The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued certificates of protection to developers of 21 new varieties of seed-reproduced and tuber-propagated plants.  They include bentgrass, corn, lettuce, triticale, and wheat.

The 21 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 21 certificates are:

• the Vesper variety of velvet bentgrass, developed by Pickseed West, Inc., Albany, Oregon;
• the PH8BC, PH8JR, PH714, PHA9G, PH8TN, PHBBP, PHADP, PHD90, PHAVN, PHACE, PHB6R, PHAJE,  and PHCWK varieties of corn, developed by Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., Johnston, Iowa;   
• the Gator variety of lettuce, developed by Seminis Vegetable Seeds, Inc., Oxnard, California;   
• the Monarch variety of triticale, developed by Florida Agricultural Experiment Station & University of Georgia, Gainesville, Florida;  
• the Fannin* and HBK 3266 varieties of common wheat, developed by Syngenta Seeds, Inc., Berthoud, Colorado; 
• the Protection* variety of common wheat, developed by AGSECO, Girard, Kansas; 
• the Grande Doro variety of durum wheat, developed by WestBred LLC, Bozeman, Montana; and 
• the Trooper variety of common wheat, developed by WestBred LLC, Bozeman, Montana.

* 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,
via Internet at www.ams.usda.gov/science/PVPO/pvpindex.htm.