SEED LEGISLATION AND SEED CERTIFICATION

The Seeds Act passed by the Indian parliament in 1966 created a climate, which could make good quality seeds available to the cultivators. Seed Rules under the Act were framed and notified in September 1968 and the Act was implemented in its entirety in October 1969. Even though the concept of Seed certification was known in India, the enforcement of provisions of Seeds Act in the year 1969, gave beginning to the systematic arrangements for large scale seed certification.  Seed Certification Agencies function in accordance with The Seeds Act 1966(section 8). The various aspects and activities of Seed Certification carried out in accordance with Seeds Act are listed below.

Details of provisions in the Seeds Act 1966 and Seeds Rules 1968 and Certification activities

Establishment of Seed Certification Agency in the state            Section 8

Establishment of Seed certification Board                                Section 8A

Establishment of Central Seed Committee                               Section 3

Establishment of State Seed Testing Laboratories.                   Section 4

Notification of varieties                                                           Section 5

Certifying seeds of notified varieties only                                 Rule 6(a)

Sowing report – Application                                                   Rule 15

Verification of seed source and Purchase bill                           Rule 6(d)

Collection of fee                                                                     Rule 16

Maintenance of breeder list                                                     Rule 6(c)

Inspecting seed farms to assess the field standards                   Rule 6(k)

Harvesting, sealing and sending to seed processing units           Rule 6(b)

Inspecting seed Processing plants                                            Rule 6(f)

Drawing samples and sending for analysis                                Rule 6(e)

Certifying seeds in accordance with I.M.S.C. Standards           Rule 17-A

Certifying the Quality seeds                                                      Rule 6(i)

Affixing tags on Seed containers                                              Rule 17(i)

Contents of seed certification Tag                                            Rule 17(ii)

Affixing labels along with tags on the containers                        Rule 9

Granting of certificate (Form II)                                               Rule 17

Maintaining Registers and records                                           Rule 6(j)

Maintaining Registers and records by seed producers              Rule 17(vi)

Expediting Seed certification works                                         Rule 6(g)

Grant of certificates by certification Agency                              Section 9

Imparting training                                                                     Rule 6(h)

Revocation of certificates                                                         Section 10

Appealing against the decisions of seed certification agency       Section 11

 

SEED CERTIFICATION REGULATIONS

To ensure the quality seed material to the farmers, minimum seed certification standards are most important.  The standards, so prescribed should be achievable by the grower and at the same time high enough to meet the needs of the farmer - consumer. 

 

     The certification standards in force can broadly be divided in to 2 groups: 

 

1. Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards (IMSCS)  

    

2. Seed Certification Procedure (SCP). 

 

The I.M.S.C.S. and S.C.P. together form the Seed Certification Regulations (S.C.R.).  

 

1.The Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards Consists of:   

 

A. General Seed Certification Standards requirements, which are basic and are applicable to all crops under certification.  

 

B. Specific seed certification Standards - requirements that are applicable only to a crop or a group of crops. 

  

2. Phases of Seed Certification:

(Seed Certification procedures)   

 

Certification shall be completed in five broad phases listed as under.

 

a. Receipt and scrutiny of application including verification and establishment of seed source and other requirements.

 

b.     Field inspections to verify conformity to the prescribed field standards.  

 

c.     Supervision at post-harvest stages including processing and packing.

 

d.     Seed sampling and analysis, including genetic purity test and/or seed health test, if any, in order to verify conformity to the prescribed standards, and 

 

e.     Grant of certificate and certification tags, tagging and sealing.

 

GENERAL SEED CERTIFICATION STANDARDS

 

1. General Seed Certification standards: 

 

The General Seed Certification standards are applicable to all crops, which are eligible for certification, and with field and seed standards for the individual crops, shall constitute the Minimum Seed Certification Standards.  

 

Purpose of seed certification: 

 

 The purpose of seed certification is to maintain and make available to the public, through certification, high quality seeds and propagating materials of notified kind and varieties so grown and distributed as to ensure genetic identity and genetic purity. 

 

Eligibility requirements for certification of crop varieties:

 

Seeds of only those varieties, which are notified under section 5 of the Seeds Act, 1966 shall be eligible for certification.

    

Classes and sources of seed:

 

1. Breeder seed.    

2. Foundation Seed Stage-I & II

3. Certified Seed.   

 

Breeder Seed: 

 

Breeder Seed is a seed or vegetative propagating material directly controlled by the originating or sponsoring plant breeder of the breeding programme or institution and or seed whose production is personally supervised by a qualified plant breeder and which provides the source for the initial and recurring increase of Foundation Seed.

 

Breeder seed is not covered under certification. However the breeder seed crop is being inspected by a monitoring-team consisting of the Breeder, representative of National Seeds Corporation (not less than the rank of Deputy Manager) and representative of Seed Certification Agency (not less than the rank of Deputy Director of Seed Certification) and nominees of crop coordinator (not less than the officer of S-II rank).  The crops shall be inspected at appropriate stages. 

 

Breeder seed shall be genetically so pure as to guarantee that in the subsequent generation, i.e., certified foundation class seeds shall conform to the prescribed standards of genetic purity.  The other quality factors of breeder seed such as physical purity, inert matter, germination etc. shall be indicated on the label on actual basis.  The Breeder Seed shall be packed and supplied by the breeders in the form and manner indicated in Annexure I.  Breeder seed shall not be used directly for producing certified class seed skipping foundation class.  

 

Certified seed:  

 

Certified seed shall be the seed certified by Certification Agency notified under section 8 of the Seeds Act, 1966.  Certified seed shall consist of two classes, namely, 

 

a. Foundation class Seed. 

 

b. Certified class Seed.   

 

Foundation Class Seed

 

Foundation class seed shall be the progeny of Breeder seed, or be produced from foundation seed, which can be clearly traced to Breeder seed. 

 

The production shall be supervised and approved by the Certification Agency to conform the required certification standards viz. genetic purity, Physical purity etc. Thus, foundation seed can even be produced from foundation seed.  During the production of Foundation seed, the following guidelines shall be observed.  

 

a. Foundation class seed produced directly from Breeder seed shall be designated as Foundation Seed Stage-1.  

b.     Foundation seed produced from Foundation Seed Stage-I shall be designated as Foundation Seed Stage-II. 

c. Foundation Seed Stage-II will not be used for further increase of Foundation Seed and shall be used only for production of Certified seed class.

d. Minimum Seed Certification standards shall be the same for both Foundation Seed Stage-I and Stage-II. 

 

Certified class seed:

 

Certified Class Seed shall be the progeny of Foundation Seed and its production shall be so handled as to maintain specific genetic identity and purity according to standards prescribed for the crop being certified.

 

Certification tags issued for certified class shall carry the word "CERTIFIED” for certification stage-I and “CERTIFIED STAGE–II” for certified stage II Class.  At the discretion of the certification agency (when considered necessary to maintain adequate seed supplies) certified seed may be the progeny of certified seed provided this reproduction may not exceed three generations and provided further that it is determined by the seed certification agency, that the genetic purity will not be significantly altered.