[Code of Federal Regulations]

[Title 7, Volume 3]

[Revised as of January 1, 2006]

From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access

[CITE: 7CFR201.51]



[Page 338-339]

 

                          TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE

 

 CHAPTER I--AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE \1\ (STANDARDS, INSPECTIONS, 

       MARKETING PRACTICES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED)

 

PART 201_FEDERAL SEED ACT REGULATIONS--Table of Contents

 

Sec. 201.51  Inert matter.



    Inert matter shall include seeds and seed-like structures from both 

crop and weed plants and other material not seeds as follows:

    (a) Seeds and seed-like structures from crop plants:

    (1) Seeds of legumes (Leguminosae) and crucifers (Cruciferae) with 

the seed coats entirely removed. Refer to Sec. 210.48(a) for pure seed 

classification.

    (2) Pieces of broken and damaged seed units, including those that 

are insect damaged, which are one-half the original size or less. If 

greater than one-half, refer to Sec. 201.48(b) and (c) for pure seed 

classification. Also included as inert matter are separated cotyledons 

of legumes, irrespective of whether or not the radicle-plumule axis and/

or more than one-half of the seed coat may be attached.

    (3) Chalcid-damaged seeds (puffy, soft, or dry and crumbly) of 

alfalfa, red clover, crimson clover, and similar kinds of small seeded 

legumes. Refer to Sec. 201.48(c) for pure seed classification.

    (4) Glumes and empty florets except as stated under pure seed. Refer 

to Sec. 201.48 (g) and (h) for pure seed classification.

    (5) Seed units with nematode galls or fungal bodies (smut, ergot, 

and other sclerotia) that are not entirely enclosed within the seed 

unit. Refer to Sec. 201.48(h) for pure seed classification.

    (6) Broken seed units of Chenopodiaceae and fruit portions or 

fragments of monogerm beets, New Zealand spinach, buffalograss, and 

families in which the seed unit is a dry indehiscent one-seeded fruit 

that visibly do not contain a seed. Refer to Sec. 201.48 (f), (g)(1), 

(i), and (j) for pure seed classification.

    (7) Seed units of forage kochia that pass through a 1 mm opening, 

square-hole sieve, when shaken for 30 seconds.

    (8) The thin pericarp (fruit wall), if present on seeds of northern 

sweetvetch.

    (b) Seeds and seed-like structures from weed plants, which by visual 

examination (including the use of light or dissection), can be 

determined to be within the following categories:

    (1) Damaged seed (other than grasses) with over one-half of the 

embryo missing.

    (2) Grass florets and caryopses classed as inert:

    (i) Glumes and empty florets of weedy grasses;

    (ii) Damaged grass caryopses, including free caryopses, with over 

one-half the root-shoot axis missing (the scutellum excluded);

    (iii) Immature free caryopses devoid of embryo and/or endosperm;

    (iv) Immature florets of quackgrass (Agropyron repens) in which the 

caryopses are less than one-third the length of the palea. The caryopsis 

is measured from the base of the rachilla;

    (v) Free caryopses of quackgrass (A. repens) that are 2 mm or less 

in length.

    (3) Seeds of legumes and species of Brassica with the seed coats 

entirely removed.

    (4) Immature seed units, devoid of both embryo and endosperm, such 

as occur in but not limited to the following plant families: Sedge 

(Cyperaceae), buckwheat (Polygonaceae), morning glory (Convolvulaceae), 

nightshade (Solanaceae), puncturevine (Zygophyllaceae) and sunflower 

(Compositae). Cocklebur (Xanthium spp.) burs are to be dissected to 

determine whether or not seeds are present.

    (5) Wild onion and wild garlic (Allium spp.) bulblets:

    (i) Bulblets which are completely devoid of the husk and pass 

through a



1/13th-inch, round-hole sieve.

    (ii) Bulblets which show evident damage to the basal end, whether 

husk is present or absent. Refer to Sec. 201.50(c)



[[Page 339]]



for wild onion and wild garlic (Allium spp.) bulblets classed as weed 

seeds.

    (6) Dodder (Cuscuta spp.): Seeds devoid of embryos and seeds which 

are ashy gray to creamy white in color are inert matter. Seeds should be 

sectioned when necessary to determine if an embryo is present as when 

seeds have a normal color but are slightly swollen, dimpled or have 

minute holes.

    (7) Buckhorn (Plantago lanceolata): Black seeds, with no brown color 

evident, whether shriveled or plump; the color of questionable seeds 

shall be determined by use of a stereoscopic microscope with 

magnification of approximately 10x and a fluorescent lamp with two 15-

watt daylight-type tubes.

    (8) Ragweed (Ambrosia spp.): Seed with both the involucre and 

pericarp absent.

    (c) Other matter that is not seed:

    (1) Free nematode galls or fungal bodies such as smut, ergot, and 

other sclerotia.

    (2) Soil particles, sand, stone, chaff, stems, leaves, flowers, 

loose coating material, and any other foreign material.

    (3) Coating material removed from coated seed by washing. Refer to 

Sec. 201.51b(c).



[46 FR 53637, Oct. 29, 1981; 46 FR 58059, Nov. 30, 1981; 59 FR 64498, 

Dec. 14, 1994; 65 FR 1707, Jan. 11, 2000]