Principles of Plant Genetics and Breeding

Table 24.1 Information on a seed tag.
Item What it means
International role in seed certification
International involvement in seed certification is critical
because of the international trade of seeds. In North
America, the first official international effort was the
International Crop Improvement Association (ICIA)
founded in 1919. Its objectives were:
1 To assist members in promoting the production,
identification, distribution, and use of certified seed
and other propagating materials of superior crop
varieties.
2 To establish minimum standards of seed production,
storage, and handling.
3 To assist in standardization of certification requirements
and procedures to the end that all certified
seed will be as good as or better than an accepted,
minimum quality.
4 To inform the public as to the value of certified seed
and encourage its widescale use through approved
educational media.
5 To develop cooperation with all individuals, groups,
and organizations directly or indirectly interested in
the improvement of crops.
The ICIA gave birth to the Association of Official
Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA) to coordinate, standardize,
and establish minimum standards for genetic
purity and to identify minimum standards for seed quality
for all classes of pedigreed seed.
At the international level, the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) was
SEED CERTIFICATION AND COMMERCIAL SEED MULTIPLICATION 447
Kind and variety States variety name; term “mixture” is used to refer to seed with more than one component
Lot identification Identifies a specific amount of seed of uniform quality associated with a specific seed test
Pure seed Indicates percent purity as it relates to the kind and variety of crop species indicated
Other crop seed Percent by weight of other crop seed as contaminants
Weed seed Percent by weight of weed seed present
Inert material Percent by weight of foreign material such as chaff, stones, cracked seed, soil, etc.
Prohibited noxious weeds Weed seeds prohibited in the variety to be sold (e.g., field bindweed, Canada thistle)
Restricted noxious weeds Weed seeds that may be present up to an allowable limit (90 seeds per pound of pure seed), e.g.,
quackgrass, dodder, and hedge bindweed
Germination Percent of seed that germinates to produce normal seedlings during a standard seed analysis
Date of test Year and month in which seed test was conducted
Origin Source of seed – where seed was produced
Name and address Name of seed company or seller of the seed
established in 1966 to facilitate the international movement
of certified seed. The OECD has developed five
schemes for: (i) oil seed and forage seed; (ii) cereal
seed; (iii) vegetable seed; (iv) sugar beet and fodder;
and (v) corn. Each participating country is responsible
for enforcing and supervising the certification process
to conform to international standards and to issue
appropriate official documentation to accompany commercial
seed.
There are various national and regional seed associations
around the world. In Canada, there is the
Canadian Seed Trade Association, while the US has
the American Seed Trade Association. Within the US,
there are several regional groups such as the Western
Seedmen’s Association and the Southern Seedmen’s
Association.
Production of conventional seed
Conventional seed production is often done in regions
with drier climates. Drier growing conditions reduce the
incidence of various diseases and hence result in higher
quality seeds. Furthermore, if the growing season is
long, growers can use proper irrigation management to
maximize crop yield. In the USA, companies that produce
vegetable seeds, flower seeds, and seeds of forage
legumes and grass crops are concentrated in the western
regions.
The key considerations in commercial seed production
are: