FORAGE SORGHUM INCLUDING SUDAN GRASS (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) 

I. Application and Amplification of General Seed Certification Standards

The General Seed Certification Standards are basic and, together with the following specific standards constitute the standards for certification of open-pollinated varieties of forage sorghum including sudan grass.

II. Land requirements

Land to be used for seed production of forage sorghum including sudan grass shall be free of volunteer plants. 

III. Field Inspection

A minimum of  three inspections shall be made as follows:

(1) the first inspection shall be made before flowering, in order to verify isolation, volunteer plants and other relevant factors;

(2) the second inspection shall be made during flowering to check isolation, offtypes and other relevant factors; 

(3) the third inspection shall be made at maturity and prior to harvesting to verify true nature of plant and other relevant factors.

IV. Field Standards

A. General requirements

1. Isolation

(a) 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 of grain and dual- purpose sorghum                           200                  100

Fields of the same variety not conforming to 

varietal purity requirements for certification                                                     200                  100

Johnson grass (Baru) (Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers.) 

and other grassy Sorghum spp.                                                                     400                    400

(b) Differential blooming dates for modifying isolation distance are not permitted.

B. Specific requirements

        Factor                                                                                              Maximum permitted (%)*

                                                                                                                Foundation            Certified

Offtypes  at anyone inspection and after flowering                                        0.10                      0.20

* Heads infected by kernel smut or grain smut 

(Sphacelotheca sorghi (Link) Clinton and Head smut 

(Sphacelotheca reiliana (Kuhn) Clinton) at final inspection                           0.050                     0.10

 * Seed fields can, however, be certified if diseased earheads are removed and burnt and the fields show, on re-inspection, infection not more than maximum permissible level. Only one such re-inspection is permitted.

Note: Seed fields should be thoroughly rogued to remove plants infected by sugary disease (Sphacelia sorghi Mc Rae)/ ergot (Claviceps spp.) so that the prescribed seed standards are met at seed stage. However, the seed fields shall not be rejected on account of the presence of sugary / ergot infected heads.

V. Seed standards

        Factor                                                                                              Standards for each class

                                                                                                                Foundation            Certified

Pure seed (minimum)                                                                                  97.0%                  97.0%

Inert matter (maximum)                                                                               3.0%                    3.0%

Other crop seeds (maximum)                                                                      5/ kg                   10 / kg

Weed seeds (maximum)                                                                             5/ kg                   10 / kg

Other distinguishable varieties (maximum)                                                  10 / kg                  20/ kg

Ergot (Claviceps spp.) sclerotia, seed entirely or partially 

modified as sclerotia, broken sclerotia or ergotted 

(Sphacelia sorghi Mc Rae &Claviceps spp.) seeds (maximum)                  0.020%                0.040%

                                                                                                              (By number)        (By number)

Germination  (minimum)                                                                             75%                     75%

Moisture (maximum)                                                                                 12.0%                   12.0%

For vapour-proof containers (maximum)                                                    8.0%                     8.0%