SUNFLOWER (Helianthus annus L.)

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 sunflower seed.

II. Land requirements

A seed crop of sunflower shall not be eligible for certification if planted on land on which the same kind of crop was grown in the previous year unless the crop(s) grown in the previous year was of the same variety and of an equivalent  or higher class of certified seed and was/were certified.

III. Field Inspection

A minimum of three inspections shall be made as follows:

(1) the first inspection shall be made at the stage of 6-7 pairs of leaves in order to determine isolation, volunteer plants, designated disease and other relevant factors;

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

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

IV. Field Standards

A. General requirements

1. Isolation

Sunflower 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                                                                                  400                 200

Fields of the same variety not conforming to the

varietal purity requirements for certification                                                     400                  200

B. Specific requirements

        Factor                                                                                              Maximum permitted (%)*

                                                                                                                Foundation            Certified

* Offtypes at and after flowering                                                                      0.10                    0.20

** Objectionable weed plants at and after flowering                                         None                  None

Plants infected by downy mildew disease 

(plasmopara halstedi (Farl.) Berl. & de T.) at each inspection                           0.050                  0.50

Plants infected with Orabanche cumana Guss. Non-Wallr. 

at final inspection                                                                                             None                   None 

* Sterile plants of the same variety shall not be considered as offtypes.

** Objectionable weed shall be: Wild Helianthus spp.

V. Seed standards

        Factor                                                                                              Standards for each class

                                                                                                                Foundation            Certified

Pure seed (minimum)                                                                                98.0%                    98.0%

Inert matter (maximum)                                                                             2.0%                       2.0%

Huskless seeds (maximum)                                                                        2.0%                       2.0%

                                                                                                           (By number)            (By number)

Other crop seeds (maximum)                                                                   None                        None

Total weed seeds (maximum)                                                                   5/kg                          10/kg

Objectionable weed seeds (maximum)                                                     None                         None

Seeds infected with Orabanche cumana 

Guss. Non-Wallr. (maximum)                                                                  None                        None

Germination (minimum)                                                                             70%                         70%

Moisture (maximum)                                                                                 9.0%                        9.0%

For vapour-proof containers (maximum)                                                   7.0%                         7.0%

* Objectionable weed is the same as given at IV. B. above.