"Department" means the department of agriculture of the state of Washington.

"Director" means the director of the department of agriculture or a duly appointed representative.

"Fairly clean" means that the roots are not matted or caked with dirt.

"Fairly fresh" means that the roots and petioles are not excessively wilted or otherwise damaged.

"Fairly well trimmed runners and petioles" means that the length of each runner and petiole is three inches or less.

"Firm" means that the crowns are not soft or spongy, although they may yield to slight pressure.

Free from damage by:

(a) "Sunburn" means that the roots are not damaged by sunburn or scald, but slight discoloration may be present.

(b) "Mold" means that the plants are free from excessive mold or decay. Plants slightly affected by mold may be allowed.

(c) "Freezing injury" means that the roots are of a normal color, and the plant is only moderately affected by discolored roots which may affect its normal growth. Black roots caused by disease are not permitted.

(d) "Broken or split crowns, mechanical injury" means there is no breaking or severance of the crown from the root section, or splitting of the crown, or other mechanical injury that would affect the normal growth of the plant.

"Index" means to test for virus infection by means of inoculation from the plant to be tested to an indicator plant, or by any other method accepted by the department.

"Indicator plant" means any herbaceous or woody plant used to index or test for virus infection.

"Moist" means that the plants are reasonably turgid and not dried to a degree that would affect normal growth.

"Nuclear stock" means strawberry plants that have been indexed and found free of known viruses and virus-like diseases by United States Department of Agriculture personnel or other personnel acceptable to the department. Nuclear plants must be reindexed for virus and virus-like diseases at least every three years and maintained under conditions that would ensure freedom from infection.

"Off-type" means appearing by visual examination to be different from the species or variety listed on the application or exhibiting symptoms of a genetic or nontransmissible disorder.

"Similar varietal characteristics" means that the plants have the same general character of growth.

"Tolerance" means the maximum acceptable percentage of planting stock that is diseased, infected by plant pests, defective, or off-type based on visual inspection or laboratory testing by the director or other authorized person.

"Virus-like" means a graft-transmissible disorder resembling a virus disease, including, but not limited to, diseases caused by viroids and phytoplasmas.

The strawberry plant certification fees are as follows:

(1) Certification application fee. The applicant must furnish all information requested on the application for inspection, including, but not limited to, the crop, variety, class planted, date planted, source of seed or plants, acreage, field number, applicant's name and address, applicant's signature, and date of application. The applicant must allow the department to take plants or plant parts from any planting for inspection or testing purposes. A separate application is required for each cultivar and/or lot entered for certification. Applications for inspection must be filed with the Plant Services Program, P.O. Box 42560, Olympia, Washington, 98504-2560 by June 15 of each year and be accompanied by the application fee of $140.00.

(2) Inspection fees. The department will conduct certification inspections at the hourly inspection rate established in chapter 16-401 WAC, plus mileage charged at a rate established by the state office of financial management. Testing fees will be charged at the rate established in chapter 16-470 WAC. Inspection and testing fees are payable upon completion of work. Billing may be arranged subject to department policies and processes.

(3) The department will remove any applicant from the certification program for failing to pay fees when due.

(4) The department will not accept applications from growers owing the department for previous fees.

(1) Issuance of a state of Washington certified plant tag, stamp or other document, under this chapter means only that the tagged, stamped, or otherwise documented strawberry planting stock has been subjected to procedures and requirements described in this chapter and determined to be in compliance with its standards and requirements. The department disclaims all express or implied warranties, including without limitation, implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for particular purpose, regarding all plants, plant parts, and plant materials under this chapter.

(2) The department is not responsible for disease, genetic disorder, off-type, failure of performance, mislabeling, or otherwise, in connection with this chapter. No grower, nursery dealer, government official, or other person is authorized to give any expressed or implied warranty, or to accept financial responsibility on behalf of the department regarding this chapter.

(3) Participation in the strawberry planting stock certification program is voluntary.

