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USDA Seed Regulatory and Testing Division

Spring 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Recent and Upcoming Activities ...................1

• State Seed Regulators Quarterly Meeting .......1

• Mega Cool Season Grass Seed Workshop.....2

• Federal Noxious-Weed Seeds......................2

• Trueness-To-Variety Overview.....................4

• The Federal Seed Act and Seed Libraries.......4

• Calendar of Events ...................................5

RECENT AND UPCOMING ACTIVITIES 

USDA AMS CLARIFIES VARIETAL LABELING 

REQUIREMENTS 

On March 6, 2023, USDA AMS released a statement 

that reiterated its standing policy related to varietal 

labeling requirements for agricultural and vegetable 

seed shipped in interstate commerce. This policy 

statement makes clear that AMS views false 

advertising and mislabeling of seed varietal names as 

serious violations of the Federal Seed Act. For a 

complete description of varietal labeling, please visit 

the link: USDA AMS Clarifies Varietal Labeling 

Requirements of the Federal Seed Act to Enhance 

Transparency for Growers | Agricultural Marketing 

Service

SRTD HIRES A NEW AGRONOMIST 

SRTD hired Dr. Keir Hamilton to manage the Division’s 

Trueness-to-Variety Program. Keir graduated from the 

University of Florida in 2021 as a Doctor of Plant 

Medicine with a master’s degree in Horticulture. In 

addition to his background with plant variety 

identification, Keir has experience in entomology, 

agronomy, and plant pathology. 

CHARLENE BURTON RETIRES FROM SRTD

Charlene Burton has been in seed testing for 37 years. 

She graduated from Towson University in 1980 with a 

Bachelor of Science in Biology. From 1986 to 2004, she 

worked as a Seed Analyst with the Maryland 

Department of Agriculture. She received her

Certified Seed Analyst Certificates in Purity 

(1990) and Germination (1994). Charlene started

as a Botanist with SRTD in 2004. She held many 

roles in seed testing such as AOSA Chair for the 

Teaching and Training Committee and member of 

the AOSA/SCST Exam Committee. She was also 

the SRTD Master Calibration Sample Program 

Administrator for the Uniform Blower Procedure. 

We thank you Charlene for your dedicated service 

at SRTD! 

Charlene teaching during a seed workshop.

STATE SEED REGULATORS 

QUARTERLY MEETING 

SRTD conducts quarterly virtual meetings with 

State Seed Control Officials (SCO). The goal of 

the meetings is to promote better communication 

and working relationships with State seed 

regulators and discuss current industry issues. 

Each of the quarterly meetings cover: 1) Federal 

Seed Act questions or concerns, 2) industry 

awareness, 3) SRTD updates, 4) upcoming 

trainings, and 5) Trueness-to-Variety updates. In 

addition, SCOs are offered an opportunity to bring 

up agenda topics prior to the meetings. Topics in 

previous meetings included: 1) pre-dated test 

dates (usually from vegetable seed packets), 2)

ITEMS OF INTEREST IN SEED
Items of Interest in Seed – Spring 2023 2 |P a g e

the use of brands on certification tags, 3) labeling 

variety and brand names, 4) trademarked

varieties, 5) certified seed, and 6) how to submit 

FSA complaint samples.

Members from all sections of SRTD are in 

attendance to provide their expertise on questions

from SCOs. These members include the SRTD 

Director, Laboratory Supervisor, OECD Seed 

Schemes Program Manager, and the Agronomist. 

Each member of the Regulatory team is in 

attendance for every meeting.

For more information regarding this article, contact 

Seed Marketing Specialist Rodney

McNeace (704) 810-8879;

rodney.mcneace@usda.gov

MEGA COOL SEASON GRASS SEED 

WORKSHOP

Sharon Davidson, from Agri Seed Testing, hosted 

a cool season grass seed workshop in 

collaboration with the Pacific Northwest Seed 

Technologists and the Oregon Seed Association. 

The workshop was held at the new Agriculture 

Complex at Chemeketa Community College 

campus on April 24-28. The class consisted of 

seed analysts from various backgrounds who 

were eager to learn about the characteristics, 

identification, and testing of grass seeds. 

