The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued certificates of protection to developers of 11 new varieties of seed-reproduced and tuber-propagated plants. They include bentgrass, bluegrass, fescue, and ryegrass.

The 11 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 11 certificates are:

• the Penn A-4* variety of creeping bentgrass, developed by Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station, University Park, Pa.;

• the Monte Carlo variety of Kentucky bluegrass, developed by Pennington Seed Inc., Madison, Georgia.;

• the Bedazzled and Royale varieties of Kentucky bluegrass, developed by Rutgers University - Cook College c/o Dr. William Meyer, New Brunswick, New Jersey;

• the SR 8600 variety of tall fescue, developed by Seed Research of Oregon, Corvallis, Oregon;

• the Gibraltar variety of strong creeping red fescue, developed by Ampac Seeds Inc., Tangent, Oregon;

• the Amazing variety of perennial ryegrass, developed by Ampac seeds Inc., Tangent, Oregon;

• the Integra variety of perennial ryegrass, developed by Pennington Seed Inc., Madison, Gaeorgia;

• the Promise variety of perennial ryegrass, developed by Turf Merchants Inc., Tangent, Oregon.; and

• the R2 and Kokomo varieties of perennial ryegrass, developed by DLF International Seeds & Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Halsey, Oregon.

* 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.