(1) Foundation strawberry plants must originate directly from nuclear stock and must be grown in an insect-proof facility on pasteurized soil or a soil-less growing medium free of plant pests and vectors of plant pests.

(2) Growers may use micro-propagation techniques to multiply foundation plants prior to planting them in a foundation facility, if both of the following conditions are met:

(a) The micro-propagated plants are isolated from all nonfoundation strawberry plants at all times; and

(b) The micro-propagation facility is approved by the department.

(3) Growers may maintain and increase foundation stock indefinitely, if no individual plant remains in the foundation planting for more than two growing periods.

(1) Registered strawberry plants must originate directly from foundation stock.

(2) Certified strawberry plants must be planted with first year plantings of registered or foundation stock.

(3) Registered or certified strawberry plants must be grown in an insect-proof facility or in a field that is at least one-half mile from any noncertified strawberry plants.

(4) The grower must remove or rogue all low-yielding, diseased, off-type or abnormal plants.

(5) Use of any pesticide which suppresses the symptoms of red stele without eradicating the causal pathogen is prohibited.

(6) If registered or certified strawberry plants are grown in a field, all of the following conditions must be complied with:

(a) The field must not have been planted with strawberries during the previous growing season, unless the plants are of the same variety and class and one or both of the following two conditions have been complied with:

(i) The field was inspected by the department in the previous year and found free of red stele; or

(ii) The field was fumigated or treated to control red stele by methods approved by the department.

(b) Each variety must be separated by a distance of at least twelve feet.

(c) All insects and diseases must be effectively controlled using methods recommended by the Washington State University Cooperative Agricultural Extension Service.

(d) The field must be relatively free of weeds.

(1) The unit of certification is the lot.

(2) Any portion of a field not meeting the standards, tolerances and criteria established in this chapter may be marked and removed from consideration for certification if, in the judgment of the department, it does not jeopardize the certification eligibility of the remaining portion of the field.

(3) The department will perform at least two visual inspections of each planting prior to harvest and one inspection during or after harvest.

(4) Each lot of foundation, registered or certified planting stock may have no more than the percentage of affected plants listed in the table below.

(1) After the plants have passed inspection, foundation, registered and certified strawberry planting stock must be identified by the official state of Washington plant tag or stamp. In addition, foundation or registered strawberry planting stock must be marked with the appropriate class as "foundation planting stock" or "registered planting stock."

(2) When they are offered for sale, crown division plants from certified planting stock must be segregated and packed separately from other stock. The plants must be identified with the official state of Washington plant tag or stamp and marked "crown divisions."

(3) All containers must be marked with the name and address of the grower, grade or class of stock, and variety.

Washington No. 1 strawberry planting stock consists of strawberry plants of one variety or plants of similar varietal characteristics which are:

(1) Fairly fresh.

(2) Firm.

(3) Moist.

(4) Fairly clean.

(5) Fairly well trimmed runners and petioles.

(6) Free from damage caused by:

(a) Sunburn.

(b) Mold.

(c) Freezing injury, black roots.

(d) Broken or split crown, mechanical injury.

(7) Free from detectable dangerous pests or diseases, including plant parasitic nematodes.

Strawberry plants in this grade must have at least ten main roots with a minimum length of two and one-half inches, and a minimum crown diameter of one-fourth inch measured at the base of the crown.

Washington No. 2 shall consist of strawberry plants of one variety or plants of similar varietal characteristics which meet all of the requirements of Washington No. 1 except strawberry plants in this grade must have at least six main roots with a minimum length of two and one-half inches.

(1) In order to allow for variations incident to proper grading and packing, not more than a combined total of ten percent, by count, of the plants in any lot may fail to meet the requirements of the grades specified in WAC 16-328-083 or 16-328-085.

(2) Individual packages in any lot may vary from the tolerance specified above in this section, if the average for the entire lot, based on sample inspection, is within the tolerance.

(3) Strawberry planting stock must be packed in such manner to retain a fresh condition.