ISO 17217-1:2014

Traditional Chinese medicine - Ginseng seeds and seedlings - Part 1: Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer

ISO 17217-1:2014 specifies minimum requirements and test methods for ginseng seeds and seedlings, Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer. It is suitable for marketing of cultivated ginseng seeds and seedlings, P. ginseng C.A. Meyer. It is also suitable for quality assurance for ginseng cultivators.

Médecine traditionnelle chinoise — Graines de ginseng et semis — Partie 1: Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 21-Apr-2014
• ICS: 65.020.20 - Plant growing
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 249 - Traditional Chinese medicine
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 249 - Traditional Chinese medicine
• Current Stage: 9092 - International Standard to be revised
• Start Date: 06-Jun-2025
• Completion Date: 13-Dec-2025

Overview

ISO 17217-1:2014 - Traditional Chinese medicine - Ginseng seeds and seedlings - Part 1: Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer specifies minimum requirements and test methods for cultivated ginseng seeds and seedlings (Panax ginseng). The standard is intended for marketing, quality assurance and testing of ginseng seed lots and nursery stock, ensuring uniform quality, disease-free material and reliable traceability for growers, seed laboratories and traders.

Key Topics and Requirements

The standard covers definitions, descriptions, sampling, test methods, grading, packaging and marking. Key technical requirements include:

• Seed quality

  • Moisture content: ≤ 10 % (mass fraction)
  • Purity: ≥ 99 %
  • Viability: ≥ 95 % (Topographical Tetrazolium Test)
  • Maturity: ≥ 95 %
  • Pathogens: Fusarium spp. and Alternaria spp. must not be detected
  • Grading (Table 1):
    • First grade: seed width ≥ 4.5 mm, 100-seed weight ≥ 2.8 g, plumpness ≥ 80 %
    • Second grade: seed width ≥ 3.5 mm, 100-seed weight ≥ 2.1 g, plumpness ≥ 85 %
    • Unqualified: seed width < 3.5 mm
  • Plumpness test: seeds cut longitudinally through the raphe; kernel-to-cavity area ratio ≥ 3:4

• Seedling quality

  • Physical integrity: hibernaculum, rhizome, taproot, lateral and fibrous roots intact
  • Health: no Fusarium, Alternaria or nematodes detected
  • Grading by age (Table 2): minimum root weight and taproot length for one-, two- and three-year-old seedlings (e.g., one-year qualified ≥ 0.5 g root weight and ≥ 10 cm taproot length; three-year first-grade ≥ 15 g and ≥ 12 cm)

• Sampling and testing

  • Sampling follows ISTA International Rules for Seed Testing (chapter 2)
  • Test methods include ISTA high constant temperature for moisture, vernier measurement of seed width, tetrazolium viability testing, fungus and nematode assays, and 100-seed weight determination

Applications and Users

ISO 17217-1 is practical for:

• Ginseng seed producers and nurseries (quality control and grading)
• Seed testing laboratories (standardized test methods and reporting)
• Commercial buyers, exporters/importers and regulatory bodies (market acceptance and phytosanitary assessment)
• Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) manufacturers and cultivators seeking certified propagation material

Benefits include consistent seed/seedling quality, reduced crop losses from pathogens, clearer market grading and improved traceability for Panax ginseng propagation.

Related Standards

• ISTA - International Rules for Seed Testing (sampling, moisture methods)
• ISTA Working Sheets on Tetrazolium testing (viability)
• ISO/TC 249 - Technical committee on Traditional Chinese medicine

Keywords: ISO 17217-1, ginseng seeds, Panax ginseng, ginseng seedlings, seed testing, seed purity, seed viability, plumpness, moisture content, traditional Chinese medicine.

