USDA Certifies 15 Plant Varieties

WASHINGTON - Jun 4/05 - SNS -- The USDA issued certificates of protection to developers of 15 new varieties of seed-reproduced and tuber-propagated plants. They include bluegrass, bermudagrass, lettuce, rice, and soybean.

The certificates are being issued under the Plant Variety Protection Act. The certificates require that the varieties be new, distinct, uniform and stable. The owners will have the exclusive right to reproduce, sell, import and export their products in the United States for the duration of protection.

Included are:

- the Mohawk, Conquistador, Grizzly, Sniper, Wolverine, and PS 6545691 variety of lettuce, developed by Seminis Vegetable Seeds Inc., Oxnard, Calif.; and

- the Beyond variety of Kentucky bluegrass, developed by Jacklin Seed by Simplot, Post Falls, Idaho.

- the Yukon* and Riviera* varieties of bermudagrass, developed by Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station, Stillwater, Okla.;

- the Badger, Brave Heart, Javelina, and Coyote varieties of lettuce, developed by Seminis Vegetable Seeds, Inc., Oxnard, Calif.;

- the Medark variety of rice, developed by Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, Fayetteville, Ariz;

- the L-Star variety of soybean, developed by National Agricultural Research Organization, Ibaraki, Japan;

* In the United States, seed of this variety (1) shall be sold by variety name only as a class of certified seed and (2) shall conform to the number of generations specified by the owner of the rights (84 STAT. 1542, as amended, 7 U.S.C. 2321 ET SEQ).