Temperate Vegetables (1+1)

SEED CERTIFICATION

I. General Seed Certificate Standards

• The general seed certification standards are basic together with the following specific standards constitute the standards of certification of seed potato.
• Classification of seed potato on the basis of production, there shall be two types of seed potatoes, namely the Hills and Plains grown and shall be designated as Hill Seed (HS) and Plain Seed (PS) respectively.
• Hill Seed (HS) shall be grown in the high hills, generally 2500 meter above the mean sea level. Plains Seed (PS) shall be grown in such areas where aphid infection is low during the crop growing season and which are technically suitable for seed production.

II. Land Requirements

• A crop of seed potato shall not be eligible for certification if grown on land infected with wart and cyst forming nematodes; brown or non-cyst forming nematodes within the previous three years common scab.

III. Field Inspection
A minimum of four inspections shall be made as follows:

• The first inspection should be done about 45 days after planting in the hills and about 35 days after planting in the plains to verify isolation, off-types and the extent of disease infection.
• The second inspection should be done about 60-65 days after planting for early varieties or at appropriate growth stage depending on the crop duration of the variety concerned.
• The third inspection should be done immediately after haulms cutting/destruction in order to verify that haulms have been cut / destroyed by the prescribed date and in proper manner.
• The fourth inspection should be done after 10 days’ haulms cutting/destruction and before harvest in order to verify that no regrowth of haulms has taken place.

A. General requirements

Isolation

• The fields of potato should be isolated from the contaminants as shown below:

Contaminants	Minimum distance (meters)
	Foundation		Certified
	Stage-I	Stage-II
Fields of other varieties	5	5	5
Fields of the same variety not confirming to varietal purity requirements for certification	5	5	5

B. Specific requirements

Maximum permissible limits
Factors	Stage	Foundation Seed		Certified Seed
		Stage-I	Stage-II
Off types	I & II inspection	0.05 %	0.05 %	0.10 %
Plants showing symptoms of mild mosaic	I & II Inspection	1.0 %	2.0 %	3.0 %
Plants showing symptoms of severe mosaic, PLRV, PVY and yellows	I & II Inspection	0.50 %	0.75 %	1.0 %
*Total virus	-	1.0 %	2.0 %	3.0 %
٭*Plants infected by brown rot (Syn. Bacterial wilt)	I & II Inspection	None	3 plants per hectare	3 plants per hectare
PSTV	I & II Inspection	-	-	-
***Re-growth of plants after destruction of haulms	IV Inspection	0.50 %	0.50 %	0.50 %

Note:

1. ٭ Of the two inspection, the higher virus percentage will be considered for the purpose of the specified limits of tolerance.
٭٭ .2 The presence of brown rot infected plants within the specified limits of tolerance shall be permitted in the area known to be infected with this disease.
3. ٭٭٭ Standards for re-growth after destruction of haulms shall be met at fourth inspection to be conducted about ten days after haulms cutting.

IV. Seed Standards

• Specification in respect of size and weight of seed material for foundation stage-1 foundation stage-II and certified class as detailed below:

Plains seed (PS)	Foundation Stage I and II	Certified class
Seed size	30-55 g	25-125 g
Large size	> 55 g	>125g
Hills seed (HS)
Seed size	30-60 g	25-150 g
Large size	> 60 g	>150g

• Maximum tolerance limit of tuber showing visible symptoms caused by the diseases mentioned below will be as follows:

Diseases	Maximum permissible limits (by number)
	Foundation		Certified
	Stage-1	Stage-II
Late blight, dry rot or Charcoal rot (%)	1.0	1.0	1.0
Wet rot (%)	None	None	None
*Common scab (%)	3.0	3.0	5.0
**Black scurf (%)	5.0	5.0	5.0
*** Total diseases (%)	5.0	5.0	5.0

1. *Even if a single tuber infected with common scab is detected in a seed lot, the entire seed lot shall be treated with approved fungicide before seed lot is
declared fit for certification. Seed lots having infected tubers more than the prescribed limits will not be certified even after treatment.

a. A tuber carrying 10 per cent or above scurf will be considered as one infected unit.
b. Seed lots having black scurf infection more than the prescribed limits (>5%), could be certified after treatment with approved chemical/fungicide.

2. ** The presence of browm rot infected plants within the specified limits of tolerance shall be permitted in the area known to be infected with this disease.
3. *** For all diseases, the higher disease percentage will be considered for the purpose of the specified limits of tolerance.