Seed Certification Changes

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31167, 17 September 1966, Page 8

Seed Certification Changes

The Department of Agriculture proposes to alter the New Zealand seed certification scheme to conform with the requirements of the certification scheme of the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development, which New Zealand has applied to join.

The alterations are being made on the recommendation of the Small Seeds Advisory Committee and are as follows: N.Z. Certified Government stock seed will be known as —Breeders’ seed.

N.Z. certified pedigree seed will be know as—Basic seed. N.Z. certified mother seed will be known as—Certified seed, Ist generation. N.Z. certified standard seed will be known as—Certified seed, 2nd generation.

There will be no alterations to the present designations of N.Z. certified permanent pasture perennial ryegrass, cocksfoot, or white clover.

Crops to be certified as basic (pedigree) seed must conform with the standards laid down by O.E.C.D. These are:

The grower must furnish particulars concerning the previous cropping history of every area entered to produce basic seed.

For grasses there must be a time interval of at least

two years between the crop to be harvested and a previous crop of the species or variety with which it is cross-fertile. Crops not meeting these requirements will be rejected. For clovers there must be a time interval of at least three years between the crop to be harvested and a previous crop of a species or variety with which it is crossfertile. Crops not meeting these requirements will be rejected.

Seed crops of cross-fertilis-ing species must be isolated from any possible source of contaminating pollens by at least 100 yards. Crops not meeting these requirements will be degraded or rejected. Crops must be in a fit state to permit accurate determination of varietal and species purity. At field inspections crops will be degraded or rejected if they do not comply with existing standards. Crops which contain an excessive number of weeds will be rejected. Successful applicants for certified Government stock (breeders) seed this year should be advised that it will be necessary for them to sow their allocations so as to conform with the above conditions in order to have the produce of these areas eligible for certification as basic (pedigree) seed. To familiarise farmers and merchants with the new nomenclature, present stocks of certification tags and insert slips will be overstamped with the new wording, thus displaying the old as well as the new names. Tags and insert slips in this form will be introduced on January 1, 1967.