USDA Licenses 21 Varieties

WASHINGTON - Aug 7/08 - SNS -- The USDA issued certificates of protection to developers of 21 new varieties of seed-reproduced and tuber-propagated plants, including bean, bluegrass, corn, soybean and wheat.

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.

The 21 certificates are:

- the Spartacus, Sea Biscuit, VALENTINO, Secretariat, Weapon and Ulysses varieties of garden bean, developed by Seminis Vegetable Seeds, Inc., Oxnard, Calif;

- the Mallard and Blue Ridge varieties of Kentucky bluegrass, developed by Pennington Seeds, Inc., Lebanon, Ore.;

- the Avalanche variety of Kentucky bluegrass, developed by Pure Seed Testing, Inc., Hubbard, Ore.;

- the S32431 variety of corn, developed by JC Robinson Seeds, Inc., Waterloo, Neb.;

- the 93Y12, 93Y70, 93Y02, 92Y80, 93Y81, 93Y01 and 98Y11 varieties of soybean, developed by Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., Johnston, Iowa;

- the OLERICH150 variety of soybean, developed by Saga Prefectural Regional Industry Support Center, Saga Japan;

- the D4422957 and D4328762 varieties of soybean, developed by Monsanto Technology, L.L.C., St. Louis; and

- the RB07* variety of common wheat, developed by Regents of the University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn.

* In the United States, seed of this variety shall be sold by variety name only as a class of certified seed, and 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).