. Moistur e, 
%, max. 
i.  Pre-basic  98 1 2 0 80 9 
ii.  Basic  98 1 3 0 75 9 
iii.  Certified  97 2 5 0 75 10 
NOTE  All imported seeds are considered to be of certified class except otherwise indicated in the importing documents . 
 
7 Certificates  
7.1 Imported tomato  seed  lot shall have required c ertificates including certificate of origin,  phyto -sanitary 
certificate and test certificate . 
7.2 For locally produced seed, the test certificate shall be issued upon compliance with field and laboratory  
requirements . 
7.3 The test certificate shall indicat e at least the result of the purity and germination test and date of the 
test. 
7.4 Test certificate shall be valid for a period of six months.  
7.5 After the expiring of the validity of the certificate the seeds shall be re -sampled and retested for  
germ ination. If the test result complies with the minimum standards, a new test certificate shall be issued for  
the seed lot, which cancels the previously issued certificate, and shall include the certificate number of the  
cancelled certificate.   
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  5 
 8 Packaging  
8.1 Tomato seed  shall be packaged in containers that preserve the quality of the seeds . 
8.2 Seed may be repackaged provided that new label  retains the original label information.  
8.3 Repackaging shall be authorised by the national designated authority . 
9 Labelling  
Tomato seed  shall be labelled with the following information:  
a) species indicated at least in its botanical  name ; 
b) variety ; 
c) class;  
d) month and year of the last official testing for the purposes of certification ; 
e) reference number of the lot; 
f) country of production ; 
g) declared net or gross weight or declared number of seeds ; and 
h) chem ical used for seed dressing where applicable . 
11 Post –control tests  
The post -control tests shall be carried out in accordance with OECD schemes for varietal certification or 
control of seed moving in the international trade .  
6 © EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  
 Annex  A 
(normativ e) 
 
Seed crop declaration form  
 
Field declaration data  
 
 
 
Seed producer data  
Reg no……………………………………………………….. Name………………………………………………………  
Crop details  
Species………………………………………………………………….  
Variety name………………… ……………………………………  
Land type e.g. own, rented,……………………………………………………………….  
Contract……………………………………………………………………………………………..  
Seed Category (planted)……………………………………………………………………..  
Area(ha) with one decimal…………………………………………………………………………  
Lot no (planted)…………………………………………………… …………………………….  
Planting date…………………………………………………………………………………………….  
 
B.3 Geodata  
Cell Sector……………………………………………………………………………………..  
GPS……………………………………………………………………………………………….  
Name……………………………………………………………………………………………..  
District ………………………………………………………..  
Province………………………… …………………………………………..  
  
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  7 
 Coordinates for field (6 decimals)  
Longitude …………………………………………. Latitude………………………………………  
Date …………………………….Name ………………………………………Signature………………  
Date of receiving declaration…………………………………………………………..  
Date of registration…………………………………………………………… …………..  
Registration signature………………………………………………………..   
8 © EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  
 Annex B 
(normative)  
 
Field inspection report  
Reference number..................  
Date of the report....................  
Seed grower information  
Name ……………………………………. Address ……………………………………..  
Telephone: ……… ……………………… E -mail.............………………………………  
Registration number……………………. Number of inspection................................  
Field location  
Province/Region...................................................District...............................Sector...... .………….……........  
Latitude.................................................................Longitude…………………Field number........................ ..... 
Field size (Ha/acre)……………………….............Cropping season…………Crop species……………..........  
Seed class……………………… ….……………….Variety……………………..Previous cropping………………  
Variable  Observations/results  Comments/remarks  
Isolation, m    
Off types    
Noxious weeds    
Disease s    
   
   
   
   
Other crops    
General conditions of the crop (for example, 
drought, crop husba ndry)    
 
Decision   
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  9 
 Decision on the approval  Justification  
The seed crop is approved for 
certification   
The seed crop is not approved 
for certification   
 
Seed grower …………………….. Inspector ………………………….. National seed certification authority  
Date and signature …………….. Date and signature ………………. Date and signature   
10 © EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  
 Annex C 
(normative)  
 
Seed laboratory test report  
Name of seed grower  
Species, variety, class, weight of lot  
Testing and Issuing laboratory  
Sampled by  
Test number  
Country of origin  
Label serial number  
Seed lot reference number:  
Number of containers  Date of sampling  Date sample  
received  Date test  (s) concluded  Test number  
     
ANALYSIS RESULTS  
Purity  Germination  Moisture  
content,  
% Pure 
seed , 
% Inert 
matter,  
% Other  
crop 
seeds , 
% Weed  
seeds,  
per kg  Number  
of days  Normal  
seedlings,  
% Hard  
seeds,  
% Fresh  
seeds,  
% Abnormal  
seedlings,  
% Dead  
seeds,  
% 
           
Kind of inert matter:  
Other crop seeds:  
Weed seed:  
Other determinations : 
Place  Date  Signature  
  
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  11 
 Annex D 
(normative)  
 
Seed test certificate  
This certificate shall be  issued for a seed lot which has met all the requirements of the certification scheme . 
Previously issued certificate number..............  Certificate No. ………….  Standard: ...... ...........  
APPLICANT INFORMATION  
Seed lot reference number  Species and variety  Class  Weight of lot  Number of 
containers  
     
Name of testing laboratory:  Test number:  
ANALYSIS RESULTS  
Purity  Germination  Moisture  
content,  % Pure 
seed , 
% Inert 
matter , 
% Other  
crop 
seeds , 
% Weed  
seeds  
per kg  Normal  
seedlings , 
% Abnormal  
seedlings , 
% Fresh  
seeds ,  
% Hard  
seeds , 
% Dead  
seeds ,  
% 
          
Kind of inert matter:  
Kind of other crop seeds:  
Kind of weed seeds:  
Other determinations : Statement of packaging a nd re -labelling: (if  
applicable)  
 
 
National Seed Certification Authority  
Signature ………………………………………………………………….  
Place and date …………………………………………………………...  
  
12 © EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  
 Bibliography  
UPOV, International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants  
 DEAS 1099 :2022    
 
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved