KENYA  STANDAR D                                       DKS 693:  2023 
ICS 63.020.20  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Seed for bulb vegetable crops — 
Requirements for certification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© KEBS 20 23 Second  Edition  2023  
 KS 693: 2023 
 
TECHNICAL  COMMITTEE  REPRESENTATION  
The following  organizations  were  represented  on the Technical  Committee:  
 
Seed  Trade  Association  of Kenya  
KAKUZI Ltd.  
Consumer  Information  Network  
Kenya  Plant  Health  Inspectorate  Service  (KEPHIS)  
Kenya Seed  Company  
Simlaw Seed co.  
Agriculture and Food Authority - Horticultural 
Development Authority  
Kenya  Agricultural   and Livestock Research  
Organization   
University of Nairobi  
 Kenya  Organic Agriculture Network  
Kenya  Bureau  of Standards  — Secretariat  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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improvements to published standards addressed to the Managing Director, Kenya Bureau of Standards, are  
welcome.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
© Kenya  Bureau  of Standards,  2023 
 
Copyright. Users are reminded that by virtue of Section 25 of the Copyright Act, Cap. 12 of 2001  of the Laws of Kenya, copyright subsists in  
all Kenya Standards and except as provided under Section 26 of this Act, no Kenya Standard produced by Kenya Bureau of Standa rds may  
be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or transmitted by any means without prior permission in writing from the Managing  
Director.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
KEBS  2023 — All rights  reserved   
 KENYA  STANDARD                                             DKS 693: 2023 
ICS 63.020.20  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Seed  for bulb  vegetable  crops  —Requirements 
for certification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
KENYA  BUREAU  OF STANDARDS  (KEBS)  
 
Head  Office:  P.O. Box 54974,  Nairobi -00200,  Tel.: (+254  020) 605490,  602350,  Fax: (+254  020) 604031  
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Coast  Region  Lake  Region  Rift Valley  Region  
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Fax: (+254  041) 229448  Fax: (+254  057) 21814   
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
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Foreword  
This Kenya Standard was  prepared by the Propagation Materials Technical Committee under the guidance of  the 
Standards  Projects  Committee,  and it is in accordance  with the procedures  of the Kenya  Bureau  of Standards.  
 
The revision of this standard has been necessitated by the need to incorporate new developments in the seed  
industry.  
 
This standard specifies minimum field requirements in seed production and seed quality. It is subject to the  
provisions  of the Seed  and Plant  Varieties Act,  Cap. 326  and the regulations  that may be framed  thereof.  
 
During the preparation of this standard, reference was made to the following documents:  
The Seeds  and Plant Varieties Act,  Cap. 326  of the Laws  of Kenya.  
Minimum  seed  certification  standard,  United  States.  
International Crop Improvement Association, Publication No. 21.  
OECD  Schemes  for seed  certification.  
Acknowledgement  is hereby  made  for the assistance  derived  from these  sources.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
iv KEBS  2023 — All rights  reserved   
  
KENYA  STANDARD  KS 693:  2023 
 
 
Seed  for bulb  vegetable  crops  — Requirements for certification  
1 Scope  
 
This Kenya  Standard  specifies  minimum  and quality  field requirements   in seed  production  and seed  quality  for 
bulb vegetable crops in  the family  Alliaceae  that are  locally  produced  or imported.  
 
This standard  applies  to seeds  of the vegetables  in the family  Alliaceae  given  in Table  1. 
 
Table  1 — Family  - Alliaceae  
 
S
/
S
N
O  Common 
name  Botanical  name  
I.  Leeks  Allium  ampelopraeum  var porrum  
II.  Shallot/ Spring onion  Allium  aecalonicum  
III.  Onion  Allium  cepa  var cepa  
IV.  a)Garlic  Allium  sativum  
V.  Chinese chives  Allium  tuberosum  
VI.  European chives  Allium  achoenoproasum  
a)Garlic  mainly  propagated  by clones  
 
 
2.0 Normative references  
 
KS 790: 2023 Glossary of terms for seeds  
 
 
3 3 Terms and Definitions  
In addition  to the definitions in  KS 790:1, the following  shall apply:  
 
 
 
4 Requirements  
4.1 General requirements  
4.1.1 The seed companies and the seed growers of  bulb seed shall be registered by the Designated 
National Authority.  
4.1.2 Key parameters required to implement this standard are the variety descriptors, the genetic purity of 
the seed sown, the field and laboratory requirements and the post -control tests.   
  
4.2 Eligible varieties  
4.2.1 Varieties eligible for seed certification shall be those that have been examined, tested and registered 
in the national list of varieties/variety catalogue.  
4.2.2 The national seed certification authority shall keep the official descriptors of the varieties in hard and electronic 
copies.  
 
4.3 Application for seed field Inspection  
4.3.1 registered growers will make applications for seed field inspection to the certification Authority by 
filling in the prescribed form;  
 4.3.2 The minimum information for an application for certification of a cucurbit seed field shall include the 
following:  
a) name, address and contact details of the seed grower;  
b) crop and variety to be sown;  
c) physical location;  
d) area and reference number of the field, and its cropping history for the past two cropping seasons;  
e) class of seed to be produced; and  
f) registration number of the seed grower  
g) proof of origin of the seed planted.  
4.3.3 Information and records related to the previous cropping history, origin of seed planted, and field 
inspections shall be kept and used for certification to ensure full traceability of quality, genetic identity 
and purity of the seed harvested.  
4.3.4 The inspection of seed crops shall be done in accordance with OECD Seed Schemes; Guidelines 
for Control Plot Tests and Field Inspection of Seed Crops.  
4.3.5 The seed lot shall be sampled and tested in an official or authorized laboratory. The sampling and 
testing of seed lots shall be done in accordance with the relevant procedures described in the ISTA rules.  
4.3.6 A seed lot that conforms to the requirements set out in Table 3 shall be given a seed test certificate 
and a unique reference number to confirm its status under the certification scheme. One part of the seed 
sample shall be retained for sowing in a post -control plot in the next season, or earlier if that can be 
achiev ed 
4.4 Seed classes  
4.4.1 .1 For the purpose of this standard, the following classes of seed shall apply:  
• Breeders seed  
• Prebasic   
 • Basic seed  
• certified seed: -C1-  1st generation  
▪ C2-2nd generation  
• Standard seed  
 
 
 
 
5.0  Field  requirements  
 
 
 
1  
KEBS 20 23 — All rights  reserved  1  
 KS 693: 2023 
 
 
5.1. The crop shall not be planted on land on which the same crop or any other crop in the same family 
was grown in  the previous  two seasons unless  if the  seeds  were  certified. 6.2 An isolation distance of not 
less than 800 m for basic seed and not less than 500 m for certified and  commercial seed shall be provided 
all around a seed field to separate it from fields of other varieties and fields of  the same variety from which 
no seed production is intended. These distances can be disregarded if there is  sufficient  protection  from 
undesirable  pollen  sources and  seed  –borne diseases.  
 
5.2 There shall be at least two field inspections, one during vegetative growth and the other at harvest 
of bulbs at  which  time varietal purity  shall be determined.  
 
5.3  The maximum off types permitted shall be 0.5 % for certified and commercial seed. Bulbs for basic 
seed  shall be  required  to be free of off  types.  
5.4 Basic seed crop shall be required to be free of seed borne diseases. Maximum permitted infestation 
by seed  borne diseases  in certified  and commercial  field crop shall be  as indicated  in Table  2. 
 
Table  2 — Limits for field disease  
 
Sl 
No  
Disease  Organism   
Maximum  percent  plant   
i) Altermaria  porri 0.2 
ii) Botrytis  alli 0.2 
iii) Peronospora  destructor  0.2 
iv) Puccinia  dipsaei  0.2 
v) Combined  tolerances,  max 0.5 
 
 
 
7.0 Seed  quality  requirements  
 
i. 7.1 Seed  shall comply  with the requirements  listed  in Table  3. 
 
