South Carolina Code of Regulations › Chapter 27 - CLEMSON UNIVERSITY STATE LIVESTOCK-POULTRY HEALTH COMMISSION › Article 14 - SEED CERTIFICATION STANDARDS › Section 27-190 - General Certification Standards

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 6, June 28, 2024
In order to qualify as a seed certifying agency for purposes of
				section
				101(a)(24) of the
				Federal Seed Act (7 U.S.C. 1551) the
				Fertilizer Regulatory and Certification Services of Clemson University,
				hereinafter referred to as the Seed Certification Department, enforces
				standards and procedures, as conditions for its certification of seed, that
				meet or exceed the standards and procedures specified in sections 201.68-201.78
				of Federal Seed Act Regulations.
The following are the minimum standards required for the
				certification of seed and vegetative propagating material for genetic purity
				and identity by the Seed Certification Department. This seed certification
				program shall cover planting stocks of varieties*, hybrids, multi-lines,
				synthetics, etc. produced, conditioned, sampled, tested and labeled in
				accordance with the standards of the Seed Certification Department.
Crops Without Published Standards
In the case of crops for which no standards have been published
				in South Carolina, standards of the Federal Seed Act or the Association of
				Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA) shall apply. If no Federal or AOSCA
				standards have been published for the crop, standards of an AOSCA member agency
				certifying the crop will be used until South Carolina Standards are
				published.
I. Classes of Seed
			 Recognized and Definition of Terms
A. Breeder
			 Seed is seed or vegetative propagating material directly controlled by the
			 originating or sponsoring plant breeding institution, firm, or individual, and
			 is the source for the production of the other classes of certified
			 seed.
B. Foundation Seed is a class
			 of certified seed which is the progeny of Breeder or Foundation seed or
			 vegetative propagating material produced and handled to maintain genetic purity
			 and identity, as outlined for Foundation seed in the standards of the Seed
			 Certification Department.
C.
			 Registered Seed is a class of certified seed which is the progeny of Breeder or
			 Foundation or vegetative propagating material produced and handled to maintain
			 genetic purity and identity as outlined for Registered seed in the standards of
			 the Seed Certification Department.
D. Certified Seed is a class of certified
			 seed which is the progeny of Breeder or Foundation or Registered seed or
			 vegetative propagating material produced and handled to maintain genetic purity
			 and identity as outlined for Certified seed in the standards of the Seed
			 Certification Department.
E.
			 Variety-The term variety (cultivar) denotes an assemblage of cultivated
			 individuals which are distinguished by any characters (morphological,
			 cytological, chemical or others) significant for the purposes of agriculture,
			 forestry, or horticulture and which, when reproduced (sexually or asexually) or
			 reconstituted, retain their distinguishing features.
F. Off-type-a plant or seed not part of the
			 variety in that it deviates in one or more characteristics from that which has
			 been described by the breeder as being usual for the strain or
			 variety.
G. Hybrid-The term
			 "hybrid" applied to kinds or varieties of seed means the first generation seed
			 of a cross produced by controlling the pollination and by combining (1) two or
			 more inbred lines; (2) one inbred or a single cross with an open pollinated
			 variety; or (3) two selected clones, seed lines, varieties, or species.
			 "Controlling the pollination" means to use a method of hybridization which will
			 produce pure seed which is at least 75 percent hybrid seed. Hybrid designations
			 shall be treated as variety names.
H. Open-pollination-The term
			 "open-pollination" means pollination that occurs naturally as opposed to
			 controlled pollination, such as by detasselling, cytoplasmic male sterility,
			 self-incompatibility or similar processes.
I. Lot of Seed-a definite quantity of seed
			 identified by a lot number, every portion or bag of which is uniform, within
			 permitted tolerances, for the factors which appear in the labeling.
J. Purity-the name of the kind, type or
			 variety and the percentage thereof; the percentage of other crop seed; the
			 percentage of weed seeds; the percentage of inert matter; and the names of the
			 noxious weed seeds and the rate of occurrence of each.
K. Conditioning-the various procedures
			 involved in the mechanical handling of seed after harvesting to prepare the
			 seed for marketing.
L.
			 Variants-seed of plants which are (a) distinct within the variety but occur
			 naturally within the variety, (b) stable and predictable with a degree of
			 reliability comparable to other varieties of the same kind, within recognized
			 tolerances, when the variety is reproduced or reconstituted and (c) which were
			 a part of the variety as originally released. Variants are not to be considered
			 off types.
M. Label-the term label
			 as used herein shall be defined as an attachment to or printed area of a seed
			 container which contains product identity and quality information as required
			 by these standards and the SC Seed Law.