Wisconsin Administrative Code
Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
ATCP 140 - Marketing
Chapter ATCP 156 - Certified Seed Potatoes
Subchapter II - Certification
Section ATCP 156.03 - Certification standards

Universal Citation: WI Admin Code ยง ATCP 156.03

Current through August 26, 2024

(1) PROPAGATIVE MATERIAL USED TO GROW THE CERTIFIED SEED POTATOES. Certified seed potatoes shall be grown from one of the following:

(a) Foundation seed potatoes produced, on the same farm, by the seed potato grower requesting certification.

(b) Foundation seed potatoes produced on another farm in this state, if pre-approved by the college.

(c) Propagative material produced by the college.

Note: The college produces "Elite Source" potatoes that may be used under par. (c) to grow foundation seed potatoes. "Elite Source" potatoes comply with all of the standards in this subchapter, and are labeled to show the number of years of field propagation on the college farm. The college rigidly screens the potatoes for disease, using accepted indexing methods.

(d) Propagative material that is pre-approved by the college and produced in a laboratory or greenhouse approved under s. ATCP 156.07.

(e) Foundation seed potatoes certified by another state, under standards equivalent to those in this chapter, and pre-approved by the college.

(f) Propagative material produced by a breeding program that is pre-approved by the college. The college may approve the propagative material if the college does all of the following:
1. Finds that the material was produced under conditions that reasonably limit the threat of disease or variety mixture.

2. Conducts field and harvest inspections of the propagative material, equivalent to the inspections under s. ATCP 156.04(1) and (2), and finds that the propagative material meets standards equivalent to the certification standards under s. ATCP 156.03(3) to (5).

Note: The college may pre-approve propagative material from a recognized breeding program, even though the program does not employ a limited-generation scheme. Recognized breeding programs evaluate potato lines for agronomic characteristics, and most of the lines are derived from true seed rather than tissue culture. Seed potatoes descended from the propagative material may be certified for a maximum of 3 years. See s. ATCP 156.05(2).

(g) Certified seed potatoes when specifically authorized under sub. (6) (a) 3.

Note: Sub. (6) (a) 3. allows a grower to produce foundation seed potatoes from non-foundation certified seed potatoes under special circumstances, when the grower is recovering from a bacterial ring rot finding 2 seasons earlier.

(2) PLANTING STANDARDS. Seed potato lots proposed for certification shall comply with the following planting standards:

(a) Each lot shall be separated from every other lot by at least one planting row.

(b) Each lot shall be separated by at least 50 feet from other potatoes that are not a part of a lot proposed for certification. The college may approve a shorter separation distance if there is adequate alternative protection against transmission of viral disease.

(c) Lots may not be planted on the same farm, in the same year, with any potatoes or propagative materials except those listed in sub. (1).

(3) FIELD AND HARVEST INSPECTION STANDARDS.

(a) The college may not certify a lot of seed potatoes if an inspection under s. ATCP 156.04(1) or (2) finds any disease or variety mixture in excess of the rate specified in Table 1.

Table 1.

FIELD AND HARVEST INSPECTION STANDARDS

Condition

1ST FIELD INSPECTION

SUBSEQUENT FIELD OR HARVEST INSPECTIONS

Foundation Seed Potatoes

Other Seed Potatoes

Leafroll

1.5%

0.25%

1.0%

Mosaics

2.0%

0.25%

1.0%

Spindle tuber

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Total virus allowed

3.0%

0.25%

2.0%

Bacterial ring rot

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Variety mixture

1.0%

0.1%

0.1%

(b) The college may decline to certify a lot of seed potatoes if any of the following apply:
1. The planted or harvested lot is materially affected by a disease, pest infestation or condition, not identified in Table 1, which adversely affects the growth, quality or value of the seed potatoes.

Note: For example, par. (b) 1. may include diseases, pest infestations and conditions such as late blight, soft rot, frostbite, slow emergence, missing hills or excessive weed growth.

