Seed certification

To ensure high-quality, purity, and consistency in your plants and crops, we recommend you purchase certified seed.

How to spot certified seed

Certified seed is always labeled with an official Certified Seed label or in the case of bulk certified seed, a Bulk Certified Transfer form. If the seed does not contain a Certified Seed label or a Bulk Certified Transfer form, it is not certified seed.

We also maintain a directory of certified seed production in Louisiana.

Certified Seed Directory

Information required

Producing a new certified crop or variety begins with obtaining seeds that have been certified through LDAF or another certification agency. Review seed regulations to learn the requirements for certification of individual crops. To certify your crop, you will need to provide LDAF with the following information and documentation:

1. The name of the variety

2. A statement concerning the variety’s origin and the breeding procedure (breeder description) used in its development

3. A detailed description of the morphological, physiological, and other characteristics of the plants and seed that distinguish it from other varieties

4. Evidence supporting the identity of the variety, such as comparative yield data, insect and disease resistance, or other factors supporting the identity of the variety

5. A statement delineating the geographic area or areas of adaptation of the variety

6. A statement on the plans and procedures for the maintenance of seed classes, including the number of generations through which the variety may be multiplied

7. A description of the manner in which the variety is constituted when a particular cycle of reproduction or multiplication is specified

8. Any additional restrictions on the variety specified by the breeder, with respect to geographic area of seed production, age of stand or other factors affecting genetic purity

9. A sample of seed representative of the variety as marketed.

Crop and grower requirements

To be certified, all crops and/or varieties must conform to:

1. All general requirements for certification

2. For all specific requirements of a particular crop or variety see §501-913 of the Louisiana Seed Certification Standards . In §501-913, the percentages shown for pure seed and germination are the minimum acceptable levels of performance required for certification; the percentages shown for all other factors are maximum allowable percentages.

The grower must submit the application described in §507 hereof on or before the date specified in §509 of the Louisiana Seed Certification Standards for the crop or variety to be certified. See §509 and §125(B)(2) for provisions concerning late applications.

• The crop or variety applied for certification must be of breeder, foundation, or registered seed, or other seed approved by the Louisiana Agricultural Chemistry and Seed Commission.

• The grower must maintain genetic purity during planting, production, harvesting, storage, conditioning, and labeling.

• The grower must remove all off-type plants, varietal mixtures, noxious weeds or any other plants producing seed that are inseparable from seed of the crop or variety to be certified.

• Other varieties or crops, volunteer plants and/or off-type plants cannot be present in the field, and seeds thereof cannot be present in seed to be certified, unless permitted under the specific certification standards for the crop or variety applied for certification. Noxious weeds are permitted in the field and seed thereof are permitted in seed to be certified, within the limitations specified in §109, of the Louisiana Seed Certification Standards, unless a specific limitation on noxious weeds is contained in the specific requirements for the crop or variety entered for certification. (See §501-913 for specific requirements.)

• One or more field inspections will be conducted by LDAF to determine genetic identity and purity. The crop or variety to be certified must be standing, reasonably free of weeds and of relatively uniform maturity at the time of field inspection(s). A copy of the field inspection report will be furnished to the grower.

• All planting, harvesting, bin storage, and cleaning equipment must be free of contamination by other seeds, inert matter or plant diseases.

• Storage facilities must be: (1) suitable for maintaining germination and varietal purity; (2) constructed so that a representative sample can be collected; and (3) all such facilities are subject to approval by LDAF.

The grower must maintain complete records accounting for all production and final disposition of all certified seed.

Apply for seed certification

Seeds must be certified annually before the deadline. This deadline varies depending on which crop or variety is being certified.

Crop or variety	Deadline
Onion bulbs and seed, shallots	March 1
Tissue culture sugarcane	April 1
Clover (crimson, red, white), rescue grass, harding grass, vetch, Irish potatoes	April 1
Oats, wheat, ryegrass, singletary peas	April 15
Watermelon	May 1
Sweet potatoes and sweet potato plants	June 1 for field plantings 45 days prior to planting for greenhouse plantings (virus tested)
Okra	June 15
Rice	July 1
Cotton, millet, sesame, sunflower, tree	July 15
Tomatoes	June 1 - spring July 15 - fall
Soybeans	August 1
Corn	A minimum of 30 days prior to pollination
Cowpeas	A minimum of 30 days prior to harvest
Bermuda grasses	June 1 for established stands (fields certified the previous year). Must apply for renewal. A minimum of 30 days prior to harvest for new plantings.
Turf and pasture grass	June 1 for established stands (fields certified the previous year). Must apply for renewal. A minimum of 15 days prior to land preparation for planting.
Any other clonally propagated plant species	April 15 for established stands (fields certified the previous year). Must apply for renewal by April 15. At least 15 days prior to land preparation for new plantings.