SECTION 10.40. Application and Amplification of General Certification Standards

(a) The general requirements as adopted by the State Seed and Plant Board, are basic standards and, together with the following specific standards, constitute the standards for certification of seed potatoes.

(b) In addition to the definitions listed in §10.1 of this title (relating to Definitions), the following words and terms when used in this subchapter, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

(1) Internal discoloration--Any type of necrosis, stem-end browning, internal brown spot or other similar types of discoloration not visible externally, except blackheart.

(2) Mass or straight planting--As opposed to tuber-unit planting. May refer to whole or cut seed planted in a conventional manner.

(3) Potato lot--A field, or the potatoes harvested therefrom.

(4) Seed potatoes--The vegetatively propagated tuber or portion of tuber used for reproduction of the potato rather than true seed that is sexually produced from the potato flowers.

(5) Soft rot or wet breakdown--Any soft, mushy, or leaky condition of the tissue.

(6) Tuber-unit field--A field that is planted by tuber-unit method and from which entire units are rogued if any plant in a unit is found to have virus disease.

(7) Tuber-unit planting--A method of dropping two or more seed pieces from one tuber consecutively in a row.

(8) U.S. export seed potatoes--Potatoes that meet the requirements, disease tolerances and grade standards for international export as listed under the UNITED STATES EXPORT STANDARDS FOR SEED POTATOES; Appendix P - USDA Export Certification Manual as revised.

(9) U.S. standards for seed potatoes--The grades of potatoes as defined and issued by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Source Note: The provisions of this §10.40 adopted to be effective November 7, 2006, 31 TexReg 8983