The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued certificates of protection to developers of nine new varieties of seed-reproduced and tuber-propagated plants. They include bentgrass, bermudagrass, bluegrass, corn, pumpkin, rice and wheat.

The nine 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 nine certificates are:

• the Brighton variety of creeping bentgrass, developed by Seed Research of Oregon, Corvallis, Ore;

• the Greenwich variety of velvet bentgrass, developed by Pure Seed Testing Inc., Hubbard, Ore.;

• the Seaside II* variety of creeping bentgrass, developed by Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station, University Park, Pa.;

• the Boutique variety of Kentucky bluegrass, developed by Turf Merchants Inc., Tangent, Ore.;

• the NP2315 variety of field corn, developed by Syngenta Seed Inc., Minneapolis, Minn.;

• the Full Moon variety of pumpkin, developed by Hollar Seed Company, Rocky Ford, Colo.;

• the Francis variety of rice, developed by University of Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, Fayetteville, Ark.;

• the CL161* variety of rice, developed by Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Rayne, La.; and

• the Daisy* variety of common wheat, developed by Sunbeam Extract Co., Wooster, Ohio.

* 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.