Small Grains

(Barley, Durum, Oat, Rye, Triticale, Wheat)

Special Requirements and Standards

Seed Treatment

Seed of the Foundation and Registered classes shall be treated with approved materials for the control of seed-borne diseases.

General Field Standards

Land History

Land planted for all classes of certified seed production shall not have grown the same kind of small grain for its previous crop unless that previous crop was planted with a class of certified seed of the same variety for which certification is requested.

Field Inspection

Foundation class: Shall be inspected at least three times beginning at or shortly after heading. Foundation fields may be rejected for presence of offending plants (other varieties, off-types or inseparable other crops) in excess of the field standard at any inspection. Inspectors will notify applicants promptly of fields rejected for this reason. These fields may regain eligibility at the discretion of the inspector if offending plants of transient visibility are rogued to standards in a timely manner.

Registered class: Shall be inspected at least two times beginning shortly after heading under the same conditions of acceptance as for Foundation class fields.

Certified class: At least one field inspection shall be conducted at a growth stage when varietal purity can be adequately determined. The inspection will normally be conducted during the latter stages of head filling in small grains. Fields rejected for the presence of offending plants in excess of field standards may regain eligibility at the discretion of the inspector if they are rogued to standards in a timely manner.

Unit of Certification

A portion of a field may be accepted for certification if the non-eligible portion does not affect the genetic purity of the certified portion.

Isolation

a) A field producing any class of certified seed of a specific crop kind (hulled barley, durum, oat, triticale and wheat) shall be separated from fields producing other varieties of the same kind by a minimum distance of 10 feet;.

b) A field producing any class of certified seed of a specific crop kind shall be separated from fields producing inseparable crop kinds or from fields of the same variety planted with none-certified seed by a distance adequate to prevent mechanical mixing.

For hulless waxy barley, fields producing certified seed shall be separated from hulled barley production fields as follows:

Foundation class production - 1,320 feet
Registered and Certified class production - 660 feet

[Note: This isolation requirement shall be waived if 200 feet of non-certifiable buffer is established facing an offending hulled field.]

For rye, fields of all classes of certified seed production shall be at least 660 feet distant from fields of any other variety and non-certifiable fields of the same variety and the same chromosome number. Isolation between diploid and tetraploid ryes shall be at least 15 feet.

Specific Field Standards

Field Factor - Maximum Frequency of Heads or Plants Allowed

Foundation

Registered

Certified

Other variety and off-types - same kind
1:25,000
1:5,000
1:3,000
Inseparable other crop kinds - including small grains
1:25,000
1:4,000
1:2,500
Inseparable objectionable weeds*
None
None
None
Chemically-controllable seed-borne disease
1:10,000
1:5,000
1:2,500

*Specifically, wild oat (Avena fatua L.)

Seed Standards for Small Grains

Seed Factor Standard - Percentage (%)

Foundation

Registered

Certified

Pure Seed (Minimum)
98.00
99.00
99.00
Inert Matter (Maximum)
2.00
1.00
1.00
Noxious Weeds
None
None
None
Other weed seeds (Maximum)
0.01
0.01
0.02
Other varieties/off-types same kind (Maximum)
0.01
0.02
0.04
Other crop kinds(Maximum)
0.01
0.02
0.02
Germination (Minimum)
Durum
85
85
85
All other kinds
90
90
90

* Includes wild oat and other Arizona restricted noxious weeds