FIELD INSPECTION

National Seed Quality Control Services

What is FIELD INSPECTION?
✔ It is the checking of seed growers field by seed
inspectors to assess off-type plants, other varieties,
weeds, other crop plants, and diseases present in the
field.

✔ It is designed to maintain the genetic purity and

ensure elimination of undesirable pollen, volunteers,
and off-types.
OBJECTIVES:
In general, the objectives of field inspection are to check the
following :

1. Seed origin and identity of the variety

2. Cropping history of the seed field
3. Crop and cultivation condition
OBJECTIVES:
In general, the objectives of field inspection are to check the
following :

4. Isolation
5. Presence of other cultivars and off-types
6. Presence of impurities (other crops and weeds)
7. Presence of seed-borne diseases
FIELD INSPECTION
Only seed production areas that have been applied for seed
certification and validated by the deputized/designated seed
inspectors are eligible for field inspection.

✔ Validation shall be conducted no less than one (1) week

prior to crop establishment.
PRELIMINARY FIELD INSPECTION
✔ Shall be conducted 15 to 20 days after planting to
determine seed source, isolation requirements, area
planted, volunteer plants, presence of pests, and to guide
seed growers on appropriate crop management.
FINAL FIELD INSPECTION
✔ Shall be conducted after the crop is fully headed,
when varietal mixtures and other factors can be
easily determined.
WHEN TO CONDUCT FIELD INSPECTION?
A. vegetative or pre-flowering stage
B. flowering stage
C. post-flowering stage
D. pre-harvest stage
E. harvest stage
FIELD INSPECTION
A. Vegetative or Pre-flowering Stage

✔ Verify if the seeds planted are from approved sources.

✔ Confirm the actual area planted and compare it with the area
applied for.
FIELD INSPECTION
A. Vegetative or Pre-flowering Stage
✔ Check if any contaminants are within the isolation distance
prescribed for the crop and to guide the seed growers in solving
isolation problems.

✔ Confirm the removal of off-types on the basis of vegetative

characters.

✔ Guide the seed growers in the identification of off-types and

diseased plants and to stress their timely removal.
FIELD INSPECTION
A. Vegetative or Pre-flowering Stage

✔ Guide the seed growers in following the recommended

agronomic practices.

✔ Review/discuss with the seed growers the standards prescribed

for the seed crop at various stages and at various inspections.

✔ Determine the presence of seed-borne infection in the crop.

FIELD INSPECTION
B. Flowering Stage

In this phase, the flowers or the spikelets of the panicles have

opened. The stigma is receptive and the anther is shedding pollen.

When 50% or more of the plants are flowering, they are considered in
the flowering stage.
FIELD INSPECTION
B. Flowering Stage

✔ Check the occurrence and removal of off-types, objectionable

weeds, and (inseparable) other crop plants.

✔ Determine the presence of seed-borne infection in the crop.

FIELD INSPECTION
C. Post-flowering Stage

The receptivity of the stigma and the pollen-shedding of the anthers

have ended, and the fertilized ovule develops into a seed.

This includes both milk stage and dough stage.

FIELD INSPECTION
C. Post-flowering Stage

✔ Confirm if the grower has rogued the field thoroughly after the
previous (flowering) inspection.

✔ Explain to the seed grower the necessity of removing of off-types

and schedule of re-inspection.
FIELD INSPECTION
D. Pre-harvest Stage

In this phase, seed becomes harder and reaches or approaches

physiological maturity. The seed is fully formed, but is high in
moisture content and must be dried further to permit easy harvesting
and threshing.
FIELD INSPECTION
D. Pre-harvest Stage

✔ Check the other factors that might have not been apparent at the
post-flowering stage.

✔ Advise/discuss with the seed grower the recommended methods

for harvesting.
FIELD INSPECTION
E. Harvest Stage

In this phase, the seed is physiologically mature and is sufficiently dry

to permit safe and easy harvesting and threshing.
FIELD INSPECTION
E. Harvest Stage

✔ Verify if the crop from the rejected area has been separated,
harvested, and removed from the field.

✔ Advise/discuss with the seed grower the recommended post-

harvest processing and handling arrangements.
Sources of Contamination
Off-type
Plants of the same crop species as the seed crop but deviating
from the seed crop in the expression of morphological
characteristics such as plant type, pigmentation, hairiness of
stem and leaf, color, shape and size of flower and flower parts,
shape and size of the grains, seeds, or characteristics such as
maturity, tillering, or degree of resistance to pest and diseases.
Sources of Contamination
(Inseparable) Other Crop Plants
These are plants of the cultivated crops found in the seed field,
and whose seeds are so similar to the crop seeds that they are
difficult to separate economically by mechanical means. An
inseparable crop plant’s stage of growth is such that it will bear
seeds when the seed crops mature and possibly cause
mechanical admixtures during harvesting and threshing.
Sources of Contamination
Diseases
Plant diseases are caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses, or
nematodes and may become pronounced under nutritional
deficiencies. Seeds may carry the pathogen either internally,
externally, or by both means.
Sources of Contamination
During field inspections, the inspector must look for sources of
contamination inside the seed field and also within the isolation
distance if contaminants outside the field can affect the seed
crop.

Seed fields that are damaged by insect pests and diseases by

more than 50% shall not be eligible for seed certification.
ROGUING
✔ One of the measures to be considered to maintain the
quality and genetic purity of seeds.

✔ It is the removal of contaminating factors such as pollen,

off-types, objectionable weeds, and (inseparable) other
crop plants.
ROGUING
✔ Rogue frequently from heading until harvest since most
mixtures or off-types are readily detected at these stages.

