SORGHUM (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) 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 sorghum seed.
B. The General standards are amplified as follows to apply specifically to the hybrids of sorghum.
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 in female parent and other relevant factors.
3.The fourth inspection shall be made at maturity and prior to harvesting 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 of grain and dual purpose
Sorghum including commercial hybrid of the
same variety 300 200
Fields of the same hybrid (Code designation) not conforming to the
varietal purity requirements for certification 300 200
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
Johnson grass (Baru) (Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers.) 400 400
Forage sorghum with high tillering and grassy panicle 400 400
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 earheads in seed parent
at any one inspection at and after flowering. 0.050 0.10
* Heads infected by kernel smut or Grain
smut (Sphacelotheca sorghi (Link) Clinton.)
and Head smut (Sphacelotheca reiliana (Kuhn)
Clinton) in seed parent 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 the 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 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) 98.0% 98.0%
Inert matter (maximum) 2.0% 2.0%
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 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%