West Virginia Code of State Rules › Agency 61 - Agriculture › Title 61 - LEGISLATIVE RULE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE › Series 61-08C - Fruits and Vegetables: Certification of Potatoes for Seeding Purposes › Section 61-8C-6 - General procedure

Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 28, July 12, 2024
6.1. The
				purpose of the certifying of a field of potatoes for seeding purposes is to
				ensure the purchaser that the heredity of the potatoes has been such as to
				ensure reasonably good quality seed. This is brought about by sufficient
				inspection at critical times in order that the history of the potatoes produced
				in the field will be known. The Commissioner will supervise the kind of seed
				that is planted in the field to be certified and will require such seed be
				treated with standard treatments of corrosive sublimate, hot formaldehyde or
				organic mercury compounds if the previous history of the seed, or an
				inspection, shows such treatments to be necessary.
6.2. Two (2) field inspections to determine
				the amount of visible disease present in the field will be made by the
				Commissioner or his assistants. The first of these will be about the time the
				potatoes are 8 inches high or before the blossoming period has passed.
				Subsequent field inspections may be made at any time prior to the time the
				vines have matured past a point where the disease symptoms can no longer be
				seen.
6.3. During the growing
				season the grower must rogue the field and remove all plants showing symptoms
				of visible diseases. All parts, including tubers larger than 1 inch in
				diameter, of such plants must be carefully dug, placed in a sack and removed
				from the field. Three (3) complete roguings will be required and, of these, one
				(1) must follow the first inspection and one (1) after the second
				inspection.
6.4. The potatoes will
				be dug under the supervision of the inspector and moved to storage in such a
				manner that no question of the identity of the potatoes can arise. The first
				inspection of the tubers will be made at this time. The bin, in which these
				potatoes are stored, must be marked with a description of the location of the
				field, number of acres and number of bushels harvested. If they are placed in a
				common storage or warehouse, the management must furnish the Commissioner with
				a copy of the warehouse receipt, giving the location in the warehouse in
				addition to the facts required to be placed on the bin, as stated
				above.
6.5. Ten (10) days from the
				time of digging the potatoes may be graded, sacked, sealed and sold. The grade
				will be determined by an assistant of the Commissioner and the sacks sealed
				under his direction. This final scaling should not take placeunless it is known
				the potatoes are to be moved in afew days. It will he necessary for this final
				inspectionto be made, if the potatoes are to be sold as certifiedseed or if
				they are to be used as a seed source for certified seed.
6.6. The potatoes shall be so placed that it
				will be convenient for the inspector to make his examination.The grower, under
				the directions of the inspector,shall be responsible for the placing of the
				wire and seals on the sack in such manner that the sacks cannot be emptied and
				refilled. The sacks must be clean and hold one hundred (100) pounds of potatoes
				when sealed.