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 carrot, corn, daisy, and lettuce.

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 YK714900 variety of carrot, developed by Seminis Vegetable Seeds, Inc, Oxnard, California;

• the PHC5H, PH7GD, PH907, and PH8WD varieties of corn, developed by Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., Johnston, Iowa;

• the Raider White variety of blackfoot daisy, developed by Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas;

• the Flagstaff, Trojan, and Home Run varieties of lettuce, developed by Paragon Seed, Inc., Salinas, California; and 

• the Beretta and Colossus varieties of lettuce, developed by Shamrock Seed Company, Inc., Salinas, California.

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.