2. The seed potato grower fails or refuses to permit an inspection under s. ATCP 156.04(1) or (2).

3. Conditions on the farm prevent a complete inspection under s. ATCP 156.04(1) or (2).

(4) POST-HARVEST TEST STANDARDS.

(a) Except as provided in par. (b), the college shall deny or withdraw certification of a seed potato lot if a post-harvest test under s. ATCP 156.04(3) finds any disease or variety mixture in excess of the rate specified in Table 2

Table 2.

POST-HARVEST TEST STANDARDS

Condition

Foundation seed potatoes

Other certified seed potatoes

Leafroll

0.5%

5.0%

Mosaics

0.5%

5.0%

Spindle tuber

0.0%

0.0%

Total virus allowed

0.5%

5.0%

Bacterial ring rot

0.0%

0.0%

Variety mixture

0.25%

2.0%

Note: The college must complete a post-harvest test before certifying foundation seed potatoes. See s. ATCP 156.04(3) (a). The college may certify other seed potatoes before completing a post-harvest test, but must withdraw the certification if the post-harvest test shows a violation of standards under sub. (4) (a).

(b) The college may certify a lot of seed potatoes, regardless of the existence or results of any post-harvest test under s. ATCP 156.04(3), if all of the following apply:
1. The lot has met the standards under sub. (3) (a) based on field and harvest inspections under s. ATCP 156.04(1) and (2).

2. The college conducts reliable laboratory tests on a representative sample of potatoes from the lot; or receives results from equivalent tests conducted by a reliable commercial laboratory, and the laboratory tests show that the lot complies with the post-harvest test standards in par. (a).

(5) FOUNDATION SEED POTATOES; ADDITIONAL STANDARDS. The college may not certify foundation seed potatoes from any farm unless all of the following apply:

(a) The college has conducted field and harvest inspections, under s. ATCP 156.04(1) and (2), of all potatoes grown on the farm in the 2 preceding years.

(b) The college has conducted a post-harvest test of the previous year's seed potato production from that farm under s. ATCP 156.04(3), or has conducted equivalent laboratory tests of that production under sub. (4) (b).

(6) BACTERIAL RING ROT; ADDITIONAL STANDARDS.

(a) The college may not do any of the following if the college finds that any lot of potatoes from a farm is infected with bacterial ring rot:
1. Certify the infected lot.

2. Certify as foundation seed potatoes any potatoes descended from potatoes grown on the same farm, in the same year, as the infected lot.

3. Certify as foundation seed potatoes any potatoes grown on the same farm in the same year or the following year, except that certified seed potatoes grown in the second year may be used to grow foundation seed potatoes in the third year if there is no further finding of bacterial ring rot.

(b) If the college finds any lot of potatoes infected with bacterial ring rot, no potatoes from that lot may be stored in a warehouse used to store certified seed potatoes.

(c) If the college finds bacterial ring rot in stored potatoes, the college may not certify any lot of potatoes from the same farm until the seed potato grower does all of the following:
1. Removes all of the infected lots from storage.

2. Cleans and disinfects relevant potato equipment and facilities in a manner approved by the college.

(7) VARIANCE ALLOWED BY COLLEGE.

(a) Notwithstanding subs. (3) and (4), the college may certify a lot of seed potatoes that fails to comply with one or more standards under sub. (3) or (4) if the college documents all of the following in the certification document under s. ATCP 156.02(3):
1. Special conditions justify the certification, and there is a reasonable likelihood that the next generation of seed potatoes grown from the non-complying lot will comply with the standards under subs. (3) and (4).

2. No bacterial ring rot has been found in the lot.

3. The certification will not jeopardize seed potato quality, or pose a significant risk of harm to the potato industry or consumers.

(b) A seed potato grower may submit a written request for certification under par. (a). The requester shall provide information to show that the requested action would comply with par. (a).

(c) The college may require laboratory tests of a representative sample of the seed potato lot for which the variance is requested.

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