SEED STANDARDS TO BE FOLLOWED FOR HYBRID RICE AND HYBRID CORN

Pursuant to the provisions of the Implementing Rules and Regulations
of R.A. No. 7308, otherwise known as the Seed Industry Development Act
of 1992, Article 11, Section 3C the following seed standards are to be
followed in order to assure high quality of hybrid rice and corn seeds.

A.        SEED STANDARD FOR HYBRID RICE

I.          General Requirements for Hybrid Rice .
The General Requirements for hybrid rice seed standards as adopted by
the Seed Certifying Agency are basic and together with the following
specific standards.

II.         Land Requirements

1.      Select suitable areas capable of reliable economic production with a minimum of natural hazards.

1.1     Fertile soil, adaptable for parental lines with sufficient irrigation and drainage system.

1.2     Relatively free from weeds and volunteer rice varieties that might interfere with the seed production.

1.3     Sufficient sunshine and no serious pest and disease problems.

III.         Field Inspection. Official seed inspectors are required to conduct field inspection as follows:

1.      At transplanting to ensure that the proper row
orientation and ratio of A and R, appropriate distance of planting and
number of seedling per hill are followed.

2.      During maximum tillering, initial heading to flowering
and before harvest to determine whether off types (other varieties) are
properly removed.

3.      At harvest time, make sure that the R lines (male
parent) are harvested ahead and taken out of the field before harvesting
the A-line (seed parent).

IV.       Field Standards

A.      Production area — The area intended for hybrid seed production should be at least five hectare compact area.

B.      Isolation — Strictly isolated to ensure genetic purity of
hybrid seed and to avoid pollination from unwanted varieties. This can
be isolated by distance from other rice fields, differences in time of
flowering and natural and artificial barriers.

B.1    Distance isolation — An isolation distance of 100 m
is found to be satisfactory. Within this range, no other rice varieties
should be grown except from the pollen parent.

B.2    Time isolation — Adjust planting time to separate
flowering time of the seed parent from other rice cultivars within 100 m
by at least 3 weeks. In other words, the heading stage of varieties
grown within 100 m around the hybrid seed production field should be
over 21 days earlier or later than that of the Cytoplastic Male Sterile
lines (CMS) or A-line.

B.3    Barrier isolation — Topographic surface features
or any physical obstacle (natural, artificial, or crop barrier) having a
height of at least 2.5 m and 3-4 m wide can be used as means of
isolation barrier.

V.        Seed Standards

FACTORS	F1 SEED (%)
Pure seed (min.)	98
Weed and other crop seed (max.)	0.1 *
Inert matter (max.)	2
Red rice, grains/500 gms. (max.)	2
Other varieties grains/500 gms. (max.)	20
Germination (min.)	85
Moisture content (max.)	14

* Instead of 10% as printed, it should be 0.1% per letter of Director Blo Umpar Adiong of the Bureau of Plant Industry, to Secretary Angara rectifying the clerical error.

B.        SEED STANDARD FOR HYBRID CORN

I.          General Requirements for Hybrid Corn Seed Production.
The General Requirements for seed as adopted by the Seed Certifying
Agency are basic and together with the following specific standards.

II.          Land Requirements. There are no requirements as to previous crop. However, the field must be relatively free from volunteer plants.

III.         Field Inspection. Official seed
inspectors are required to conduct at least three field inspection
besides those during detasseling, as follows:

1.      At planting time, to make sure that male and female rows are properly placed and in a correct ratio.

2.      During the vegetative stage, to determine whether
roguing of off-types, disease plants and volunteer plants (if any),
cultivation, weed control and applications of fertilizer are being
attended to.

3.      At flowering time, roguing of female, off-types should
be done followed by detasseling. For single crosses only 0.25%
undetasseled is allowed. For three way crosses, 0.5% undetasseled
(shedding) is allowed.

4.      At harvest time, to see that the ears of the seed
parents are properly guarded against mixture with the harvest from the
pollen rows.

IV.       Field Standards

A.      Production Area — The area intended for hybrid corn seed production should be at least one hectare.

B.      Isolation — a specific seed production field must have proper isolation:

B.1       Time isolation — 20 days before or after planting of any corn planted nearby.

B.2       Distance isolation— 200 m for same color
                                       — 400 m for yellow/white color
                                       — 250 m. with barrier
                                       — 300 m without barrier

C.      Detasseling — Field Inspector should be
furnished with a guide on detasseling process depending on the variety
at flowering stage but before pollen shedding.

At least four samples of 100 plants each are necessary before any
decision can be reached as to whether a hybrid corn seed production
field is rejected or approved. The inspector continues to take samples
if a determination number is not yet reached. If tassel shedding exceed
minimum standard add at least two more sampling.

V.        Seed Standards

FACTORS	SINGLE CROSS	DOUBLE CROSS
Pure seed (min.)	98%	98%
Inert matter (max.)	2%	2%
Other varieties	2 seeds/500 g	5 seeds/500 g
Other crop seed (max.)	0%	0.5%
Weed seed (max.)	0%	0.%
Germination (min.)	85%	85%
Moisture content (max.)	14%	14%

For your guidance and strict compliance.

Adopted: 27 April 2000

Approved:

(SGD.) EDGARDO J. ANGARA
Secretary