Section 16-302-935 - Growth facility and field standards specific to feminized hemp seed (Cannabis sativa L subsp sativa) certification standards(1) Crop inspection: (a) It is the grower's responsibility to ensure that growth facility and field inspections are conducted by the authorized inspector at least twice prior to swathing or harvesting.(b) A growth facility or field that is cut, swathed, or harvested prior to crop inspection is not eligible for certification.(c) Inspections of pollen parent plants and seed parent plants must be at a stage of growth when varietal purity is best determined. Crops not inspected at the proper stage for best determining varietal purity may be cause for rejection. A minimum of two inspections are required.(i) First inspection for pollen parent and seed parent plants must be made just before or at early flowering. The pollen parent must be inspected prior to pollen collection or dispersal.(ii) Second inspection for pollen parent and seed parent types must be completed after pollen shed and seed fill.(iii) Isolation areas will be inspected for any volunteer hemp plants on each inspection.(2) Specific: For the production of FHS varieties via pollen shedding by the chemically reversed female plants: (a) Detailed records shall be created and maintained on the pollen parent, such as the chemical application dates, concentration, and the pollen collection date.(b) Pollen storage containers (if used) must be marked with lot number and source.(c) Chemically reversed female plants (pollen parent) must be removed and destroyed after pollen collection is complete.(d) Male, sporting male, and hermaphroditic plants must be removed from the growth facility or field and a record of roguing activities must be maintained.(3) Isolation: (a) Certified feminized hemp seed fields must be isolated from all other contaminating pollen sources by the distances provided in Table 1. Roguing to eliminate all possible contaminating pollen must be accomplished prior to visible flower formation.(b) Greenhouse production of certified feminized seed is allowed if mechanical isolation of pollen sources is provided. Additional greenhouse requirements include: (i) Method of pollen exclusion must be documented and submitted to the certifying agency.(ii) Each greenhouse facility is limited to one variety or multiple varieties when one pollen parent is utilized for all varieties.(iii) Each variety must be clearly labeled and easily identifiable from one another.(c) Off season greenhouse production when outside pollen sources are not alive may reduce the isolation requirement. Table 1: Minimum Isolation Distances Required Between Inspected Hemp and Other Crops
Inspected Crop | Other Hemp Crops | Isolation Distance Required (feet) |
Feminized hemp seed | -Variety of hemp, or other contaminating pollen source that has pollen shedders present, this includes other greenhouse complexes -Noncertified crop of hemp -Different varieties of the same type of hemp with no male shedders present in field that is not for seed production -Planted with certified seed of the same variety that meets certified standards for varietal purity and no male shedders present in field | 15,748 |
- Certified seed crop of the same variety that meets certified standards for varietal purity | 3 |
(4) Impurity standards: (a) Impurities should be removed prior to crop inspection.(b) Any combination of impurities may be reason for declining certified status.(c) Table 2 indicates the maximum number of impurities permitted in approximately ten thousand plants of the inspected crop. The inspector makes at least six counts of a total of at least ten thousand plants to determine the number of impurities. The resulting average of these counts must not exceed the maximum impurity standards in Table 2. Table 2
Inspected Crop | Maximum Impurity Standards per 10,000 plants in Hemp Seed Crops |
| Maximum Number of Plants Shedding Pollen | Maximum Number of Off-Types or Other Varieties |
Feminized hemp seed | 0 | 20 |
Wash. Admin. Code § 16-302-935
Adopted by WSR 21-20-101, Filed 10/4/2021, effective 11/4/2021