The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued certificates of protection to developers of 17 new varieties of seed-reproduced and tuber-propagated plants. They include bean, cotton, potato, soybean and wheat.

The 17 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 17 certificates are:

• the Oz variety of garden bean, developed by Syngenta Seeds, Inc., Boise, Idaho;

• the GC-120, GC-500 and GC-271 varieties of cotton, developed by Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., Johnston, Iowa;

• the AP 6101, AP 4103 and AP 6102 varieties of cotton, developed by Stoneville Pedigreed Seed Company, Memphis, Tenn.;

• the Sure-Grow 150R variety of cotton, developed by D&PL Technology Holding Corporation, Scott, Miss.;

• the Sure-Grow 747 and Sure-Grow 105 variety of cotton, developed by Sure-Grow Seed, Centre, Ala.;

• the Dp HTO Pima variety of cotton, developed by Olvey & Associates, Inc,. Maricopa, Ariz.;

• the Fibermax 832 variety of cotton, developed by Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research      Organization, Campbell, Australia;     

• the AP 7115 variety of cotton, developed by Emergent Genetics, Inc., Memphis, Tenn.;

• the FL 2027 variety of potato, developed by Frito-Lay North America, Inc., Plano, Texas;

• the Amandine variety of potato, developed by Germicopa S.A., Cedex, France;

• the DP 5655 variety of soybean, developed by D&PL Technology Holding Corporation, Scott, Miss.; and

• the Baker's White* variety of common wheat, developed by Monsanto Company, St. Louis, Mo.   

* In the United States seed of this variety (1) shall be sold by variety name only as a class of certified seed and (2) 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).

USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service administers the Plant Variety Protection Act, which provides time limited marketing protection to developers of new and distinct seed- reproduced and tuber-propagated plants ranging from farm crops to flowers. For additional information contact the Plant Variety Protection Office at telephone (301) 504-5518, fax (301) 504-5291 or the Internet at www.ams.usda.gov/science/PVPO/pvp.htm.