AI Test Title — New Zealand Seed Potato Certification Authority

Fees for the 2025-26 Seed Potato Certification year

The entry fees for the 2025-26 will not be increased.

The entry fee for “standard” entries (i.e., those where field and tuber inspections are carried out by Potatoes New Zealand or Asure Quality) will be $305 plus GST per hectare.

Annual Crop Registration

Each seed line must be registered annually. Production site registration must be completed within 21 days of planting.

Growers must complete the current ‘Application for seed potato certification’ form (Application for Seed Potato Certification Form EXCEL (Aug 2021) or Application for Seed Potato Certification Form WORD (Aug 2021)). This form can be completed on excel format (preferred option) or hard copy and emailed to Potatoes New Zealand (PNZ) (avoid sending the form by courier as it will take longer to process).

A reminder to supply a Farm Map with the GPS coordinates/location of the paddock (if provided with PCN registration farm map not required for seed registration) and a Plot Map ensuring that each entry is clearly marked with the variety name, harvested generation, and seed sown reference number (if available).

Completed Application for Seed Potato Certification forms can be emailed to any one of the PNZ staff email addresses as below.

Cyril Hickman Email: plevy.uvpxzna@cbgngbrfam.pb.am
Tristan Hickman Email: gevfgna.uvpxzna@cbgngbrfam.pb.am

Seed Rule Changes

There have been a few changes to the rules which will come into effect for the 2025-26 seed year. All the changes have been approved by the Authority and presented to the seed growers at the seed grower meeting held in Methven on 10 September 2025. The Grower Requirements section had been revised with the intention of improving its clarity and flow, without making major rule changes. This revision was also carried out with the aim of producing and publishing the Grower Requirements section as a separate document (Grower Handbook) for ease of reference.

Below is a list of minor rule changes to be aware of:

In-field markers require minimum information of; cultivar, planted generation, and harvested generation.

With respect to the rule requiring physical separation of crops entered for certification from crops not entered for certification within the same production site: changed wording from “a 2-metre gap”, to “a gap of two unplanted rows”. Also added that the crop not entered for certification (which must be planted with certified seed) may be planted with field certified seed.

With respect to the rule about appeals, the Authority members noted that it had previously stated that successful appeals would see the fee reimbursed. A short sentence was added stating that the fee is reimbursed if the appeal is successful.

With respect to the rule about labelling of bins post-harvest. Labelling is no longer required to be done prior to leaving the production site. Now states that bins must be labelled prior to storing. This allows for labelling to be done at the yard. Bin labels require minimum information of; cultivar, generation, and ROP number. No longer require Crop Reference Number. (NB: These are minimum requirements; it may be advisable to include more information on bin labels, including the Crop Reference Number, to better ensure traceability).

G2 Virus Testing Guideline

Two sampling options depending on the size of the G2 plots:

Option A) Collect 1 leaf from 100 plants and test 10×10 (10 tests). 10 bags of 10 leaves each, 100 leaves total.
Option B) Collect 1 leaf from 10 separate plants and test 1×10 (10 tests). 1 bag of 10 leaves, 10 leaves total.

If the plot has more than a 100 plants: Option A
If the plot has less than a 100 plants: Option B

If more than one sample tests positive, then the line must be removed from the scheme.

If one sample tests positive, then the G2 label must be endorsed “Failed G2 virus test” and the seed line will be subject to a compulsory virus test at G3. The G3 line is subject to the same criteria as G2 lines. Repeated failure will require virus test on the following generations. The seed line will not be eligible to be tagged as certified seed until the virus test returns negative.

If the G2 virus test is missed completely, the seed line will be subject to a compulsory virus test at the next generation and the G2 label will be endorsed with “Virus test not completed”. If the virus test is missed again at G3 the seed line will be removed from the scheme.

Virus Survey

A virus survey was conducted over the 2025-26 season.
It was a continuation of virus survey carried out by Plant & Food Research since 1983.
It focused on the following cultivars: Agria, Moonlight, Russet Burbank, Innovator and FL2221.
Generation 4, Generation 5, and Generation 6 planted seed.
Seed crops produced in Canterbury and commercial crops produced in Canterbury, Pukekohe and Manawatu.
It included a comparison trial between PCR and ELISA for seed Generations G4/G5/G6 and commercial crops, targeting the negative ELISA results, with the aim of assisting the Seed Authority to determine if G2 virus testing should utilize PCR instead of ELISA. There was not a significant difference between results from PCR and ELISA testing so at this stage the Seed Authority does not recommend switching to PCR testing for G2 seed lines.
See the graph below for the virus survey results to date. Please note the 2018 datum for PVM is not correct – a lab error resulted in false positives.

Discontinuation of Published Seed Lines

The list of registered seed lines (G3-G6) will no longer be published. This decision was made by the New Zealand Seed Potato Certification Scheme Authority last year, in response to requests from industry stakeholders who did not want their seed lines published due to the need to protect commercially sensitive information. Seed potato growers have the option of contacting their merchant/s directly for cultivar and or seed line information.