• Seed certification is an industry programme to ensure cultivar identity.
• It is run by AsureQuality for the New Zealand Seeds Authority (NZSA).

 

What does certified seed mean?

A crop must be grown to specific standards (e.g. to grow 4front the paddock must have been free from any other ryegrass for at least the previous two seasons). This eliminates the risk of contamination.

A crop must pass a field inspection of crop purity by AsureQuality staff before harvest.

After harvest, cleaning and packaging, the resultant seed is tested by the National Seed Laboratory and must be of sufficient purity (e.g. for perennial ryegrass of first generation a minimum of 98% pure seed and a maximum 0.7% other seed). Full guidelines for certification requirements are available from the National Seed Laboratory.

 

Seed analysis certificates are available on request for all certified 1st Generation cultivars.