The Soft Fruit Plants (Scotland) Order 1991 No. 1905 (S. 159)

SCHEDULE 2 CERTIFICATION OF RASPBERRY PLANTS

PART III ELITE GRADE

5.  Raspberry plants of the Elite grade (E) shall–

(a) (i) be derived from stock certified at Super Elite grade or higher during the season prior to planting; or

(ii) have an unbroken history of certification at Elite grade or higher; or

(iii) be any other approved stock;

(b) be eligible for certification at Elite grade for four generations only with daughter stocks being treated as part of the parent stock;

(c) be grown in spawn-beds not more than four years old;

(d) be grown in the year entered for certification by a person whose facilities and planting arrangements are acceptable to the Secretary of State;

(e) not be grown on land on which raspberry Root Rot disease (Phytophthora megasperma) or strawberry Red Core disease (Phytophthora fragariae) has been known to occur or be present in the vicinity;

(f) not be grown on land which is subject to a Notice served or continued under the Plant Health (Great Britain) Order 1987 in respect of infection by Wart Disease of potatoes or Potato Cyst Nematode;

(g) be grown in spawn-beds with “alleyways” provided at 2.5 metre intervals to facilitate inspection;

(h) be inspected twice during the growing season by inspectors;

(i) be kept at all times in the year of certification–

(i) at least 4 metres from different varieties and stocks eligible for Elite certification including daughter stocks;

(ii) at least 100 metres from commercial fruiting plantations of Rubus e.g. raspberry, bramble or Tayberry;

(iii) at least 100 metres from raspberry spawn-beds entered for Standard certification;

(iv) at least 100 metres from wild raspberries, brambles and other Rubus species or varieties;

(v) at least 100 metres from any strawberry stock infected with soil-borne virus to which the variety entered for inspection is susceptible;

(j) be kept free from flowering canes at all times except in the case of autumn fruiting varieties;

(k) be kept free from aphid infestation by a suitable spray programme;

(l) not be rogued prior to the first inspection;

(m) be rogued subsequent to the first inspection only at the discretion of the inspector;

(n) be clearly labelled by variety;

(o) be true to type;

(p) be kept in a reasonable state of cultivation.

6.  The standards of purity and health for Elite grade raspberry plants shall be–

• Purity: 100%

• Health:

  (a)

  100% free from raspberry Root Rot disease;

  (b)

  100% free from Rubus Stunt and soil borne virus diseases;

  (c)

  99.5% free from visible symptoms of other virus diseases;

  (d)

  substantially free from other pests and diseases.