Systém certifikace osiva v Německu a nařízení Evropské unie pro obchod s osivem obilnin a krmných plodin

Systém certifikace osiva v Německu

a nařízení Evropské unie pro obchod s osivem obilnin a krmných plodin

The seed certification scheme in Germany and the European Community directives on the marketing of cereal and fodder plant seed

Karin Förster und Wulf Diepenbrock

Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Agronomy and Crop Science, Halle, Germany

Summary

The seed certification scheme of agricultural species is based on specified quality features and standards in Germany as well as in the European Community. The EC directives settle the absolutly essential quality features in the sense of minimum standards. National circumstances and special features can be a cause for divergent regulations. The EC directives allow the Member States to formulate additional or more stringent certification demands to seed produced on their own territory.

The German regulation of seed health testing requires pathogen testing only for some species in case of “suspicion of attack”. This procedure requires the development of a uniform national rule which is used by all official seed testing stations.

Important seed quality features such as vigour and thousand kernel weight are not part of the seed certification scheme.

The production of high-quality seed requires higher standards, e.g. high limit values for germination or specified standards for seed health.

Additional to the official quality description seed quality features or higher standards can be also described and completed through commercial contracts between multiplicator and seed industry.

seed, certification scheme, traits, standards, field inspection, seed testing, Germany, European Community

Abstrakt

Kvalita osiva zahrnuje několik složek. Testování osiva a vyjadřování kvality osiva odpovídají vývoji experimentálních metod a zavádění standardů. Velké rozdíly mezi zkoušením osiva vedly k vývoji standardních metod a systémů certifikace osiva.

V roce 1966 členské státy EHS začaly sjednocovat systémy testování osiva s nařízeními rady EU pro obchod s osivem různých rostlinných druhů. Systémy zahrnují jak polní přehlídky porostů, tak i testování osiva.

Certifikace osiva v Německu je zajišťována oficiálními institucemi pro polní přehlídky a testování osiva v jednotlivých spolkových zemích. Bundessortenamt slouží jako koordinátor mezi federální vládou a kontrolními úřady pro uznávání osiva a obchod s osivem v jednotlivých spolkových zemích.

Charakteristické, specifické znaky a standardy Německého systému certifikace a systému certifikace osiva v EU jsou vysvětleny na osivu Triticum aestivum L., Pisum sativum L. and Lolium multiflorum Lam.

Nařízení EU jsou postavena jako absolutně nezbytné kvalitativní parametry ve smyslu minimálních standardů. Národní zvláštnosti a speciální znaky mohou být příčinou odlišných pravidel. Nařízení EU dovolují členským státům formulovat dodatkové nebo přísnější požadavky na certifikaci osiva produkovaného na jejich vlastním území.

Produkce vysoce kvalitního osiva vyžaduje vysoké standardy, tj. vysoké limitní hodnoty pro klíčivost nebo specifické standardy pro zdravotní stav osiva. V mnoha případech jsou vyšší požadavky na kvalitu osiva součástí smluv mezi množiteli a semenářským průmyslem. Stanice semenářské kontroly kontrolují další znaky, jestliže je to nezbytné.

Introduction

In the time of decreasing proceeds for agricultural products high seed quality is one of the most important production factors. Seed quality comprises several components. Seed Testing and description of seed quality is correlated with the development of experimental methods and the introduction of standards.

The first investigations into seed quality go back to 1869, when Friedrich Nobbe founded a seed testing station in Tharandt, Saxony. Seven years later he published the “Handbuch der Samenkunde, physiologisch-statistische Untersuchungen über den wirtschaftlichen Gebrauchswerth der land- und forstwirtschaftlichen, sowie gärtnerischen Saatwaren”. In this book quality criteria are described which have been used until today, e.g. germination, absolute weight (thousand kernel weight), purity (variety purity, analytical purity). In the following 50 years seed testing stations or laboratories were established all over Europe and North America. Differences in the definitions, methods and technical equipment led to discrepancies between stations in different countries. Therefore, in 1924 the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) was founded with the aim to develop procedures which could be observed by all seed testing stations.

In 1896 the German Agricultural Society (Deutsche Landwirtschaftsgesellschaft, DLG) introduced “Grundregeln für die Saatenanerkennung”, a seed certification scheme based on both field inspection and seed testing in the laboratory. This principle is the same as used today.

The rediscovering of the Mendelian laws of heredity and their application for plant breeding led to a rapid development in agriculture and required national variety certification schemes. The free flow of good seed material across international borders required harmonized certification schemes as developed by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). They offer no limit values of seed quality.

In 1966 the European Economic Community responded to the different strategies for seed certification and marketing regulation (e.g. restriction of the marketing of cereal seed to high-quality seed in certain member states) with the introduction of Council directives on the marketing of different crops. The directives provide certification schemes with standards.

In 1953 the “Law concerning Plant Breeders´ Rights and Seed of Crops in FRG“ came into force in the FRG. It included a regional seed certification by the Federal Lands. Today´s German seed right /1-4/ bases on the Seed Act and Plant Breeders´ Rights Law of 1968, which was revised in 1985 and validated in 1990 /1/.

In the following characteristical features and standards of the German and European certification schemes are explained for selected agricultural species.

Criteria for seed quality evaluation

In 1997 the multiplication area in Germany amounted to 132086 ha for cereals without maize, 4664 ha for rape and 9647 ha for legumes /5/. The quality of produced seed includes genetic and technological quality features. As a general rule, cereal seed should be allowed to be marketed only if it has been officially examined and certified as basic or certified seed. Variety identity and purity, seed health, analytical purity, moisture content and germination are features guaranteed by a valid certificate. In seed science a large number of additional criteria are known.

