The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued certificates of protection to developers of eight new varieties of seed-reproduced and tuber-propagated plants. They include bermudagrass, cotton, pea, ryegrass, tobacco and wheat.

The eight 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 eight certificates are:

• the Wrangler variety of bermudagrass, developed by Johnston Seed Company, Enid, Oklahoma;

• the JAJO 8190 variety of cotton, developed by Jack E. Jones, Baton Rouge, Louisiana;

• the SW Greenback* and SW Prodigy* varieties of field pea, developed by Svalöf Weibull AB, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada;

• the Jumbo variety of annual ryegrass, developed by Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, Gainesville, Florida;

• the RGH51 variety of tobacco (F1) developed by F.W. Rickard Seeds Inc., Winchester, Kentucky; and

• the Saturn* and Polaris* varieties of common wheat, developed by Dr. Peter Franck, Schwaebisch Hall, Germany;

* 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/pvpindex.htm.