The Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) variety verification program evaluates the effectiveness of Canada's seed certification system and confirms the description of a variety when it is registered. Samples of seed taken from the marketplace are planted in field plots and observed throughout the growing season to monitor the varietal purity and varietal identity of pedigreed seed produced in Canada. For most major field crops, breeders are required to provide an official variety reference control sample when registering a new variety. The reference control sample is used as the variety standard to compare subsequent generations of seed production of that variety.
On this page
- Understand plant variety terminology
- Variety verification testing
- Variety verification testing and international trade
- How testing is conducted
- How samples are collected
- How seed lots are selected for testing
- Why additional testing is sometimes needed (even after crop inspections and certificates)
- Varietal purity standards
- How variants are reported when found during testing
- What happens once the test results are in
- Who will be informed of the results
Understand plant variety terminology
The definition of a plant variety is the same as the definition of a "cultivar" provided by the International Union of Biological Sciences' Commission for the Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants. A variety denotes a group of cultivated plants, including hybrids constituted by controlled cross-pollination, that:
- are distinguished by common morphological, physiological, cytological, chemical or other characteristics; and,
- retain their characteristics when reproduced.
Varietal purity
Varietal purity is a measure of the proportion of plants or seeds within the population that conform to the official description of the variety created by the breeder. Plants or seeds of the same crop kind that are not part of the official description of the variety are considered varietal impurities, or off-types. Varietal purity standards establish the maximum percentage of off-types allowed in a seed lot.
Varietal identity
The identity of a variety is defined by its characteristics, resulting from a given genotype or combination of genotypes. A varietal identity issue is identified when all the plants in a test plot do not match the variety description and differ from the reference control plants. Varietal identity issues can often be traced back to the mishandling or mislabelling of seed during production and conditioning or mis-identification of submitted samples.
Off-types
Off-types are plants that differ visually from the variety by one or more characteristics provided in the descrition of variety (DoV). The number of off-types permitted in a field is identified in the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies Seed Certification Handbook.
Tolerance
A tolerance is a range of statistical uncertainty. There is a certain probability that the sample tested may not be perfectly representative of the seed lot. To adjust for this uncertainty, a tolerance or range of acceptable results is determined which is based on statistical calculations. A seed sample that demonstrates off-types in excess of the standard may still be considered to have met the standard, when this tolerance or range of uncertainty is applied.
For example, if the standard is 5 off-types per 10,000 plants, the tolerance could allow for as many as 8 off-types per 10,000 plants before it could be said with confidence that the whole seed lot most likely does not meet the standard.
Variants
Variants are plants that are distinct within the variety but occur naturally. They are stable and predictable and are described in the official description of variety. The DoV describes the visual characteristics of the variants and maximum level of variants allowable for crop certification. A variant is not an off-type and only considered an impurity when the number of variants found exceeds the allowable level described in the DoV which is specified by the breeder.
Variety verification testing
Variety verification testing and international trade
As a participant in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Seed Schemes for the Varietal Certification or Control of Seed Moving in International Trade (the OECD Seed Schemes), Canada is obliged to conduct variety verification testing. Testing is completed on all OECD pre-basic and basic status seed lots and on a percentage of OECD certified status seed lots that have been certified for export by the CFIA pursuant to the OECD seed schemes. Canada's participation in the OECD seed schemes enables Canada to be recognized internationally as a supplier of high quality seed with reliable varietal purity and varietal identity.
How testing is conducted
The CFIA's Seed Science Unit, located at Ottawa's plant laboratory in Fallowfield, sows field plots from the submitted seed lot samples. The seed samples are planted alongside seed of the official variety reference control sample of the same variety. As the plants grow, visual morphological characteristics are observed to compare the samples with: 1) the breeder's official description of variety and 2) the plants grown from the official reference sample. Plant comparisons are completed from seedling emergence to seed harvest. Biochemical tests or DNA genotyping may be used for confirmation of the results found in the field plots.
How samples are collected
Samples are submitted by:
- CFIA inspectors
- seed growers
- authorized exporter program participants
- authorised seed crop inspection services
- and other entities as required
Seed samples for the variety verification program must be received by CFIA's Seed Science Unit in time for the growing season. Samples that do not arrive on time will be sown the following year.
