State Seed Inspectorate

in the USSR, an institution that controls seed and hybrid seed quality for agricultural crops and oversees seed-development measures intended to maintain high seed quality at farms, selection stations, and organizations that prepare seeds. Until 1965, the inspectorate was named the Seed Control Laboratories.

In 1970 there were 3,336 republic, oblast, raion, and city state seed inspection stations. The basic production unit is the raion (interraion) and city station. The organizational and methodological operations of the stations are performed by the inspectorate under the Ministry of Agriculture of the USSR.

The State Seed Inspectorate checks the planting properties (in laboratory conditions) and variety properties (in laboratory conditions and through standardization) of seeds intended for planting. It also is involved in commercial transactions. Such measures as varietal and species roguing and proper documentation have been established for assuring high seed quality. The State Seed Inspectorate controls the observance of these measures at farms and organizations during the sprouting, storage, and preparation of the seeds for planting and also in the field.

Abroad, quality control of seeds is the concern of seed control stations. In capitalist countries seed and, in some cases, varietal properties are checked only for those seeds that are used commercially. In socialist countries these stations also test seeds used in agricultural operations of the socialist sector.