✔ Off-types can either be taller or shorter, mature earlier or

later, or have different panicle characteristics. Size and
shape of grains also differ and can be with or without
awn. Red rice is also easily detected at this stage.
ROGUING
✔ Before harvest, go over the field again and remove plants
which are apparently different from the variety planted.

✔ Border rows should not be harvested for seed purposes

because of the danger from mechanical mixture and
natural crossing.
General Principles on Field Inspection
✔ The minimum number of inspections for each crop should
be conducted at the prescribed stages.

✔ The seed inspectors should ensure that they direct the

seed growers to correct their seed fields.

✔ Generally, field inspections should be done without prior

notice.
General Principles on Field Inspection
✔ The seed grower should accompany the seed inspector
during the field inspection.

✔ The seed grower should show all factors observed in the

field, which will be recorded in the inspection report.
General Principles on Field Inspection
✔ Seed inspectors should squat or bend during field inspections
if plants are short so that the eye level observations can be
made at the top height of the plants.

✔ During field inspections, the principle of randomization

should always be observed.
General Principles on Field Inspection
✔ Counting should not be localized to a portion or a few
portions of the field but should be randomly distributed all
over the field so that the counts are representative of the
entire field.

✔ Observations may be directly recorded on the field

inspection report or initially recorded on notebook.
The Deputized/Designated Seed Inspectors shall cross the field
sufficiently to accurately evaluate the factors affecting the eligibility of
the crop for seed certification.

Sample counts should not be confined to

one portion of the field but should be
spread at random to cover as many parts
of the field as possible.
The Deputized/Designated Seed Inspectors shall cross the field
sufficiently to accurately evaluate the factors affecting the eligibility of
the crop for seed certification. Strip 1 Strip 2 Strip 3 Strip 4

Each sample should be in a strip 25

square meters (1m × 25m) along the
direction of planting.

25m
Minimum of four strips representing
the 100 sq. m. area in a given field of
one (1) hectare should be examined.

1m
The Deputized/Designated Seed Inspectors shall cross the field
sufficiently to accurately evaluate the factors affecting the eligibility of
the crop for seed certification.

To ensure a good result, the

Deputized/Designated Seed
Inspectors must walk down
towards the direction of
the planting for a number
of paces then proceed by
examining the 25m2 strip
immediately in front of
them.
The Deputized/Designated Seed Inspectors shall cross the field
sufficiently to accurately evaluate the factors affecting the eligibility of
the crop for seed certification.

The Deputized/Designated
Seed Inspectors should be
trained to pace out the 25
meters accurately using a
one-meter stick.
The Deputized/Designated Seed Inspectors shall cross the field
sufficiently to accurately evaluate the factors affecting the eligibility
of the crop for seed certification. 25m

1m
The Deputized/Designated Seed
Inspectors shall record the number
of off-types, other varieties, and
weeds found in every strip of 25m2 OFF-TYPES
field inspected and determine if
the minimum field standards
permitted per 100m2 is met
The Deputized/Designated Seed Inspectors shall cross the field
sufficiently to accurately evaluate the factors affecting the eligibility of
the crop for seed certification.

If one-third or more of the field

is lodged and taking field count
is difficult or impossible, the
field should be recommended
for rejection, unless the seed
inspector decided that the field
will stand up before maturity.
The Deputized/Designated Seed Inspectors shall cross the field
sufficiently to accurately evaluate the factors affecting the eligibility of
the crop for seed certification.

Seed fields that are damaged

by insect pests and diseases by
more than 50% shall not be
eligible for certification.
Field Standards for Inbred Rice
The minimum area eligible for seed certification per seed class per
variety are as follows:

Minimum Area (ha) per Seed Class Planted

Breeder Foundation Registered
0.02 0.2 0.5
Field Standards for Inbred Rice
Fields which do not meet the following requirements shall not be
accepted for certification:

Maximum Number of Plants Permitted in each class per 100m2

Factors
Breeder Seed Foundation Seed Registered Seed Certified Seed

Other varieties 0 0 1 2
Objectionable weeds
whose seeds are inseparable* 0 0 5 10
*Objectionable weed as designated by the Certifying Agency such as Echinochloa crusgali (Barnyard grass),
Cyperus iria (Bayakibok), and Monocharia vaginalis (Payung-payungan, Gabing uak)
Sampling Methods for Field Inspection
1. Strip Sampling
Strip - a narrow piece of land

2. Quadrat Sampling
Quadrat - a square area of varying sizes laid down in a
plant association or formation to estimate the number of
plants included or to determine the character of changes
Sampling Methods for Field Inspection
Option I. Strip Sampling

Number of Strips -4
Area per strip - 25m² (1m x 25m)

Total Area of Strips - 100m²

Strip Sampling
Quadrat Sampling
Clockwise Travel Pattern
60% of the field
60%-70% of the field
85% of the field
At random
Computation
Strip Sampling Method

Area of Total Area of

Hills per Area Plant Population
Spacing (cm) Dimension (m) Four Strips Four Strips
Rows (m2) per strip
(m) (m2)

20 x 20 5 x 125 1 x 25 25 100 625 2,500

20 x 25 5 x 100 1 x 25 25 100 500 2,000
25 x 25 4 x 100 1 x 25 25 100 400 1,600
Recording and Reporting
Generally, field inspection report forms are used in field inspection, either
preliminary or final inspection report. They are serially-numbered and filled
out in quadruplicate and copies are provided to different sections.

ORIGINAL OR WHITEl Seed Grower

PINK COPY NSQCS Central Office

BLUE COPY Seed Inspector

YELLOW COPY NSQCS Regional/Satellite Office

 Department of Agriculture
Bureau of Plant Industry
National Seed Quality Control Services

Office Address: BPI Compound, Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City

Contact Number: (02) 8920-0968/8924-3264/8376-1004
Email Address: [email protected]/[email protected]
Thank you.