How seed lots are selected for testing
The CFIA, in collaboration with the CSGA, request samples of seed from all pedigreed classes of the major crop kinds grown in Canada. Variety verification samples are submitted according to the following conditions:
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
All export seed lots of OECD pre-basic, basic, certified, and not finally certified seed lots
Pedigreed status of the crop
- Breeder status crops demoted to Foundation or Registered status
- Select status crops of self-pollinated crop kinds (such as barley, bean, canary seed, durum, fababean, flax, lentil, lupin, oat, pea, soybean, triticale and wheat)
- Foundation status crops of open-pollinated crop kinds (such as canola, mustard, industrial hemp, safflower and sunflower)
- Chosen and randomly selected Foundation status crops of self-pollinated crop kinds
- Probation plots
- CFIA seed program specific requirements
- Registration of new varieties for crop kinds subject to variety registration, excluding seed potatoes
- Imports of specific crop kinds, varieties, and/or seed from targeted regions
- Seed lots multiplied abroad under a multiplication agreement
- Seed crops inspected by Licensed Seed Crop Inspectors (LSCI)
- Complaint, inquiry or investigation samples
- Varieties, crop kinds, growers, graders, conditioners, distributors or variety developers with a recurrent record of non-compliances.
- Other seed lots as determined by the CFIA from time to time
Why additional testing is sometimes needed (even after crop inspections and certificates)
During field crop inspection most seed crops are inspected only once at a growth stage when differences in plant characteristics can be identified by visual inspection. Crop inspection identifies other crop kinds, varieties, and weeds of concern that are present in the field.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is responsible for the oversight of Canada's seed certification system. The Variety Verification Program monitors the efficacy of the policies that are in place for maintaining quality seed production and crop inspection. As a participant of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development the CFIA has further obligation for varietal verification testing of seed to ensure varietal integrity is maintained. The program focuses specifically on variety identification and is a tool to provide support for crop inspectors in the field.
Plants are grown from seed samples which allows the CFIA biologists to inspect plants multiple times throughout the growing season from emergence through to seed set and harvest. This provides a detailed and precise assessment of the varietal purity and varietal identity of the seed lot than the field crop inspection alone.
Varietal purity standards
Field crop standards for varietal purity in Canada are established by the Canadian Seed Growers' Association (CSGA), for example, five off-types permitted in 10,000 plants for Certified status cereal crops.
Variety verification testing applies the seed varietal purity standards established by the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA), which are generally less stringent than the field varietal purity standards of AOSCA. The seed varietal purity standards are used because the testing is carried out to monitor the varietal purity of the final seed product "in the bag".
How variants are reported when found during testing
Any excess plants will be reported as off-types.
What happens once the test results are in
Variety verification testing is not intended to trigger investigation and enforcement actions. However, where varietal purity or varietal identity issues are identified, the CFIA works with the CSGA and the stakeholders involved to identify the source of the problem and appropriate follow up actions. In most cases, additional samples of the variety will be requested or drawn by CFIA inspectors for further testing. The CFIA may also require samples from subsequent plantings of the seed lot, or samples of seed lots produced from the same parent stock. Seed crop inspectors are provided with information on the off-types that may be found in subsequent plantings of the seed lot and related lots. The information enables inspectors to better identify the off-types should they appear in these related lots.
Who will be informed of the results
The Canadian Seed Grower Association is provided with results when a varietal purity or varietal identity issue in a pedigreed seed sample is confirmed by CFIA's Seed Science Unit.
In general, the party that supplied the seed will be informed as well as the producer of the seed and/or their assignee. The results will be communicated as they become available once all data is prepared and confirmed.
- If the samples meet the standards then no notification will be sent.
- If the sample fails to meet the standard even when a tolerance is applied (out of tolerance – OT), a notification will be sent as soon as possible with a description of the off-types.
- A request may be sent to provide information on the parent seed, the potential source of the off-types and the distribution of the seed lot.
- If the sample is found to be not of the variety indicated, (varietal identity is compromised – VI), a notification will be sent and the CFIA will trace back and forward to identify any other implicated seed lots.
It is important to note, in cases that require follow-up (OT and VI), additional samples from other plantings of the variety, the seed lot or other related seed lots may be requested or drawn for variety verification testing in the next year.