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Beans, Peas and Cowpeas Certification Standards

Certification standards for beans, peas, cowpeas, chickpeas, and garden beans.

Program Information

ItemInformation
Certified CropsBeans, Peas, Cowpeas, Chickpeas, Garden Beans
Certification ClassesFoundation, Registered, Certified
Application Deadline45 days after planting
Required InspectionsOne official inspection
Unit of CertificationIndividual field

Seed Eligibility

  • Only seed approved by ACIA as eligible for certification may be used to establish certified seed fields.

Land Requirements

  • Fields must meet previous bean, pea, and cowpea cropping restrictions.
  • Intervening crop requirements and restrictions for fields with bacterial blight history are reviewed during eligibility.

Field Inspection

  • One official inspection is conducted when varietal purity and disease symptoms can be determined, generally from full bloom through pod maturity.

Isolation Requirements

Fields shall be separated from other varieties or inseparable crop kinds by a distance adequate to prevent mechanical mixture.

SituationRequirement
Lima beansAt least 30 feet from other fields of the same kind
Fields adjacent to bean fields contaminated with bacterial blightNot eligible for certification
Other varieties or inseparable kindsAdequate separation to prevent mechanical mixture

Field Standards

Field FactorFoundationRegisteredCertified
Other varieties and off-types1:10,0001:5,0001:1,000
Other crop kinds (inseparable)None1:5,0001:1,000
Bacterial blight, bacterial wilt and anthracnoseNoneNoneNone
Bean common mosaic virusNone1:2001:200

Disease standards do not apply to cowpea where indicated in the official standard.

Seed Standards

Seed FactorFoundationRegisteredCertified
Pure seed minimum95.00%98.00%98.00%
Inert matter maximumNo standard2.00%2.00%
Badly discolored seed maximum0.50%0.50%0.50%
Insect-damaged seed maximum0.50%0.50%0.50%
Noxious weed seedsNoneNoneNone
Other weed seedsNoneNoneNone
Other varieties/off-types maximum0.01%0.05%0.10%
Other crop kinds maximumNone0.05%0.10%
Germination minimumNo standard85%85%

Required Forms

Use the crop application first. Submit tag orders, blending reports, or supporting forms only when they apply.