Seed certification and certification process A Lecture By Mr Allah Dad Khan Visiting Professor Agriculture University Peshawar

4.  The seed system was given legal coverage through
promulgation of Seed Act, 1976. Necessary institutional
infrastructure was established as under:-
 1. National Seed Council (NSC) at Federal Level.
 2. Provincial Seed Councils (PSC) at each provincial
level.
 3. Federal Seed Certification Department (FSCD).
 4. National Seed Registration Department (NSRD).
 Under the economic austerity measures, the FSCD and
NSRD were merged together during 1997 and the new
organization has been designated as Federal Seed
Certification & Registration Department (FSC&RD).

6.  Seed certification is a quality assurance system
whereby seed intended for marketing is subject
to official control and inspection. At its
simplest, the system certifies that a sack, packet
or box of seed contains what it says on the label
and that the seed was produced, inspected and
graded, in accordance with the requirements of
a Certification Scheme.

7.  The immediate objective of seed certification is
to supply high quality seed to farmers and
other growers, which is true to identity, high in
purity and germination capacity and free from
certain pests and diseases. Seed quality is most
important in crop production, as high quality
seed is essential for good crop yields and good
returns, and minimises the likelihood of crop
failure

8.  The purpose shall be to maintain and make
available to the public, through seed
certification, high quality seeds and
propagating materials or varieties so grown
and distributed as to maintain high quality,
varietal purity and identity

17.  means any seed or plant not a part of the
variety in that it deviates in one or more
characteristics from the variety as described
and may include: a seed or plant of another
variety; a seed or plant not necessarily any
variety; a seed or plant resulting from cross
pollination by another kind or variety; a seed
or plant resulting from uncontrolled self
pollination during production of hybrid seed;
or segregates from any of the above

18.  shall be considered to include plants or seeds
of the same kind that can be differentiated from
the variety that is being inspected, but shall not
include variations which are environmental or
characteristic of the variety as defined by the
originating breeder.