Vegetatively Propagated Hemp Seed Certification Standards

A. Classes and sources of certified vegetatively propagated planting stocks. 1. Mother Plant is a plant produced from a Breeder Plant Stock. 2. Certified Plants are plants produced from Mother Plants. 3. Certified plants may be used to produce certified stock when produced in a Structure or D1 Daughter stock. 4. Certified plants are propagated as follows: a. Mother Plants may be cut repeatedly to produce D1 Daughter Plants. D1 Daughter Plants are produced by cuttings from Mother Plants. b. D1 Daughter plants may be cut repeatedly to produce D2 Daughter Plants. D2 Daughter plants are produced by cuttings from D1 Daughter Plants. c. D2 Daughter plants may be cut repeatedly to produce D3 Daughter plants. D3 Daughter plants are produced by cuttings from D2 Daughter plants. 5. The grower shall maintain detailed documentation of the parent used to generate clones. 6. All required grower records related to the production of hemp clones shall be made available for inspection by LDAF upon request. B. Growth Facility Production Requirements 1. The facility shall be free of visually detectable diseases, insects, and other harmful pests. 2. Hemp clones shall be handled in such a manner as to prevent co-mingling of varieties or types. 3. Isolation a. Varieties produced in the same facility shall have a minimum of 18” unplanted isolation area between the varieties. b. The production area, flats and/or containers for each variety shall be clearly labeled in a manner that prevents mixing or misidentification. c. Growers shall handle transplants throughout the growing, harvesting, and sales in a manner that prevents the mechanical mixture of containers of different varieties. C. Field Production Requirements 1. Land Requirements a. Crops for the production of mother plants shall not be grown on land that produced a hemp crop within the previous five years. b. Crops for the certified class shall not be grown on land that produced a hemp crop in the previous three years. 2. Isolation Requirements a. There shall be a minimum of ten feet isolation area, or an appropriate barrier between different certified varieties or between certified and any non-certified production. b. LDAF may approve an alternate isolation distance or barrier sufficient to prohibit the mixing of plants. c. Isolation areas shall remain free of volunteer hemp plants throughout the production cycle. D. General Production Standards 1. Plants shall remain apparently free of diseases, insects, and other injurious pests. 2. Maximum off-types or other varieties shall not exceed 0.2 percent, or 20 in 10,000 plants. Non-conforming plants shall be removed and destroyed by the grower. E. Inspections 1. LDAF will inspect mother plants within seven days before first cutting of daughter plants for certification. 2. LDAF will inspect daughter plants at least once during the course of production. 3. LDAF will perform a minimum of two inspections to determine: a. all field and indoor growth facility produced plants and transplants are properly labeled by variety and meet phenotypic purity, isolation, and are in good physical condition. b. the number of transplants produced at the time of the final inspection. 4. Transplants may be rejected for certification due to unsatisfactory physical condition, including but limited to, diseased plants, plants with insect infestation, or plants that are otherwise stressed. 5. LDAF may reject unlabeled or inadequately labeled transplants. 6. LDAF may conduct additional inspections as necessary to ensure all certification requirements are met. AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 3:1433. HISTORICAL NOTE: Promulgated by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Office of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Agricultural Chemistry and Seed Commission, LR 51:1575 (October 2025).