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, lettuce, rice, and soybean.

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 Yukon* and Riviera* varieties of bermudagrass, developed by Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station, Stillwater, Oklahoma;

• the Badger, Brave Heart, Javelina, Mohawk, Conquistador, Grizzly, Sniper, Wolverine, and PS 6545691 and Coyote varieties of lettuce, developed by Seminis Vegetable Seeds, Inc., Oxnard, California;

• the Medark variety of rice, developed by Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, Fayetteville, Arizona;

• the L-Star variety of soybean, developed by National Agricultural Research Organization, Ibaraki, Japan;

• the Beyond variety of Kentucky bluegrass, developed by Jacklin Seed by Simplot, Post Falls, Idaho.

* 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.