PEARL MILLET (Bulrush Millet, Spiked Millet),
(Pennisetum americanum (L) Leek) 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 pearl millet seed.
B. The General standards are amplified as follows to apply specifically to the hybrids of
pearl millet.
1. Eligibility requirements for certification
a. An inbred 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 inbred lines, one of which shall be male sterile.
2. Classes and sources of seed
a. An inbred line shall be relatively true breeding strain resulting from self pollination with selection.
b. Foundation class seed shall consist of an approved male sterile line to be used as a female parent and approved inbred line to be used as a male parent for the purpose of producing hybrid seed.
c. A male sterile line shall be a strain (A) carrying cytoplasmic genetic male sterility, which sheds no viable pollen and is maintained by the normal sister strain (B) which is used as pollinator.
d. The certified seed class 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 barley shall be free of volunteer plants.
III. Field Inspection
A minimum of four inspections shall be made as follows:
1. The first inspection shall be made before flowering in order to determine isolation, presence of volunteer plants, out crosses, planting ratio, errors in planting and other relevant factors.
2. The second and third inspections shall be made during flowering to cheek isolation, offtypes, pollen shedders downy mildew/ green ear and other relevant factors.
3.The fourth inspection shall be made at maturity and prior to harvesting in order to determine the incidence of downy mildew/green ear, ergot, grain smut, and to verify true nature of the plant and other relevant factors.
IV. Field Standards
A. General requirements
1. Isolation
a. Hybrid Sorghum 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 1000 200
Fields of the same hybrid (Code designation) not conforming to the
varietal purity requirements for certification 1000 200
Fields of other hybrids having common male
parent and conforming to varietal purity
requirements for certification - 5
Fields of other hybrids having common male
parent but not conforming to varietal purity
requirements for certification - 200
b) Differential blooming dates for modifying isolation distances are not permitted.
B. Specific requirements
Factor Maximum permitted (%)*
Foundation Certified
Offtypes in seed parent at any one
inspection at and after flowering. 0.050 0.10
Offtypes in pollinator at any one
inspection at and after flowering. 0.050 0.10
Pollen shedding heads in seed parent
at any one inspection after flowering. 0.050 0.10
* Plants infected by downy mildew/green ear disease (Sclerospora
graminicola (Sacc.) in seed parent at any one inspection. 0.050 0.10
@Plants infected by downy mildew/green ear disease (Sclerospora
graminicola (Sacc.) in pollinator at any one inspection. 0.050 0.10
**Ergotted ear heads (Claviceps microcephala (Fr.) Tul.) in
seed parent at final inspection 0.020 0.040
@@Ear heads infected by grain smut (Claviceps microcephala
(Fr.)Tul.) in seed parent at final inspection 0.050 0.10
* @ Complete stool shall be considered as one infected unit.
** Seed from such fields that have been reported to contain the ergot infection even within the prescribed limits at field stage shall be subjected to floatation treatment with brine to become eligible for certification.
@@ Seed fields with incidence of grain smut more that the maximum permissible level can, however, be certified if such seed is treated with an approved organo-mercurial fungicide not earlier than a month prior to its sowing.
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) 10/kg 20/kg
Weed seeds (maximum) 10/kg 20/kg
Ergot (Claviceps spp.) sclerotia, seed entirely or partially
modified as sclerotia, broken sclerotia or ergotted seeds
(Sphacelia sorghi Mc Rae & Claviceps spp.) (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%