162/Maryland Manual

50 Harry S. Truman Parkway
Annapolis 21401 Telephone: 841-5960

The Turf and Seed Section's primary responsibil-
ity is to assure the availability of sufficient quanti-
ties of certified turf and seed. It directs and
conducts certification programs by which turf and
seed are produced to meet standards of purity,
variety, germination, and other quality factors.
Seed or sod not meeting certification standards is
rejected as a result of field inspections or laborato-
ry analysis.

The Section also provides regulatory controls to
assure accurate and complete labeling of seed and
sod at the time of marketing, thus enabling the
consumer to determine what is being purchased. A
State Testing Laboratory is operated for both
service and regulatory testing to assure compliance
with label claims. The regulatory phase involves
inspection, testing, reporting results, and corrective
actions for each turf and seed lot found to be in
noncompliance with the provisions of the Seed
Law (Code Agriculture Article, secs. 9-101
through 9-110; 9-201 through 9-213; 9-301
through 9-307).

WEED CONTROL SECTION

Jesse J. Crook, Chief

50 Harry S. Truman Parkway
Annapolis 21401 Telephone: 841-5870

The primary goal of the Weed Control Section is
to control and prevent the spread in Maryland of
the nuisance weeds Johnsongrass, thistles, and
multiflora rose. The Weed Control Program helps
landowners bring nuisance weeds under control
through their own efforts and through joint efforts
of county and State as provided for in cooperative
agreements with the various counties. The Depart-
ment encourages landowners to file Nuisance
Weeds Control Plans, outlining methods and pro-
cedures for controlling these weeds on their land.
The Department is authorized to take regulatory
actions against landowners who allow specific
nuisance weeds to set seed on their property.

The Secretary of Agriculture has legislative
authority to declare other weeds noxious and place
them under a control program. The Section Chief
serves as the State's authority on weed control
matters (Code Agriculture Article, secs. 9-401
through 9-405).