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- Quantity of seed sample required by crop type
- Submitting a reference sample to the Plant Breeders' Rights Office
Quantity of seed sample required by crop type
Quantity of seed has been determined based on the relative size and weight of seed. If the crop kind for which a plant breeders' rights application is being filed is not included in the following list, either determine the quantity of seed based on a crop kind of similar seed size or contact the Plant Breeders' Rights Office for more information.
| Agricultural crops | Quantity of seed |
|---|---|
| Bentgrass / Redtop / Tobacco | 1 gram |
| Black Mustard / Bluegrass / Clover – Alsike, Hop or Yellow, Large, Small or Suckling, White, Ladino / Crested Dogtail / Fescue – Chewing's, Hard, Red, Creeping Red, Sheep's / Meadow Foxtail / Orchardgrass / Reed Canarygrass / Timothy | 10 grams |
| Canola / Oilseed Rape (inbreds) | 10 grams |
| Canola / Oilseed Rape (other than inbreds) | 40 grams |
| Fescue - Meadow, Tall / Ryegrass / Wheatgrass / Wildrye | 50 grams |
| Alfalfa / Bird's-foot Trefoil / Black Medick / Bromegrass / Clover – Crimson, Red, Strawberry, Subterranean, Sweet / Crownvetch / Kidneyvetch/ Millet / Mustard – White, Indian / Switchgrass / Tall Oatgrass | 75 grams |
| Canarygrass / Flax / Hemp / Quinoa / Sorghum | 125 grams |
| Barley / Borage / Buckwheat / Emmer / Lentil / Oat / Rye / Safflower / Sainfoin / Spelt / Sunflower / Triticale / Wheat / Vetch | 250 grams |
| Corn / Cowpea / Lupine / Pea / Soybean | 500 grams |
| Bean – Field, Broad, Horse, Lima, Runner, Tick or Faba / Chickpea | 1000 grams |
| Fruit, vegetable and herb crops | Quantity of seed |
|---|---|
| Strawberry | 1000 seeds |
| Celeriac / Celery / Chicory / Water Cress / Savory / Sorrel / Thyme / Husk Tomato | 5 grams |
| Tomato | 10 grams |
| Cornsalad / Garden Cress / Lettuce / Parsnip / Pepper / Sage | 25 grams |
| Carrot / Celtuce / Dill / Endive / Parsley | 50 grams |
| Artichoke / Asparagus / Broccoli / Brussel Sprouts / Cabbage / Cauliflower / Collards / Chives / Eggplant / Kale / Kohlrabi / Leek / Onion / Pak-choi / Pe-tsai / Spinach / Spinach Mustard / Turnip | 75 grams |
| Beet / Mangel / Swiss Chard / Cantaloupe / Cucumber / Gerkin / Muskmelon / New Zealand Spinach / Okra / Radish / Rhubarb / Salsify | 125 grams |
| Citron / Squash / Watermelon | 250 grams |
| Pumpkin / Vegetable Marrow | 500 grams |
| Crop kind | Quantity of seed |
|---|---|
| Seed Reproduced Ornamental Flowers | 1000 seeds |
Submitting a reference sample to the Plant Breeders' Rights Office
The reference samples are legal samples which may be used in the event a holder's right is challenged. The submission of a non-representative sample for a variety could result in the loss of a right.
All reference samples submitted to the Plant Breeders' Rights Office must meet the following requirements.
- When submitting the sample, ensure you sign a statement certifying that the reference sample is representative of the variety.
- All reference samples originating from outside Canada must be sent via the Canadian agent.
- The seed sample should be untreated. It is illegal to send treated seed in the mail and seed treatments may cause problems with certain types of laboratory analysis.
- Samples submitted should be fastened in a tamper-proof manner. The container should be one of the following types of material:
- Cotton or polyjute bags (most desirable)
- Manilla seed envelopes
- Paper bags (double bagged)
- Plastic bags (least desirable)
- Sample bags or envelopes should contain a label on the inside and on the outside with the following information:
- proposed denomination
- crop kind
- name of the applicant
- signature of the applicant or agent
- the date the sample was drawn
For import requirements, consult the Automated Import Reference System (AIRS).