PART IV. SEEDS

§1431. Terms defined

As used in this Part, the following terms have the meanings given:

(1) "Advertisement" means all representations, other than those on the label, disseminated in any manner or by any means, relating to seed within the scope of this Part.

(2) "Agricultural seed" means any lawn, flower, oil, grass, forage, cereal, fiber, or other kinds of crop seed sold, offered for sale, or used in Louisiana for agricultural or other purposes, and any combinations of such seeds.

(3) "Certified seeds", "registered seeds", and "foundation seeds" are seeds which have been inspected and sampled during their period of growth and preparation for market by the commissioner, or by the inspection official of the state in which the seeds were grown, and which have been found to conform to the regulations issued by the commission under this Part.

(4) "Commission" means the Agricultural Chemistry and Seed Commission.

(5) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of agriculture and forestry.

(6) "Crop" means any cultivated plants that produce agricultural produce such as grains, seeds, fruits, vegetables, or flowers.

(7) "Dormant" means viable seed, excluding hard seed, which fails to germinate when provided the specified germination conditions for the kind of seed in question.

(8) "Farm" means a piece or tract of land on which an agricultural, vegetable, or flower crop is grown or allowed to grow.

(9) "Flower seeds" are seeds of all plants grown for ornamental purposes for domestic or commercial use.

(10) "Germination" is the percentage of seeds capable of producing normal seedlings under ordinarily favorable conditions. Broken, weak, malformed, and obviously abnormal seedlings are not considered as having germinated.

(11) "Hard seeds" are the percentage of seeds which, because of hardness or impermeability, do not absorb moisture or germinate under prescribed tests but remain hard during the period prescribed for germination of the kind of seed concerned.

(12) "Hybrid" is one or more crosses of inbreeds of the same kind of seed; for example, hybrid corn.

(13) "Inert matter" is all matter not seeds including pieces of broken and damaged seeds one-half or less than the original size, sterile florets, fungus bodies, stones, and all matter considered as inert by the Association of Official Seed Analysts Rules for Testing Seeds.

(14) "Kind" is one or more related species which singly or collectively is known by one common name; for example, corn, beans, lespedeza.

(15) "Labeling" includes all labels and other written, printed, or graphic representations accompanying and pertaining to any seed, whether in bulk or containers. Labeling includes invoices and other bills of shipment when sold in bulk. The labels shall be uniform in accordance with the standards adopted by the Association of Southern Seed Control Officials.

(16) "Lot of seed" is a definite quantity of seeds identified by a lot number or mark, every portion or bag of which is uniform, within permitted tolerances, relative to the factors which appear in the labeling.

(17) "Minor violation" means a violation of noncompliance that does not create a competitive disadvantage for licensees in full compliance, is not a violation that adversely affects human health, safety or the environment, is not a violation performed with malicious, deliberate or fraudulent intent, and is not a repetitive violation.

(18) "Mixed seeds" are seeds of more than one kind or variety when each kind or variety is present in excess of five percent of the whole.

(19) "Noxious weeds" are weeds that are injurious to the environment, agricultural fields, lawns, or gardens and difficult to control by good cultural practices and the use of herbicides.

(20) "Origin" means place, state, or foreign country where grown.

(21) "Other crop seeds" are the seeds of all kinds or varieties not of the kind or variety declared on the label.

(22) "Person" means any individual, firm, corporation, association, or partnership.

(23) Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 362, §3, eff. May 20, 2018.

(24) "Pure seeds" are all seeds of the kind and variety under consideration, whether shriveled, cracked, or otherwise injured, and pieces of seeds larger than one-half the original size.

(25) "Retail seedsman" means any person who sells seed at retail directly to the consumer either in quantities of not less than one pound or any quantity including closed containers of less than one pound.

(26) "Seed" is a propagative part of a plant capable of producing a new plant, including but not limited to those parts commonly referred to as seeds, bulbs, roots, tubers, and other propagating stock.

(27) "Stop order" is any written or printed notice given by the commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry or his authorized agents, to the person with a lot of seed, directing the person not to sell or offer for sale the seed until the requirements of this Part and regulations promulgated hereunder have been complied with and a written release is issued. Such seeds may be released for sale as feed.

(28) "Treated" means that the seed has received an application of a substance or that it has been subjected to a process for which a claim is made.

(29) "Variety" is a subdivision of a kind characterized by growth, plant, fruit, seed, or other characteristic by which it can be differentiated from other seeds of the same kind.

(30) "Vegetable seeds" are seeds of vegetable crops grown in gardens or on truck farms.

(31) "Weed seeds" are seeds of all plants that are considered to be undesirable or troublesome in an area where the plant is not wanted.

Amended by Acts 1954, No. 439, §1; Acts 1975, No. 766, §1; Acts 1977, No. 149, §1; Acts 1978, No. 34, §1; Acts 1988, No. 229, §1; Acts 1990, No. 28, §1; Acts 2003, No. 175, §1, eff. July 1, 2003; Acts 2010, No. 495, §1, eff. June 24, 2010; Acts 2012, No. 146, §1, eff. May 14, 2012; Acts 2013, No. 26, §§1 and 6, eff. May 23, 2013; Acts 2018, No. 362, §§1, 3, eff. May 20, 2018.