3876Seed

3876.1SCOPE

Provide seed for planting to establish temporary and permanent vegetative cover.

3876.2REQUIREMENTS

Provide seed meeting the following requirements and characteristics:

applicable federal regulations, including those governing labeling and weed seed tolerances

so that it can pass through a drill seeder without plugging

Minnesota Seed Law Rules applied to seed lots sampled and tested by the following Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA) methods:

Apply Rhizobial inoculants to legume seed with the rhizobial culture appropriate for the species being inoculated as directed by the manufacturer or as shown on the S pecial Provisions. Apply Mycorrhizal inoculants for native warm season grasses as shown on the P lans. Apply Azospirillum inoculants to grass seed as shown on the Plans. Use inoculants before the expiration date. Provide a label showing the expiration date of the inoculant. Store seed and inoculant in accordance with 1606, “Storage of Materials,” and under controlled conditions. Before planting, maintain seed at or below 70°F and at or below 10 percent moisture content, and protect seed from rain, direct sunlight, rodents, and insects. The Department defines PLS as the product of the percent of viable seed ( “total germination and hard seed or dormant seed when applicable”) multiplied by the percent of pure seed divided by 100 percent. A Seed Mix Designations A.1 Standard Seed Mixes Use seed of the species and germplasm meeting the requirements of the Seeding Manual and the Seed Mixture Components Requirements Table, or as specified in the S pecial Provisions.

Table 3876.2-1 State Seed Mixes Category & Mix No. PLS Rate, pounds/acre Name 21-111 100 Oats Cover Crop 21-112 100 Winter Wheat Cover Crop 21-113 110 Soil Building Cover Crop 22-111 30 Two-year Stabilization 22-112 40 Five-year Stabilization 25-121 61 Sandy General Roadside 25-131 220 Low Maintenance Turf 25-141 59 Mesic General Roadside 25-142 45 Agricultural Roadside 25-151 200 High Maintenance Turf 32-241 38 Native Construction 33-261 35 Stormwater South and West 33-262 44 Dry Swale / Pond 33-361 35 Stormwater Northeast 34-171 5.3 Wetland Rehabilitation 34-181 5 Emergent Wetland 34-261 31.5 Riparian South & West 34-262 14.5 Wet Prairie 34-271 12 Wet Meadow South & West 34-361 31.5 Riparian Northeast 34-371 12.5 Wet Meadow Northeast 35-221 36.5 Dry Prairie General 35-241 36.5 Mesic Prairie General 35-421 11 Dry Prairie Northwest 35-441 11 Mesic Prairie Northwest 35-521 12.5 Dry Prairie Southwest 35-541 12 Mesic Prairie Southwest 35-621 11 Dry Prairie Southeast 35-641 12 Mesic Prairie Southeast 36-211 34.5 Woodland Edge South & West 36-311 33.5 Woodland Edge Northeast 36-411 35.5 Woodland Edge Northwest 36-711 35.5 Woodland Edge Central A.2 Site Specific Seed Mixes Provide seed mixes in accordance with Native Seed Mix Design for Roadsides if shown on the Plans. B Blending Provide uniformly blended seed mixes as required by the Contract and meeting the requirements of the Seeding Manual. Blend mixes meeting the requirements of the Department’s Approved Seed Vendor Agreement. B.1 Non-native mixes and cover crop mixes Combine all components of non-native mixes and cover crop mixes

