CUCUMBER (Cucumis sativus L.) 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 cucumber seed.
B. The General standards are amplified as follows to apply specifically to the hybrids of cucumber:
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) Homozygous gynoecious lines shall be maintained by selfing (using the pollen from the induced male flowers
of the same plant) at Foundation seed stage.
(c) 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 cucumber 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 and from
Cucumis hardwickii Royle. 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
*** Objectionable weed plants None None
* Maximum permitted at and after flowering.
** Monoecious and gynomonoecious plants shall also be considered as
offtypes if gynoecious line is used as seed parent.
** Objectionable weed shall be: Cucumis is hardwickii Royle.
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) 5 / kg 10 / kg
Total weed seeds (maximum) None None
* Objectionable weed seeds (maximum) None None
Germination (minimum) 60% 60%
Moisture (maximum) 7.0% 7.0%
For vapour-proof containers (maximum) 6.0% 6.0%
* Objectionable weed is the same as given at IV B above.