I. Eligibility of Varieties for Certification: Those varieties approved by the State Plant Board in cooperation with the University of Arkansas, College of Agriculture, will be eligible for certification.
II. Grades for Certification: Two grades shall be recognized for certification, as follows:
III. Filing Applications: Application blanks for certification of Turf grasses will be furnished by the Plant Board. Any person applying for certification on a variety planted from a source other than his own production, must submit with his application a copy of the invoice and a tag from one of the containers, which will establish the quantity and grade of the planting stocks. Application should be made by March 1 of each year for current crop.A. Registered Grade: This grade shall be produced by or under the direct supervision of a recognized Plant Breeder, approved by the State Plant Board, and handled so as to maintain satisfactory genetic identity and purity. This grade will be identified with an official Purple Tag.
B. Certified Blue Tag Grade: This grade shall be from sod produced from either Registered or Blue Tag Grade, that is so handled to maintain satisfactory genetic identity and purity to comply with regulations established for this grade.
IV. Fees: Application fee is $25.00 for each variety, The acreage inspection fee is $3.00 per acre, for each inspection, whether made on a growing crop or for a preplanting inspection. The cost of the tags with seals will be 8 cents each.
V. Land Requirements:VI. Field Inspections: When new fields are to be planted for either Registered or Blue Tag Grades the field must be inspected by a Plant Board representative to see that the land is clean and meets the requirements. Field inspections must be made each year that a Registered or Blue Tag Grade crop is to be harvested, during the growing season when there is sufficient growth to make the identification of other strains possible. Fields at time of inspection must be free of nut grass, wild onion, or wild garlic, Johnson grass and field bindweed. There must not be more than .5% of other varieties present in fields for Registered grade and 1.0% of other varieties in fields for Blue Tag Grade.
VII. Isolation: A field to be eligible for the production of Registered or Blue Tag Grade planting stock must be isolated from any other strain of the same species by at least 30 feet.
VIII. Planting Stock Standards: Pure living sprigs (Minimum) 90% Other living plants (Maximum) 5% Objectionable noxious weeds * None * Objectionable noxious weeds shall include nut grass, wild onion or wild garlic, Johnson grass and field bindweed.
IX. Sale of Planting Stock: Registered or Blue tag Grade planting stock cannot be sold as such until it has been packed in new containers, which are tagged and sealed with official tags and seals of the State Plant Board.
Plant Industry Division
ARKANSAS STATE PLANT BOARD LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS (11-73)