B.2 Native seed mixes Blend and package components of native seed mixes according to size to allow installation from the appropriate seed box of native seeding Equipment and in accordance with the following:

small seed box

small seed box

the fluffy seed box

installation with the grain box C Minimum PLS Provide seed meeting the minimum purity and germination requirements for certification in accordance with the seed certification standard on file with the appropriate seed certifying agency . If using non-certified seed approved as substitutions, provide seed meeting the minimum PLS requirement listed on the Seed Mixture Component Requirements Table. D Acceptable Varieties and Origin Use seed of introduced species that has been certified by the Minnesota Crop Improvement Association (MCIA) or the appropriate seed certifying agency in the seed’s state of origin. Use seed of varieties listed in the document Seed Mixture Component Requirements which includes approved substitutions and is available on the Department website. Where native species occur in predominately non-native mixes, use seed varieties as listed in the Seed Mixture Component Requirements Table or seed certified as Source Identified by the MCIA. In native seed mixtures, use seed of native species certified in the Source Identified class by the MCIA. In native seed mixtures, use seed of native species with a genetic origin from Minnesota or the following regions of adjacent states: Table 3876.2-2 Native Species from Adjacent States State Counties North Dakota Barnes, Benson, Cass, Cavalier, Dickey, Eddy, Foster, Grand Forks, Griggs, Lamoure, Nelson, Pembina, Ramsey, Ransom, Richland, Sargent, Steele, Stutsman, Towner, Trail , Walsh South Dakota Aurora, Beadle, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Clark, Clay, Codington, Davison, Day, Deuel, Douglas, Grant, Hamlin, Hanson, Hutchinson, Jerauld, Kingsbury, Lake, Lincoln, Marshall, McCook, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Roberts, Sanborn, Spink, Turner, Union, Yankton Iowa Allamakee, Bremer, Buena Vista, Butler, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Clay, Clayton, Dickinson, Emmet, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Hancock, Howard, Humboldt, Kossuth, Lyon, Mitchel, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Sioux, Winnebago, Winneshiek, Worth, Wright Wisconsin Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Buffalo, Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Crawford, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Grant, Iowa, Iron, Jackson, La Crosse, Lafayette, Monroe, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Price, Richland, Rusk, Saint Croix, Sawyer, Taylor, Trempealeau, Vernon, Washburn

D.1 Range-Limited seed mixes If a seed mix is identified on the Plans as Range-Limited, supply seed in accordance with the following requirements as specified on the Plans:

origin from within 150 miles of the Project

origin from within 75 miles of the Project

origin from within 25 miles of the Project E Substitutions The Contractor may substitute species or germplasm listed in the Seeding Manual with corresponding species or germplasm listed in the Seed Mixture Component Requirements Table .

3876.3SAMPLING AND TESTING

A Testing and Viability Provide seed tested in accordance with the official rules for testing on file with the AOSA and meeting the minimum germination requirements of 3876.2C, “Minimum PLS,” during installation. Plant seed within 12 months of viability testing exclusive of the month the test was completed. Upon request by the Engineer, provide seed test reports from a registered seed technologist for each lot of seed being used. Take samples of seed lots delivered to the Project in accordance with the Schedule for Materials Control for testing and inspection, or more often as requested by the Engineer . The Department will use a tetrazolium test in lieu of a standard germination test for Q uality Control. If the Department’s inspection and testing results disagree with those obtained at the origin, the Departme nt’s findings will be conclusive and binding. The Contractor may challenge the Department’s seed test results and may request retesting at no additional cost to the Department. B Labeling Label each container of seed with the following information (in addition to information required by the Minnesota Seed Law, Minnesota Statutes, section 21.82):

that mix in Seeding Manual or Special Provision

Component Requirements Table List the following information for each mix component that is 5 percent or less of the seed mix (include on the label for each container or supply as a separate sheet for each seed mix lot):

species)

When bags of small seeded species are placed inside larger bags of large- seeded species of the same mix, mark smaller bags to clearly identify the components contained in the bag and what mix they belong to. Attach the Department Approved Seed Vendor tag and the seed label to the outer bag. Attach applicable certification tags from appropriate seed certifying agencies to each bag containing certified seed or provide a certification certificate with the certified seed. Attach a Department Approved Seed Vendor tag to each bag of seed. Ensure that the tag matches the type of mix labeled. The Department considers the labeling and tags required in this section and by S tate and federal law as the Certificate of Compliance for the provided seed.