BOTTLE GOURD (Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl. (syn. L. leucantha Rusby) HYBRIDS

I. Application and Amplification of General Seed Certification Standards

A. The General Seed Certification Standards are basic and together with the following specific standards 

     constitute the standards for certification of hybrid bottle gourd seed.

B. The General standards are amplified as follows to apply specifically to the bottle gourd hybrids.

1. Eligibility requirements for certification

(a) The parental line to be eligible for certification shall be from a source such that its identity may be 

     assured and approved by the Certification Agency.

(b) Hybrid seed to be eligible for certification shall be the progeny of two approved parental lines.

2. Classes and sources of seed

(a) A parental line shall be a relatively true breeding strain.

(b) The certified class seed shall be the hybrid seed to be planted for any use except seed production.

II. Land requirements

Land to be used for seed production of hybrid bottle gourd shall be free of volunteer plants.   

III. Field Inspection

A. Foundation seed

A minimum of four inspections shall be made as follows:

1. the first inspection shall be made before flowering in order to determine isolation, volunteer plants and other 

    relevant factors;

2. the second and third inspections shall be made during flowering and fruiting stage to cheek isolation, 

    offtypes, and other relevant factors;

3. the fourth inspection shall be made at mature fruit stage and prior to harvesting in order to determine the true 

    characteristics of the fruits.

B. Certified seed

A minimum of four inspections shall be made as follows: 

1. the first inspection shall be made before flowering in order to determine isolation, volunteer plants, out 

   crosses  demarcation between seed parent and pollinator blocks or  planting ratio and errors in planting 

   as the case may be, and other relevant factors;

2. the second and third inspections shall be made during flowering and fruiting stage to cheek isolation, 

    offtypes, plucking of male flower buds in seed parent, and other relevant factors;

3. the fourth inspection shall be made at mature fruit stage and prior to harvesting in order to determine the 

    true characteristics of the fruits.

IV. Field Standards

A. General requirements

1. Isolation

Seed fields shall be isolated from the contaminants shown in the column 1 of the Table below by the distances specified in columns 2 and 3 of the said Table:

        Contaminants                                                                                   Minimum distance (meters)

                                                                                                                Foundation        Certified

            1                                                                                                         2                     3

Fields of other varieties including commercial 

hybrid of the same variety                                                                             1500                1000

Fields of the same hybrid (code designation) not conforming to 

varietal purity requirements for certification                                                    1500                1000  

Between blocks of the parental lines incase seed parent

and pollinator are planted in separate blocks and hand 

pollination is to be adopted                                                                               -                      5

B. Specific requirements

        Factor                                                                                              Maximum permitted (%)*

                                                                                                                Foundation            Certified

        Offtypes in seed parent                                                                           0.10                    0.50

        Offtypes in pollinator                                                                                -                        0.050

        Male flowers shedding pollens in seed parent                                            -                        0.10    

* Maximum permitted at and after flowering.

V. Seed standards

        Factor                                                                                              Standards for each class

                                                                                                                Foundation            Certified

Pure seed (minimum)                                                                                98.0%                    98.0%

Inert matter (maximum)                                                                              2.0%                       2.0%

Other crop seeds (maximum)                                                                    None                      None

Weed seeds (maximum)                                                                            None                      None

Germination (minimum)                                                                             60%                        60%

Moisture (maximum)                                                                                 7.0%                      7.0%

For vapour-proof containers (maximum)                                                   6.0%                      6.0%