The classroom setting included both visual and 

hands-on training. The instructors reviewed Pure 

Seed Unit definitions, how to conduct purities, how 

to use the uniform classification section of the 

AOSA rules, and how to calibrate equipment such 

as balances and the uniform blower. The class 

observed some of the differences between annual 

and perennial ryegrass when grown out. This type 

of information helps analysts who are not 

experienced or familiar with sources other than 

laboratory practices. Analysts performed ryegrass 

fluorescence, an ammonia test, tetrazolium test, 

and discussed sources of variability. Participants 

had the opportunity to visit seed cleaning 

companies and research farms in the surrounding 

area. 

For more information regarding this article, contact 

Botanist Anitra Walker (704) 810-7269;

anitra.walker@usda.gov.

FEDERAL NOXIOUS-WEED SEEDS

SRTD compiles the State Noxious-Weed Seed 

Requirements which lists the seeds that are 

considered noxious in each State and those 

considered noxious according to the Federal Seed 

Act. Below is a selection of seeds from the Federal 

list and descriptions of why these species are 

considered noxious. For the complete listing, visit 

the SRTD website: All State Noxious Weed Seed 

List (usda.gov).

Scientific Name: Emex australis

Common Name: Southern Three Corner Jack, 

Doublegee 

Family: Polygonaceae

Emex australis is an annual plant that is 

reproduced by seed. The seeds can remain viable 

for up to 10 years in soil. These thorny seeds can 

also stick to animals, humans, or even car tires to

travel long distances. The seed can also float on 

water, which provides another means of dispersal. 

It is a weed found in annual crop fields, particularly 

grains, where it could compete for resources in the 

field. 

Emex australis (Steve Hurst, USDA ARS)

Scientific Name: Galega officinalis

Common Name: Professor Weed, Goatsrue

Family: Fabaceae

Galega officinalis is a perennial herb that invades

wet areas such as streambanks and low pastures. 

The plant forms dense shrubs and can be toxic to 

livestock. It grows very quickly, and a single plant 

can produce up to 15,000 seed pods in one year,

with each pod containing approximately 9 seeds. 

The seed pods are often transported through 

waterways, allowing the species to spread. 
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Galega officinalis also has medicinal properties. 

Metformin, a drug for hypoglycemia, was derived 

from this species. 

Galega officinalis (Steve Hurst, USDA ARS) 

Scientific Name: Heracleum mantegazzianum

Common Name: Giant Hogweed, Cartwheelflower 

Family: Apiaceae 

Heracleum mantegazzianum is a large perennial 

plant reaching up to 20 feet tall. The plant can take 

several years to flower, but once it does it will 

produce thousands of seeds. The sap of the plant 

is poisonous and when it touches a person’s skin 

or eyes can cause large blisters or blindness. 

Heracleum mantegazzianum is also a threat to 

natural habitats due to its rapid growth and size. 

Heracleum mantegazzianum (Steve Hurst, USDA ARS)

For more information regarding this article, contact 

Botanist Elizabeth Stewart (704) 810-8873; 

elizabeth.stewart1@usda.gov.

References: 

• Abbas, G., Al-Harrasi, A. S., & Hussain, H. (2017). 

Chapter 9 - α-Glucosidase Enzyme Inhibitors From 

Natural Products. In G. Brahmachari 

(Ed.), Discovery and Development of Antidiabetic 

Agents from Natural Products (pp. 251–269). 

Elsevier.

• CABI (2022) ‘Emex australis (Doublegee)’, CABI 

Compendium. CABI International. Doi: 

10.1079/cabicompendium.20826

• Giant Hogweed. (n.d.). NCDA&CS Plant Industry 

Division Plant Protection Services. 

https://caldwell.ces.ncsu.edu/wpcontent/uploads/2018/06/Giant-Hogweed-PestAlert.pdf?fwd=no

• Hadfield, J., Ransom, C., & Zesiger, C. (2021, 

March 1). Goatsrue (Galega officinalis) Identification 

and Management in Pastures and Croplands. Utah 

State University Crops Resources Extension Crops. 

https://extension.usu.edu/crops/research/goatsrueidentification-and-management-in-pastures-andcroplands

• USDA, NRCS. 2023. PLANTS Database 

(https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/, 05/11/2023). 

