NAPIER GRASS (Pennisetum purpureum K. Schum.) including 

HYBRID NAPIER GRASS for example 

(P. americanum (L.) Leek] x [Pennisetum purpureum K. Schum.]

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 napier grass and hybrid napier grass.

B. The General Standards are amplified as follows to apply specifically to  napier grass and hybrid napier grass:

1. Foundation root slips or stem cuttings shall be the initial transplants from breeder's clones.     

2. Certified root slips or stem cuttings shall be the initial transplants from foundation clones.

II. Land requirements

Land to be used for seed production shall be free of volunteer plants of  napier grass, hybrid napier grass and pearlmillet.

III. Field Inspection

A minimum of two inspections shall be made, the first after about 45 days of planting and the second after about 100 days of planting or before cutting of the root slips or stem cuttings to verify isolation, offtypes and other relevant factors.

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                                                                                   10                   10

Fields of the same variety not conforming to 

varietal purity requirements for certification                                                      10                   10

B. Specific requirements

        Factor                                                                                              Maximum permitted (%)*

                                                                                                                Foundation            Certified

      Offtypes                                                                                               0.01                       0.30      

** Objectionable weed plants                                                                    None                      None

*   Maximum permitted at final inspection.     

** Objectionable weeds shall be :

     Canada thistle: Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop.

     Dodder: Cuscuta spp.

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

     Quack grass (Twitch grass, Cocuch grass): Agropyron repens (L.) P. Beauv.

     Wild Morning glory (Hirankhuri) : Convolvulus arvensis L.]

Note: All offtypes and objectionable weed plants shall be uprooted and removed from the seed  field.                               

V. Seed Standards

(Root slips or stem cutting)    

        Factor                                                                                           Standards for each class(%)

                                                                                                           Foundation         Certified

    Pure living Root slips or stem cutting  (minimum)                                  99.50                98.00

                                                                                                           (by number)     (by number)

  Other living plants including their root slips and                                   

   stem cuttings (maximum)                                                                       0.50                   2.0

                                                                                                          (by number)        (by number) 

* Objectionable weeds (maximum)                                                     None                   None

* Objectionable weeds are the same as given at IV. B. above.