(a) The State Board of Agriculture and Industries shall have power to prescribe and, after public hearing following due public notice, to adopt rules and regulations governing the method of sampling, inspecting, analyzing, testing and examining agricultural, vegetable, flower, tree, shrub and herb seed and the tolerances and limitations to be followed in the administration of this article, to add to or subtract from the list of noxious weeds, to adopt or amend standards for vegetable, flower, tree, shrub and herb seed, to increase or lower the standards for seeds when found to be in the best interest of users of seed and to meet emergencies, to adopt sizes of containers for seed sold, offered for sale or distributed in Alabama, to establish reasonable limitations as to the number of bags or other containers of seed in any one lot of seed sold, offered for sale or distributed in Alabama and such other rules and regulations as may be reasonably necessary to carry out the evident intent and purposes of this article and to secure its efficient administration and enforcement.

(b) The board shall also be authorized to adopt rules and regulations to govern and control the sale or offering for sale of any seed which may be labeled and sold as feed or feed grain where such feed or grain is or may be used for planting purposes. The board is authorized to adopt rules, regulations and recommendations of the Association of Seed Control Officials of the Southern States; provided, that such recommendations are not in conflict with the provisions of this article.

(c) The board shall also be authorized to adopt rules and regulations which will prohibit any false or misleading labeling, false or misleading advertising or other false or misleading representations with respect to sale, handling, labeling or distribution of any agricultural, vegetable, flower, tree or herb seed sold, offered for sale or distributed in Alabama where the sale of such seed is subject to any of the provisions and requirements of the Plant Variety Protection Act of the Congress of the United States.