TOMATO (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill.)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 tomato seed.
B. The General standards are amplified as follows to apply specifically to the hybrids of tomato:
1. Eligibility requirements for certification
(a) An inbred / The parental 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 / parental lines
one of which shall be male sterile.
2. Classes and sources of seed
(a) An inbred /parental line shall be a relatively true breeding strain resulting from self -pollination with
selection.
(b) * The Foundation class seed shall consist of an approved male sterile line (genetic- male sterility) to be
used as a female parent and an approved parental line to be used as a male parent for the purpose of
producing hybrid seed.
(c)* A male sterile line shall be a monogenic recessive strain carrying genetic-male sterility, which sheds no
viable pollen and is maintained by the monogenic dominant heterozygous strain and is used as maintainer
line in propagation blocks.
(d) The Certified class seed shall be the hybrid seed to be planted for any use except seed production .
(*Applicable if male sterile line is used).
II. Land requirements
Land to be used for seed production of hybrid muskmelon shall be free of volunteer plants.
III. Field Inspection
A. Foundation seed
A minimum of four inspections shall be made as follows:
1. the first inspection shall be made before flowering in order to determine isolation, volunteer plants outcrosses
and other relevant factors;
2. the second and third inspections shall be made during flowering and fruiting stage to cheek isolation,
offtypes, and also fertile segregants in seed parent if a male sterile line is used, and other relevant factors;
3. the fourth inspection shall be made at mature fruit stage and prior to harvesting in order to verify the true
characteristics of the fruits and other relevant factors.
B. Certified seed
A minimum of four inspections shall be made as follows:
1. the first inspection shall be made before flowering in order to determine isolation, volunteer plants, out
crosses demarcation between seed parent and pollinator blocks or planting ratio, as the case may be,
and errors in planting and other relevant factors.
2. the second and third inspections shall be made during flowering and fruiting stage to cheek isolation,
offtypes, accuracy in emasculation (in case andromonoecious line is used) or fertile segregants (pollen
shedding cymes which are likely to appear in 1:1 ratio) or effectiveness of Chemical Hybridising Agents'
or gametocide (CHAs') used for inducing male sterile as the case may be and other relevant factors;
3. the fourth inspection shall be made at mature fruit stage and prior to harvesting in order to determine the
true characteristics of fruits 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 including commercial
hybrid of the same variety 200 100
Fields of the same hybrid (code designation) not conforming to
varietal purity requirements for certification 200 100
Between blocks of the parental lines incase seed parent
and pollinator are planted in separate blocks - 5
B. Specific requirements
Factor Maximum permitted (%)*
Foundation Certified
Offtypes in seed parent 0.010 0.050
Offtypes in pollinator 0.010 0.050
**Fertile segregants (Pollen shedding cymes) in seed parent 0.050 0.10
*** Plants affected by seed borne disease 0.10 0.50
* Standards for offtypes and fertile segregants (pollen shedding cymes) in seed parent shall be met at and
after flowering and for seed borne disease at final inspection.
** It shall be applicable in case male sterile line is used for producing hybrid seed.
*** Seed born disease shall be : Early blight (Alternaria solani Sorauer),
Leaf spot (Stemphylium solani Weber),
Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV).
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) None None
Germination (minimum) 70% 70%
Moisture (maximum) 8.0% 8.0%
For vapour-proof containers (maximum) 6.0% 6.0%
(a) All Certified class seed lots which have been produced by adopting emasculation shall be subjected to grow-out test and shall conform to the following minimum genetic purity requirements:
Class Genetic purity (%) (minimum)
Certified 90.0%
*During grow-out test, the offtype plants (other than selfed plants) such as segregants, outcrosses and plants
of other varieties should not exceed more than 1.50%out of the 10.0% plants earmarked for selfed plants.
(b) The minimum population size of 400 plants shall be maintained in two replicates of 200 each or four of 100
each through out the test and each plant shall be examined individually. The reject number shall be as follow:
Class Genetic purity (%) Reject number
(minimum)
Certified 90.0 (10 in 100) 44