1. A. General standards. The general standards as adopted in this chapter are basic and apply to grass seed certification.
2. B. Land requirements. A field to be eligible for the production of registered or certified seed shall not have grown or been seeded to the same species during the previous year except to foundation, registered, or certified seed of the same variety. For foundation seed production the land shall not have been planted to grass of the same kind within the previous five years.

3. C. Field standards.

   1. 1. Field inspection.

      1. a. A field inspection shall be made each year that a certified crop is to be harvested.
      2. b. A field inspection is to be made after heading but before harvesting.
      3. c. A crop automatically becomes ineligible for certification if harvested before the field inspection is made.

   2. 2. Isolation.

      1. a. A strip at least five feet in width and which is mowed, uncropped or planted to some crop other than the kind in question shall constitute a field boundary.

      2. b. The following isolation requirements shall be met when any other strain or strains of the species is in bloom at the same time.

         Border to be Removed *-Feet **	Minimum Isolation - Feet
         Foundation	Registered	Certified
         0	900	300	165
         9	600	225	100
         15	450	150	75
         *When a border is to be removed, such removal shall not occur until pollination of the crop to be certified is completed.
         **When different classes of seed of the same variety are being grown on the same or adjacent fields, the isolation requirements may be reduced to 25% of that shown in the above table.

   3. 3. Specific.

      	Maximum Permitted Ratio of Plants
      	Foundation	Registered	Certified
      Other Varieties	1:1,000	1:100	1:50

   4. 4. Duration of eligibility. Stands of foundation or registered seed may be so classified for a period of five years. After a five-year period such stands may be eligible for the class certified, if conditions are found favorable when inspected.

4. D. Seed standards.

   	Foundation	Registered	Certified
   Pure Seed (minimum)
   	Tall Fescue	98.5%	98.5%	98.5%
   	Orchardgrass	90.0%	90.0%	90.0%
   Inert Matter (maximum)
   	Tall Fescue	1.5%	1.5%	1.5%
   	Orchardgrass	10.0%	10.0%	10.0%
   Other Crops (maximum)
   	**Tall Fescue	0.25%	0.25%	0.50%
   	**Orchardgrass	1.00%	1.00%	2.00%
   Other Grasses (maximum)	0.10%	0.10%	0.25%
   Weed Seed (maximum)	0.30%	0.30%	0.50%
   ***Objectionable Weeds (maximum)	1 per oz.	1 per oz.	1 per oz.
   Germination
   	Tall Fescue	*N.S.	80.0%	80.0%
   	Orchardgrass	*N.S.	85.0%	85.0%
   *N.S. - No standard.
   **Not to exceed .25% of other grasses of which not more than 0.1% may be rye grass. No rye grass allowed in registered seed.
   ***Wild onion bulblets and wild garlic bulblets and wild mustard are permitted to the extent indicated.

Statutory Authority

§§ 3.2-4024 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from VR172-01-01 § 9, eff. April 1980.