Nebraska Certified Seed

Certification Requirements

Membership- Any person, partnership, or corporation who intends to produce and/or condition certifiable seed or vegetative plant materials within the state must become a member. Each member must comply with all applicable certification procedures and standards, Nebraska Seed Law and Federal Seed Act requirements. 

1. Land Requirements

A. For white wheat an eligible field cannot have produced a white wheat variety for a period of one year unless it was certified seed of the same variety, or used a red wheat variety for two years. For red wheat an eligible field cannot have produced a wheat crop for a period of one year unless certified seed of the same variety was used. A longer interval is recommended if the following conditions persist.

  1. In areas of lower rainfall where seeds may remain dormant under fallow conditions.
  2. When seed crop to be grown is to follow a crop whose seeds can not be separated thoroughly during conditioning (e.g., wheat in barley, rye or triticale in wheat, barley in oats).
  3. Any other cultural practices or typical climatic conditions which enable seed dormancy or seed mixtures.

B. As an additional precaution, no amendments or materials which could be a source of contaminating seeds shall be applied to the field during establishment or any time of the growing season.

2. Field Inspection

Each field shall be inspected by a representative of the N.C.I.A. at least once after the plants are fully headed and before harvest when varietal mixtures and other quality factors can best be determined. Additional

inspections may be required at the discretion of the certifying agency.10 

A. Isolation Requirements 

  1. Red wheat, white wheat and triticale– A certifiable field of either red wheat, white wheat or triticale shall be not less than 20 feet from any field of rye not harvested before bloom. Isolated rye plants shall be subject to the five foot boundary requirement. 
  2. Red Wheat and triticale– To minimize outcrossing, a field planted for the production of the Foundation seed class should be not less than 20 feet from any other variety of wheat or triticale in bloom at the same time with a visible break between varieties. A field for the production of the Registered or Certified class seed should be separated from other varieties of the same crop type by either an uncropped strip 10 feet wide or a 10 foot wide strip equally divided between the two varieties shall be discarded at the time of harvest. 
  3. White Wheat– To minimize out crossing and contamination, a field planted for the production of the Foundation and Registered seed should not be less than 30 feet from any red wheat. Certified seed fields must be located no less than 20 feet away from red wheat. A field planted for the production of the Foundation seed class should be not less than 20 feet from any other variety of white wheat in bloom at the same time with a visible break between varieties. A field for the production of the Registered or Certified class seed should be separated from other white wheat varieties by either an uncropped strip 10 feet wide or a 10 foot wide strip equally divided between the two varieties shall be discarded at the time of harvest.