The German Seed Ordinance and the annexes of the Council Directives define for seed as harvesting products, and in the case of variety-seed also for field inspection, (i) quality features, (ii) standards and (iii) control mechanisms for quality protection.

Situation in the FRG: Seed testing stations apply the quality features “purity”, “other plant seeds by number”, “germination” and “moisture content” as defined by ISTA /10/. The working sample weights for counts of other plant species is defined by Annex 3 of the Seed Ordinance /2/. Seed health testing is restricted either to certain pathogens, e.g. Claviceps purpurea, or to investigations under suspicion of attack, e.g. Cuscuta in fodder grasses.

Situation in the EC: Official examinations of seed are carried out in accordance with current international methods, in so far as such methods exist. For seed as harvesting product the quality features “purity”, “other plant seeds by number”, “variety purity” of certified seed, “germination” and in few cases “seed health” are tested. The Member States shall, for the purposes of certification and marketing, fix the maximum moisture content of basic seed and certified seed of cereals /7/. In the case of other species the maximum moisture content can be fixed. The maximum weight of a lot, the minimum weight of a sample, packaging, sealing and marking of certified seed are defined in EC directives as well as in the national rules.

Specific, verifiable quality features, which can differ between EC directives and national rules, are applied for field inspection. In Germany the official field inspection of cereals refers to the features “other plants” (identification and varietal purity, noxious weeds), “minimum distances” and “seed health” as well as special features, which are to guarantee the pollination of hybrids. For all of these features standards are available. The EC directive 66/402/EC claimed only that the crop shall have sufficient identity and varietal purity. Specific standards exist for the number of field inspections, the minimum distances and the pollination of hybrids. Seed health is not tested. However, diseases which reduce the usefulness of seed, in particular Ustilagineae, shall be at the lowest possible level.

Standards for seed testing

The minimum standards for germination, purity and the maximum values for seeds of other species determinated by count are described for wheat in Table 1. Comparing EC and German standards, a difference between both systems is visible. The German requirements to the germination standard as well as the number of seeds of other species are more stringent for certified seed of the first generation than the requirements of the EC.

Table 1 Triticum aestivum L.: Traits of seed quality - plants or seeds of other species

* German standard till 1995 EC 66/402/EEC

B basic seed C1 certified seed of the first generation

C2 certified seed of the second generation no no standard

Tables 2 and 3 show the demands to seed testing of Pisum sativum L. and Lolium multiflorum Lam. /8/. Both the German and the EC standard are not identical. The field inspection standard of Germany is higher than that of the EC. They coincide partially in seed testing.

Table 2 Pisum sativum L.: Traits of seed quality - plants or seeds of other species

* under suspicion of attack EC 66/401/EEC no no standard

Table 3 Lolium multiflorum: Traits of seed quality - plants or seeds of other species

EC 66/401/EEC no no standard

B basic seed C certified seed

Testing of plant health in the field and seed health in the laboratory is not strongly regulated in both certification schemes. In other states, e.g. Austria, seed health is an important quality feature. Therefore, more stringent requirements have been stipulated /9/.

Institutions

FRG: The Bundessortenamt, an independent federal authority, is responsible for the control of variety purity of seed on the market in co-operation with the authorities in the different Federal Lands. The authorities in the Federal Lands are in charge of seed certification, seed trade and sales regulation. The Bundessortenamt serves as co-ordinator of the Federal Government to the seed certification and the seed trade control offices of the Federal Lands. The Bundessortenamt acts as an advisor within the framework of sales and marketing regulations when quality disputes of plant production and marketing arise /6/.

Literature

Anonymous: Saatgutverkehrsgesetz (SaatG) vom 20. August 1985 (BGBl. I S. 1633), zuletzt geändert durch Gesetz vom 25. Oktober 1994 (BGBl. I S. 3082) (Seed Act)

Anonymous: Verordnung über den Verkehr mit Saatgut landwirtschaftlicher Arten und von Gemüsearten (Saatgutverordnung - SaatgutV) vom 21. Januar 1986 (BGBl. I S. 146), zuletzt geändert durch Verordnung vom 23. Juli 1997 (BGBl. I S. 1906) (Seed Ordinance)

Anonymous: Verordnung über das Artenverzeichnis zum Saatgutverkehrsgesetz (SaatArtV) vom 27. August 1985 (BGBl. I S. 1762), zuletzt geändert durch Verordnung vom 18. Dezember 1995 (BGBl. I S. 2056) (Ordinance of the List of Species to the Seed Act)

Anonymous: Saatgutaufzeichnungsverordnung (SaatAufzV) vom 21. Januar 1986 (BGBl. I S. 214) geändert durch Gesetz vom 2. August 1994 (BGBl. I S. 2018)

Beschreibende Sortenliste 1998: Getreide, Mais, Ölfrüchte, Leguminosen, Hackfrüchte. Hrsg. Bundessortenamt. Landbuch Verlagsgesellschaft mbH Hannover (Descriptive Variety List)

Anonymous 1996: The Bundessortenamt (Federal Office of Plant Varieties) 1996, ed. Bundessortenamt Hannover

Anonymous: Council Directive 66/402/EEC of 14 June 1966 on the marketing of cereal seed

Anonymous: Council Directive 66/401/EEC of 14 June 1966 on the marketing of fodder plant seed

L. Girsch, A. Ratzenböck, M. Weinhappel und Ch. Wurzer: Die Bewertung der Saatgutqualität bei ausgewählten Kulturarten, Stellung der EU-Mindeststandards. Bericht über die 47. Arbeitstagung 1996 der Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Saatzuchtleiter im Rahmen der “Vereinigung österreichischer Pflanzenzüchter”, BAL Gumpenstein, 26.-28. November 1996

Anonymous 1993: International Rules for Seed Testing. Rules 1993. Seed Sci. & Technol. 21, Supplement