Code of Maine Rules › 01 - DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, CONSERVATION AND FORESTRY › 001 - AGRICULTURE - GENERAL › Chapter 252 - RULES GOVERNING CERTIFICATION OF SEED POTATOES IN THE STATE OF MAINE › Section 001-252-1 - INTRODUCTION

Current through 2024-29, July 17, 2024
A.
Definitions
(1)
The Terms
(a)
Bacterial Ring Rot
means a
				tuber-borne potato disease caused by the bacterium,
Corynebacterium
				sepedonicum
also known as
Clavibacter michiganense
pv.
sepedonicum
.
(b)
Certification
means the act
				of endorsing that the potatoes have been inspected and at the time of
				inspection met the standards or requirements specified in this Chapter for seed
				potatoes. Certification does not mean or constitute any warranty that the
				potatoes are merchantable, disease free, or fit for a particular purpose.
				Except where the Commissioner has indicated other tests are superior, the
				measurement method or basis for determining compliance with the standards is
				visual inspection of the fields and post- harvest laboratory testing using
				ELISA, PCR or other suitable molecular method.
(c)
Certified Seed
means seed
				potatoes entered into the Maine Seed Potato Certification Program and passing
				the field year field inspection, and Post-Harvest Test requirements as well as
				the other requirements established in this Chapter.
(d)
Certified Seed Class
means
				seed potatoes entered into the Maine Seed Potato Certification Program with an
				appropriate field year designation and passing field inspection, Post-Harvest
				Test and other requirements established in this Chapter for this class of seed
				potatoes.
(e)
Commissioner
means the Commissioner of the Maine Department of
				Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
(f)
Department
means the Maine
				Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
(g)
Disease Tested Tuber(s)
means potato tuber(s) selected and tested for freedom from the following
				diseases and pathogens: Bacterial Ring Rot, Blackleg, Potato Spindle Tuber
				Viroid, Potato viruses X, Y, A, M, S, Leafroll, Potato Mop Top Virus and the
				Necrotic Strain of Potato Virus Y (PVY-N).
(h)
Field Year
means a seed
				potato classification designating the number of years a particular lot has been
				grown in the field after greenhouse propagation, not to exceed six years after
				2011.
(i)
Foundation Farming
				Operation
means all potato acreage on the farm has been entered into the
				Maine Seed Potato Certification Program.
(j)
Foundation Seed Class
means
				seed potatoes entered into the Maine Seed Potato Certification Program with an
				appropriate field year designation and passing field inspection, Post-Harvest
				Test and other requirements established in this Chapter for this class of seed
				potatoes.
(k)
Inspector or
				Seed Potato Inspector
means a representative of the Department who is
				duly authorized to carry-out the services of the Maine Seed Potato
				Certification Program.
(l)
Leafroll
means a potato disease caused by the potato leafroll
				virus.
(m)
Lot
means a
				population of certified seed potatoes of one variety, field year and class that
				is identified by one certification number.
(n)
Maine Seed Potato Certification
				Program
means the program established in this Chapter for certification
				of seed potatoes.
(o)
Mini-tuber
means a tuber produced in a greenhouse from nuclear
				stock.
(p)
Mosaic
means potato disease caused by potato virus A, potato virus X, potato virus Y,
				potato virus M or a combination of potato viruses A, X, M and Y.
(q)
Necrotic Strain of Potato Virus Y
				(PVY-N)
means a strain of Potato Virus Y that causes a necrotic reaction
				in certain varieties of tobacco.
(r)
Nuclear Seed
means
				propagation material, including mini-tubers and plantlets, which involves in
				vitro techniques and is grown under controlled conditions.
(s)
Nuclear Seed Origination
				Source
means any farm or operation that is authorized by the
				Commissioner for such production.
(t)
Post-Harvest Test
means the
				test authorized by the Department for determining the disease content of
				recently harvested samples of seed potatoes. Each sample must represent a
				specific lot of seed potatoes in storage
.
(u)
Potato Mop Top Virus
means a
				soil-borne virus in the pomovirus group which may cause discoloration or
				necrotic rings in infected tubers, and various types of mottling and stunting
				in above-ground portions of infected plants.
(v)
Production or Crop Handling
				Equipment
means equipment used in producing potatoes that contacts
				either the foliage or the tubers of potato plants.
(w)
Roguing
means the removal of
				diseased and off-type potato plants from a field of seed potatoes.
(x)
Root Knot Nematode
means the
				nematode species belonging to the genus
Meloidogyne
.
(y)
Separate Farming Operation
means distinct production units which use the same crop handling equipment but
				which clean and disinfect the equipment between use on each production unit.
				Separate farming operations must be established and separated by identifiable
				physical boundaries (i.e. a road, woods, field devoted to a different crop) and
				must remain the same once established, unless approval for a change is
				requested by the producer and approved by the Department.
(z)
Shipping Inspection Tags
means the tags or bulk certificates identifying the variety name, grade, size,
				and class of seed potatoes, which are issued by department staff prior to
				shipment.
(aa)
Single Hill
				Selection
means the method of seed potato propagation whereby tubers are
				selected, tested to ensure freedom from certain pathogens, and retained for
				planting as Nuclear Seed.
(bb)
Sod Ground
means land on which grass and/or legume species were
				produced the previous year.
(cc)
Spindle Tuber
means the potato disease caused by the Potato
				Spindle Tuber Viroid pathogen.
(dd)
Tobacco Rattle Virus
means a virus vectored by the stubby root
				nematode which can cause stem mottling of potato foliage and discoloration or
				necrotic rings in infected tubers.
(ee)
Tolerance
means the
				allowable upper limit of observed disease during field inspection, post-harvest
				test, and laboratory evaluation.
(ff)
Total Virus
means the sum
				or total of the virus diseases Leafroll and Mosaic.
(gg)
Vine kill
means treating
				the vines mechanically or chemically to cause them to die.
(hh)
Zero Tolerance
means that
				the disease or related pathogen was not found during the inspection and testing
				process in the case of Bacterial Ring Rot, Potato Spindle Tuber Viroid, or Root
				Knot Nematode. This is not intended, nor may it be construed to mean, that the
				lot inspected is free from the disease in question.