(a)

1. (1) The production of blueberries is a new and growing industry in Arkansas.
2. (2) Diseases such as red ringspot, necrotic ringspot, stunt, and phytophthora root rot pose a serious threat to the blueberry industry, especially in its developing stages.
3. (3) To prevent the spread of these and other diseases by blueberry nursery stock the following rules shall apply to all blueberry plants produced in Arkansas for sale.

(b) Mother blocks.

1. (1) All blueberry plants produced in Arkansas shall be grown from cuttings taken from mother blocks which have been established as prescribed by this part and kept under rigid inspection and rouging by the State Plant Board.

2. (2)

   1. (A) Mother blocks shall be established by one (1) of the following methods:

(i) Transplanting or clearly designating and setting apart plants which have been inspected and found to be free of serious diseases, including the above;

1. (ii) (ii) Setting plants which have been indexed or otherwise officially determined to be free of harmful diseases;

   1. (iii) Setting plants which have been produced in an approved official certification program in Arkansas or another state; or

      1. (iv) Setting plants which have been produced from cuttings from an officially approved mother block established and maintained as set out in this part.

   2. (B) New varieties.

      1. (i)

(b) (b) When such official determination has been made, said plants shall be eligible for the establishment of mother blocks as in subdivisions (b)(2)(A)(i) and (ii) of this section.

1. (ii) Proof of origin in the form of affidavits or sales invoices or certification tags shall be required for cuttings, rooted cuttings, or plants which are to be used in establishing approved mother blocks if from a source other than the applicant nurseryman's own blocks.

2. (3) Mother blocks:

   1. (A) Shall not be fruited for production purposes;
   2. (B) Shall be clearly designated and set apart from fruiting fields and, when possible, located where they will not receive drainage from fruiting fields; and

   3. (C)

      1. (i) Shall be inspected by the board as often as necessary and at optimum times for the detection of such diseases as:

(b) (b) Necrotic ringspot;

1. (c) (c) Other virus diseases;

   1. (d) (d) Stunt;

(h) (h) Harmful insects and mites.

1. (ii) All obviously diseased or seriously infested plants found in a mother block shall be removed and destroyed within ten (10) days of inspection.

   1. (iii)

(b) (b) Those plants officially determined to be diseased or seriously infested shall be removed and destroyed when such is determined to be necessary.

1. (c) Production of nursery stock.

2. (1) Cuttings taken from a mother block shall be:

   1. (A)

      1. (i) (A)(i) Rooted in beds on raised benches or raised gravel to break contact with the soil.
      2. (ii)

(b) (b) Heat sterilization performed according to directions in Extension Circular 540, "Control of Diseases and Insect Pests in the Plant Bed," shall be acceptable.

1. (iii) Artificial media (new peat, perlite, vermiculite, washed sand, etc.) may be used without fumigating or heat treating if reasonable precautions are taken against contamination; and

   1. (B) Rooted in beds located where they will not receive drainage from fruiting fields or mother plant blocks.

2. (2) Rooted cuttings. Rooted cuttings shall be transplanted to:

   1. (A) Fields which have been fumigated with an approved fumigant according to label directions; or

   2. (B)

      1. (i) Containers in which the growing medium, if it contains soil or is being reused, has been fumigated or heat treated as in subdivision (c)(1)(A) of this section.
      2. (ii) Artificial media (new peat, perlite, vermiculite, washed sand, etc.) may be used without fumigating or heat treating if reasonable precautions are taken against contamination.
      3. (iii) Used containers shall be decontaminated by washing with thirty percent (30%) Clorox solution before reusing.
      4. (iv) Containers shall be placed on raised benches or on raised gravel beds in such manner as to avoid contact of the plants or containers with contaminated soil or water.
      5. (v) Container blocks or field blocks shall be located where they will not receive drainage from fruiting fields or mother plant blocks.

3. (3) Nursery stock.

   1. (A) Blueberry nursery stock when produced as prescribed herein may be sold as:

      1. (i) Cuttings;
      2. (ii) Rooted cuttings;
      3. (iii) Field-grown plants; and
      4. (iv) Container-grown plants.

   2. (B) Proof of origin must be provided to the purchaser if the cuttings, rooted cuttings, or plants are to be used:

      1. (i) In the establishment of new mother blocks; or
      2. (ii) For the production of rooted cuttings or container-grown or field-grown plants for sale.
      3. (d) Application of rules. These rules shall apply in addition to, and do not replace, any rules covering nursery stock now in effect as covered by 2 CAR pt. 50, nor do they replace or supersede any requirement of the Arkansas Plant Act of 1917, Arkansas Code § 2-16-201 et seq., or the Arkansas Nursery Fraud Act of 1919, Arkansas Code § 2-21-101 et seq.

(f) Effective date.

1. (1) To avoid penalizing plant production by current methods while mother blocks are being established, these rules shall become effective in two (2) stages.
2. (2) Present plant production practices may be continued until December 31, 1984, after which date all cuttings shall be taken and started as prescribed in this part.
3. (3) After December 31, 1986, all cuttings, rooted cuttings, and plants produced in Arkansas for sale shall be produced as set forth in this part.