Table  3 — Seed  quality  requirements  
 
 
 
Sl/no   
 
Species   
 
purity   
Other crop  
seed,  max.   
Maximum Weed  
seeds,%  by weight   
Min. 
germination,  
% by wt   
Moisture  
content,  max.  
i) Onion  97 0.5 0.5 70 11 
ii) Leeks  97 0.5 0.5 65 11 
iii) Shallot/s
pring  
onion       
iv) Europea
n chives       
v) a)Garlic       
vi) Chinese  
chives                                                 
 
  
 7.3 Bulbs  shall be typical  of the variety  in shape  and colour.  
 
7.4 No seed  shall be multiplied  or sold commercially  if the seed  has onion  smut  (Urocytis  cepulae ) 
and/or  the nematode  (Ditylenchue  dipsaci ) with no tolerance  
 
 
8.0 Certificates  
8.1 The seed test certificate for a seed lot shall be issued by the national seed certification 
authority .  
 8.2 Certificates shall only  be  issued for true seed for bulb vegetables seed  
8.3.This certificate shall be valid for a period of 9 months.  
8.4 Carryover seed shall be re -sampled and retested for germination upon expiry of the validity 
period of certification. If the test result complies with the minimum requirements, a new test 
certificate shall be issued for the seed lot, which cancels the previ ously issued certificate and 
shall include  reference to previously certified seed lot.  
 
 
9  Environment  
 
9.1 Bulb vegetable  seed  shall be produced  and handled  in an environment  complying  with the 
stipulations  of the Environmental Management and Co -ordination Act (EMCA) Cap 387 of the 
Laws of Kenya and in addition  conforming  to modern  production  technological  practices.  
 
 
 
2 © KEBS  2023  — All rights  reserved  
 
  
  
10.0  Packaging and labelling  
10.1 All classes of seed that have been certified shall be packaged and labelled in accordance with 
prevailing national regulations .  
10.2 If seeds are treated with any chemical or product harmful for human or animal consumption, the 
container shall carry a label stating the chemical or product used and warning of the health risks.  
10.3 The labels shall be prominent, indelible, legible ,uniquely serialized and fixed to the package by an 
authorized person in such a way that they cannot be destroyed or easily removed.  
10.4 The minimum labelling requirements shall include:  
i. name of the crop  
ii. species (Latin name);  
iii. variety name;  
iv. seed lot number;  
v. net weight;  
vi. seed treatment declaration (if applicable);  
         vi. logo of the national designated authority;  
        vii. name and address of certifying authority;  
       viii. seed class;  
         ix) germination percentage  
         x) percentage purity  
        xi) . name and address of the registered seed company under the provisions as stipulated by the 
National    designated authority  
 
        x. statement of re -packing and re -labelling (if applicable)  
      xi. statement stating “Not for human and animal consumption”.  
xii) A  declaration  shall  be made  on the genetic  modification  status  of the seeds  
 
Note :  the label may also contain other information such as the test certificate number and the date of test 
where applicable  
10.5 All containers/bags shall be sealed in such a way that if they are opened illegally, that violation can be 
detected.  
10.6 Repackaging and relabeling are authorized in the following cases:   
 a) the national seed certification authority may authorize the re -packaging and re -labelling of a particular 
seed lot that is produced in another country, but shall retain the original label information of the 
producing country; and  
b) blending of a seed lot with other lots of the same variety and class (generation) is allowable if all seed 
lots of the blend have met the field and laboratory requirements for certification prior to blending. A new lot 
number shall be issued. Details of  the blended lots and their proportions shall be kept by the certifying 
authority for traceability  
 
 
11.0 Post -control tests  
The Post control tests shall be carried out in accordance with OECD Schemes for Varietal Certification or 
the Control of Seed Moving in the International Trade  
 
12.0 Sampling  and testing  
Sampling  and tests  shall  be carried  out in accordance  with the latest  version of the  International  
Seed  Testing  Association  (ISTA)  procedures  and as  prescribed  by the seeds  and plant  varieties  act 
Cap 326 . 
 
 
i)  
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