National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-

4901 USA.

TRUENESS-TO-VARIETY OVERVIEW

SRTD is responsible for enforcing the Federal 

Seed Act (FSA), a truth-in-labeling law that 

regulates the labeling of agricultural and 

vegetable seed shipped in interstate commerce. 

Companies who mislabel seed are subject to civil 

penalties. The FSA requires that seed shipped in 

interstate commerce is labeled with the correct 

variety name. Seed samples for variety testing 

are received from State Departments of 

Agriculture under cooperative agreements with 

AMS or purchased from seed companies. The 

samples are grown in field plots and compared to 

control samples and/or official descriptions of the 

labeled variety. 

SRTD will conduct Trueness-to-Variety field trials

on tomatoes in the spring/summer of 2023 at the 

Piedmont Research Station in Salisbury, North 

Carolina, and carrots at Sandhills Research 

Station, Jackson Springs, North Carolina during 

the fall of 2023. Tomatoes will be grown in the 

SRTD greenhouse and later transplanted into the 

fields at the Piedmont Research Station for further 

testing and evaluation. 
Items of Interest in Seed – Spring 2023 4 |P a g e

Additionally, SRTD will plant samples of tall 

fescue, perennial ryegrass, and annual ryegrass. 

SRTD will grow the grasses in the greenhouse 

during September and October 2023. The 

seedlings will then be transplanted in the fields 

during November 2023, for further evaluation in 

the spring of 2024. SRTD Plant Physiologist Yujia

Wu has concurrently been conducting 

electrophoresis tests on Kentucky 31 tall fescue. 

The samples provided by the State have helped 

him create an electrophoresis test which verifies

Kentucky 31 tall fescue. A research note about his 

procedure was published in the International Seed 

Testing Association’s Journal ‘Seed Science and 

Technology’ in April 2023. 

SRTD would like to thank the States that

participated in the TTV program. Once results and 

information have been compiled, participating 

States will be notified of any mislabeling. 

For more information regarding this article, contact 

Seed Marketing Specialist Alvin Allen (704) 810-

8878; alvin.allen@usda.gov.

THE FEDERAL SEED ACT AND SEED 

LIBRARIES 

Seed libraries are commonly found in local county 

or city libraries. They are intended to be a way to 

trade seed within the community and encourage 

home gardening. While most seed from these

libraries will be planted for flowers or food, some

will be traded or donated. There are concerns that 

noxious-weed seeds could be unintentionally

traded in seed libraires. 

The Federal Seed Act (FSA) is directed towards 

seed that will be used to produce food, feed, fiber, 

or turf. The FSA also enforces State noxiousweed seed laws. Unfortunately, seed trade is one 

of the primary avenues for noxious-weed seed 

distribution around the world. Inadvertent 

noxious-weed seed contaminants in agricultural 

and vegetable seed lots are often planted with the 

target seed kind. Weed removal and crop yield 

loss cost American farmers hundreds of millions 

of dollars each year. This is a major concern at 

both the Federal and State level.

The Federal Seed Act does not have jurisdiction 

for seed traded within a State’s 

border. Individuals looking to participate in seed 

trade through the use of seed libraries are urged 

to contact their state's seed control official for 

specifics on how the State seed law will apply to 

their situation. In those rare instances where seed 

library samples are traded between states, seed 

library owners must ensure Federal Seed Act 

regulations are followed.

For more information regarding this article, contact 

SRTD Division Director Ernest Allen (704) 810-

8884; ernest.allen@usda.gov. 

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 

• Association of Official Seed Analyst/ Society of 

Commercial Seed Technologist Annual 

Meeting 

Saskatoon, Canada; June 9-15, 2023

• Organization for Economic Cooperation and 

Development Seed Schemes Annual Meeting 

Antalya, Turkey; June 19-23, 2023

• Association of American Seed Control Officials 

Lafayette, Indiana; July 11-14, 2023 

• Seed Regulatory and Testing Division Seed 

School 

Gastonia, NC; August 14-16, 2023

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Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations 

and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, 

and institutions participating in or administering USDA 

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print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should 

contact the responsible Agency or USDA's TARGET Center 

at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA 

through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. 
Items of Interest in Seed – Spring 2023 5 |P a g e

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languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the 

USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, 

found online at How to File a Program Discrimination 

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