How To Grow Hemp Varieties Certified By AOSCA
As hemp continues to establish itself and plant-breeding efforts continue, producers haven’t been able to source a consistent supply of predictable, reliable genetics since hemp became a legal crop in the United States two years ago.
A seed certifying agency may be able to help producers find varieties of hemp seeds that comply with the standards administered by the agency.
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AOSCA, an association of official seed certifying agencies based in Moline, Illinois, adopts seed certification standards which are administered by local seed certifying agencies.
In the United States, seed certification requirements for varietal purity are outlined in the United States Seed Act, and other agricultural crops have been subjected to this requirement for decades, while hemp has just recently been added to the list.
A genetically pure seed can be produced and marketed by seed companies. Seed buyers benefit since they can be sure that they are receiving the variety they ordered.
Certified seed must meet a number of requirements, including having suitable land, selecting qualified parent stock, conducting field inspections, labeling the seeds properly, and having a complete seed analysis.
This Is How It Works
AOSCA CEO Chet Boruff told Hemp Industry Daily that seed certification is new to the hemp industry and that there are some misconceptions about how it works.
There Are Two Steps To Seed Certification.
Plant breeders create new varieties of crops by developing new varieties. The new varieties are reviewed by variety reviewers,” Boruff said.
According to the Federal Seed Act, the review follows a process that includes an explanation of the variety’s breed history, the techniques used to develop it, as well as characteristics that confirm that it is distinct, uniform, and stable.
As soon as a new variety meets the criteria, it is added to a list of varieties eligible to be produced as Certified seed.
AOSCA has standards for all three types of propagation, including the production of seeds and clones or transplants for hemp. Using the AOSCA standards for maintaining varietal purity, the variety owner would apply to the local seed certification agency to multiply the variety’s parent seeds for sale by growing a seed crop from the variety’s parent seeds.
It is necessary to grow certified seed before planting a crop. Some seed certification agencies, such as the Oregon Seed Certification Service at Oregon State University, may inspect seeds growing in greenhouses or on the ground.
Growers who wish to purchase Certified seeds from one of the varieties on the eligibility list should contact a seed supplier and ask for the seed label, which will describe where the seed was grown and which certification agency it comes from.
International And Domestic Sourcing Of Varieties
There are currently more than 80 eligible varieties, most of which are grown for seed, grain, or fiber and originated outside the United States. Certification agencies in the countries where these varieties originate have reviewed these varieties.
Since 2016, varieties that originate in the United States and have been reviewed by AOSCA have been added to the list of eligible varieties for certification.
In 2017, NWG-Elite, from Colorado’s New West Genetics, became the first variety from a U.S.-based company to be eligible for the AOSCA. In addition to the four CBD-grain varieties previously approved, the company received eligibility for four more this year.
From Seed To Seedling
AOSCA also developed standards for seed transplants and vegetatively propagated clones this year, in addition to hemp seed varieties, which were developed in 2014.
Boruff explains why AOSCA doesn’t publish its standards publicly.
As long as a state seed certification agency’s standards are more robust than AOSCA’s standards, it has the authority to develop its own standards, provided that they are not less stringent than AOSCA’s.