# Title 74 — Seed Commission

## Article 74-03 — Seed Certification Standards

## Chapter 74-03-07 — Specific Crop Requirements - Grasses

### § 74-03-07-01. Land requirements.

The following field requirements may be modified when the reproduction of a strain or strains,
entering into a specific variety, are under the supervision of an experiment station or seed certification
agency.
1. A field, to be eligible for the production of foundation seed, must not have grown or been
seeded to the same species during the previous five years.
2. A field, to be eligible for the production of registered or certified seed, must not have been in
the production of the same species during the previous year unless the crop was of the same
variety or strain and was inspected for certification.
History: Amended effective May 1, 1986; July 1, 2010.
General Authority: NDCC 4.1-52-10
Law Implemented: NDCC 4.1-52-10, 4.1-53-42
### § 74-03-07-02. Field inspection.

Field inspection will be made each year a seed crop is harvested. Two field inspections shall be
performed. The first inspection shall be performed in the spring at a time when prohibited weeds can be
observed. The second shall be performed after the crop is fully headed and before harvest.
History: Amended effective July 1, 2010.
General Authority: NDCC 4.1-52-10
Law Implemented: NDCC 4.1-52-10, 4.1-53-42
### § 74-03-07-03. Field standards.

1. A portion of the field may be accepted for certification if the boundary is well defined.
2. Fields should be rogued before blooming and before inspection is made to remove other
species, off-type plants, and weeds, the seeds of which are difficult to separate in cleaning.
3. A seed field to be eligible for the production of foundation, registered, or certified seed must be
isolated from any other strain or strains of the same species in bloom at the same time in
accordance with the requirements given in the following table:
Minimum Isolation Distance Required (Feet)
Type Foundation Registered Certified
All cross-pollinated species C 1,320 660 330
Entirely apomictic strains A 165 165 82.5
Highly self-fertile species S 165 165 82.5

4. Specific requirements. The maximum field tolerance for other varieties and off-type plants of
the same species, when recognized, shall be as follows:
Foundation 0.1 percent
Registered 0.5 percent
Certified 1.0 percent
History: Amended effective May 1, 1986; May 1, 1988; July 1, 2010.
General Authority: NDCC 4.1-52-10
Law Implemented: NDCC 4.1-52-10, 4.1-53-42

### § 74-03-07-04. Specific seed standards.

Other Varieties (Maximum) Foundation 0.1% Registered 1.0% Certified 1.0%
Minimum Maximum
Percent Percent Percent Objectionable
of Pure Percent Percent Other Weed Weed Seeds 2
Type of Seed Germination Other Grass Percent Seed1 Per Pound
Species Reproduction F&R C F&R C Crop F&R C F&R C Inert F&R C F&R C F&R C
Smooth Bromegrass C 90 85 80 80 0.2 0.5 0.1 0.5 10.0 15.0 0.25 0.5 9 13
Timothy C 99 99 80 80 0.2 0.5 0.1 0.2 1.0 1.0 0.20 0.5 9 13
Crested Wheatgrass C 90 90 80 80 0.2 1.0 0.1 0.5 10.0 10.0 0.25 0.5 9 13
Intermediate C 90 90 80 80 0.2 1.0 0.1 0.5 10.0 10.0 0.25 0.5 9 13
Wheatgrass
Pubescent C 90 90 80 80 0.2 1.0 0.1 0.5 10.0 10.0 0.25 0.5 9 13
Wheatgrass
Slender Wheatgrass S 90 90 80 80 0.2 1.0 0.1 0.5 10.0 10.0 0.25 0.5 9 13
Tall Wheatgrass C 90 90 80 80 0.2 1.0 0.1 0.5 10.0 10.0 0.25 0.5 9 13
Western Wheatgrass C 85 85 60 60 0.2 1.0 0.2 0.5 15.0 15.0 0.25 0.5 9 13
Canada Wildrye S 90 85 70 70 0.2 1.0 0.1 0.5 10.0 15.0 0.25 0.5 9 13
Russian Wildrye C 90 90 80 80 0.2 1.0 0.1 0.5 10.0 10.0 0.25 0.5 9 13
Green Needlegrass S 90 80 65 65 0.2 1.0 0.1 0.5 10.0 20.0 0.25 0.5 9 13
Creeping Foxtail C 80 80 80 80 0.2 1.0 0.1 0.5 20.0 20.0 0.25 0.5 9 13
Switchgrass C 95 90 60 60 0.2 1.0 0.2 0.5 5.0 10.0 0.50 1.0 9 13

Specific seed standards (chaffy seeded species).
Other Varieties (Maximum) Foundation 0.1% Registered 1.0% Certified 1.0%
Minimum Maximum
Percent of Percent Objectionable
Pure Percent Percent Other Percent Percent Weed Weed Seeds 2
Type of Seed Germination Other Grass Inert Seed 1 Per Pound
Species Reproduction F&R C F&R C Crop F&R C F&R C F&R C F&R C F&R C
Sideoats Grama C & A 50* 30* - - 0.2 1.0 0.1 0.5 - - 0.5 1.0 9 13
Big Bluestem C 50* 25* - - 0.2 1.0 0.1 0.5 - - 0.5 1.0 9 13
Sand Bluestem C 40* 20* - - 0.2 1.0 0.1 0.5 - - 0.5 1.0 9 13
Little Bluestem C 12* 12* - - 0.2 1.0 0.1 0.5 - - 0.5 1.0 9 13
Indiangrass C 50* 25* - - 0.2 1.0 0.1 0.5 - - 0.5 1.0 9 13
*Pure Live Seed Index
1Prohibited noxious weed seeds, including seeds of quackgrass, horsenettle, Johnsongrass, wild garlic, and dodder, are not allowed.
2Objectionable weed seeds shall include the following: wild oats, hedge bindweed (wild morning glory), giant ragweed (kinghead), dragonhead, and buckhorn plantain.
Percent germination or pure live seed includes percent germination plus percent dormant for North Dakota certification purposes on those
kinds of grasses for which the association of official seed analysts (AOSA) rules specifically prescribe that dormancy be determined.
History: Amended effective December 18, 1989; September 1, 2002; July 1, 2010.
General Authority: NDCC 4.1-52-10
Law Implemented: NDCC 4.1-52-10, 4.1-53-42
