FEDERAL SEED SCHOOL SEED PURITY AND IDENTIFICATION HANDOUTS August 5 – 7, 2013 USDA, AMS, LPS Seed Regulatory and Testing Division 801 Summit Crossing Place, Suite C Gastonia, North Carolina 28054 704-810-8870; fax 704-852-4189 http://www.ams.usda.gov/seed FEDERAL SEED SCHOOL August 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page USDA, AMS Seed Regulatory and Testing Division – Personnel and Areas of Responsibility .... 1 USDA Publications and Helpful Internet Sites ............................................................................... 2-3 PURITY AND SEED IDENTIFICATION Some possible sources of non-uniformity in test results .................................................................. 4-5 Grass Family Structural Features .................................................................................................... 6 Grass Seed Structures ..................................................................................................................... 7-9 Seed Terms and Shapes .................................................................................................................. 10 References in Federal Seed Act Regulations regarding seed units and pure seed in grasses ......... 11 Understanding Grass Family Seed Units, by D.J. Meyer ............................................................... 12-22 Agropyron spp. Nomenclature Changes ......................................................................................... 23-24 Wheatgrasses and Quackgrass Comparison of Seed Characteristics .............................................. 25-31 Wildrye Nomenclature and Seed Characteristics ........................................................................... 32-35 Agrostis Seed Characteristics ......................................................................................................... 36-39 Alopecurus Spikelet Characteristics ............................................................................................... 40-41 Andropogon, Bluestem, Seed Key ................................................................................................. 42-43 Avena, Seed Characteristics ............................................................................................................ 44 Bouteloua, Gramagrass, Seed Key ................................................................................................. 45-46 Bromus Seed Characteristics .......................................................................................................... 47-56 Cynodon Seed Characteristics ........................................................................................................ 57-63 Echinochloa Seed Characteristics .................................................................................................. 64 Festuca and Lolium Seed Characteristics ...................................................................................... 65-66 Paspalum Key and Seed Characteristics ........................................................................................ 67-71 Poa Seed Characteristics ................................................................................................................. 72-77 Setaria Nomenclature and Seed Characteristics ............................................................................. 78-81 Sorghum Nomenclature and Seed Characteristics ........................................................................... 82 Urochloa Nomenclature and Seed Characteristics ......................................................................... 83-86 Polygonum, Rumex, and Persicaria Seed Characteristics ............................................................. 87-89 Silene Seed Characteristics ............................................................................................................. 90-92 REVISED JULY 2013 Brassica and Sinapis Nomeclature and Seed Characteristics ........................................................ 93-96 Lespedeza Seed Characteristics ..................................................................................................... 97-99 Some small-seeded legumes identification (including Medicago, Melilotus, Trifolium) ............. 100-102 Lathyrus, Pisum, and Vicia identification ................................................................................... 103-107 Solanaceae identification .............................................................................................................. 108-109 Carduus, Centaurea, and Cirsium Seed Characteristics ............................................................ 110-113 Answer keys for study sets .............................................................................................................. 114-134 REVISED JULY 2013 STAFF DIRECTORY USDA, AMS, LPS, Seed Regulatory and Testing Division 801 Summit Crossing Place, Suite C Gastonia, North Carolina 28054 Regulatory Section Phone: (704) 810-8871; Fax: (704) 852-4109 Testing Section Phone: (704) 810-8870; Fax: (704) 852-4189 Testing Section e-mail: [email protected] Web Site Address: www.ams.usda.gov/seed Director Fawad S. Shah, (704) 810-8884, [email protected] Laboratory Supervisor/Deputy Director Ernest L. Allen, (704) 810-8877, [email protected] Administrative Support Staff Marshalle Tina Jackson, Management Analyst, (704) 810-8882, [email protected] Carolyn Camidge, Office Automation Assistant, (704) 810-8870, [email protected] Agronomist Vacant Biological Science Laboratory Technicians Vacant Botanists Charlene Burton, (704) 810-8880, [email protected] Todd Erickson, (704) 810-7266, [email protected] Pattsy Jackson, (704) 810-8881, [email protected] Elizabeth Tatum, (704) 810-8873, [email protected] Anitra Walker, (704) 810-7269, [email protected] Plant Pathologist Sandra Walker, (704) 810-7268, [email protected] Plant Physiologist Yujia Wu, (704) 810-7267, [email protected] Seed Marketing Specialist (International) Vacant Seed Marketing Specialists (Regulatory) Roger Burton, (704) 810-7265, [email protected] Kevin Robinson, (704) 810-7264, [email protected] Linda Vanderhoof, (704) 810-8879, [email protected] Vacant Vacamt REVISED JULY 2013 Page | 1 AVAILABILITY OF USDA PUBLICATIONS Federal Noxious Weed Disseminules of the U.S., Edition 2 Cost: Free Amanda Redford, Identification Technology Program USDA APHIS PPQ CPHST [email protected] 2301 Research Blvd., Suite 108 Fort Collins, CO 80526 Published by USDA-APHIS-PPQ-CPHST Author(s): Julia Scher and Deena Walters [email protected] Released April 2010 Seeds of Woody Plants in the United States USDA Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook No. 450, By C.S. Schopmeyer, reprinted 1989. Currently out of print – but available on-line at: http://www.nsl.fs.fed.us/wpsm/index.html Identification of Crop and Weed Seeds USDA AMS Agriculture Handbook No. 219, by Albina F. Musil, reprinted 1978. Out of print; remaining copies available upon request from: USDA, AMS, L&S Program Seed Regulatory and Testing Division 801 Summit Crossing Place, Suite C Gastonia, NC 28054 (704) 810-8870 34-Plate set from Agriculture Handbook No. 30 (8x10 black and white glossy prints) Negative Nos. 19806 through 19839 The National Archives, Ed McCarter (Telephone No. 301-837-1956) E-mail: [email protected] REVISED JULY 2011 Page | 2 HELPFUL INTERNET SITES U.S. Department of Agriculture home page http://www.usda.gov/ USDA AMS L&S Seed Regulatory and Testing Division (Federal Seed Lab), Gastonia, NC http://www.ams.usda.gov/Seed Publications available from Seed Regulatory and Testing Division There is Web link for publications on http://www.ams.usda.gov/Seed USDA ARS Germplasm Resource Information Network (GRIN) nomenclature and taxonomy http://www.ars-grin.gov/ and http://www.ars-grin.gov/npgs/searchgrin.html USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service home page http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ USDA APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) and Noxious Weeds home page http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/index.shtml http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/weeds/index.shtml USDA APHIS Import-Export Directory http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/index.shtml USDA AMS Plant Variety Protection Office http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/PVPO There is a Web link on the above site which will take you to the USDA AMS Plant Variety Protection Office USDA Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) http://www.itis.gov/ AOSA – Association of Official Seed Analysts http://www.aosaseed.com ISTA – International Seed Testing Association http://www.seedtest.org SCST – Society of Commercial Seed Technologists http://www.seedtechnology.net/ http://www.seedtest.com/ REVISED JULY 2011 Page | 3 SOME POSSIBLE SOURCES OF NON-UNIFORMITY IN TEST RESULTS PURITY Samples not equivalent Improper sampling of the lot Non-uniformity of the lot Improper mixing and dividing of the sample in the laboratory Differences in interpretation of purity rules, especially in regard to broken seed, empty florets, multiple units, insect-damaged seed, etc. Misidentification of species Differences in classification of crop and weed seeds Improper operation of blower Variation due to moisture content of seed versus relative humidity, especially in grasses subject to blowing Errors in weighing purity separations Errors in calculation Malfunctioning equipment such as dividers, blowers, balances Use of personalized