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 17217-1
First edition
2014-04-15
Traditional Chinese medicine —
Ginseng seeds and seedlings —
Part 1:
Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer
Médecine traditionnelle chinoise — Graines de ginseng et semis —
Partie 1: Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer
Reference number
©
ISO 2014
© ISO 2014
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of
the requester.
ISO copyright office
Case postale 56 • CH-1211 Geneva 20
Tel. + 41 22 749 01 11
Fax + 41 22 749 09 47
E-mail [e-mail]
Web www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 2014 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Descriptions . 3
5 Requirements . 5
5.1 General characteristics . 5
5.2 Ginseng seed . 5
5.3 Ginseng seedling . 6
6 Sampling . 7
7 Test methods . 7
7.1 Moisture content . 7
7.2 Seed width . 7
7.3 Plumpness . 7
7.4 Maturity . 7
7.5 Purity . 8
7.6 Seed viability. 8
7.7 100-seed weight. 8
7.8 Fungus testing . 8
7.9 Nematode testing . 9
7.10 Seedling weight . 9
8 Test report . 9
9 Packaging, storage and transportation . 9
10 Marking . 9
Bibliography .10
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity
assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the WTO principles in the Technical Barriers
to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: Foreword - Supplementary information
The committee responsible for this document is ISO/TC 249, Traditional Chinese medicine.
ISO 17217 consists of the following parts, under the general title Traditional Chinese medicine — Ginseng
seeds and seedlings:
— Part 1: Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer
iv © ISO 2014 – All rights reserved

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 17217-1:2014(E)
Traditional Chinese medicine — Ginseng seeds and
seedlings —
Part 1:
Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer
1 Scope
This part of ISO 17217 specifies minimum requirements and test methods for ginseng seeds and
seedlings, Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer. It is suitable for marketing of cultivated ginseng seeds and seedlings,
P. ginseng C.A. Meyer. It is also suitable for quality assurance for ginseng cultivators.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
International Seed Testing Association (ISTA), International Rules for Seed Testing
International Seed Testing Association (ISTA), Working Sheets on Tetrazolium testing
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1
seed lot
specified quantity of seed that is physically and uniquely identifiable
[SOURCE: ISTA, International Rules for Seed Testing, definition 2.2.1]
3.2
primary sample
portion taken from the seed lot during one single sampling action
[SOURCE: ISTA, International Rules for Seed Testing, definition 2.2.2]
3.3
composite sample
formed by combining and mixing all the primary samples taken from the seed lot
[SOURCE: ISTA, International Rules for Seed Testing, definition 2.2.3]
3.4
subsample
portion of primary a sample obtained by reducing a sample
[SOURCE: ISTA, International Rules for Seed Testing, definition 2.2.4]
3.5
submitted sample
sample to be submitted to the testing laboratory that comprises either the whole of the composite
sample or a subsample
Note 1 to entry: The submitted sample can be divided into subsamples, packed in different materials meeting
conditions, for specific tests (e.g. moisture or health).
[SOURCE: ISTA, International Rules for Seed Testing, definition 2.2.5]
3.6
working sample
entire submitted sample or subsample to which one of the quality tests described in the ISTA Rules is
applied and which has at least the weight prescribed by the ISTA Rules for the particular test
[SOURCE: ISTA, International Rules for Seed Testing, definition 2.2.7]
3.7
sealed
condition whereby a container which contains seeds is closed in such a way that it cannot be opened
to get access to the seed and be closed again without either destroying the seal or leaving evidence of
tampering
Note 1 to entry: This definition refers to the sealing of seed lots, as well as of seed samples.
[SOURCE: ISTA, International Rules for Seed Testing, definition 2.2.8]
3.8
purity
weight percentage of pure seed fraction over the total weight of the working sample, in percent
Note 1 to entry: The pure seed refers to the species stated by the applicant, or found to predominate in the test,
and includes all botanical varieties and cultivars of that species.
[SOURCE: ISTA, International Rules for Seed Testing, definition 3.2.1]
3.9
seed width
largest distance(see Figure 1) from the side of raphe to its opposite, in millimetre
3.10
plump seed
seeds with a kernel to cavity ratio of not less than 3:4
Note 1 to entry: The plumpness of a single seed in this standard is estimated with its area ratio of the kernel to the
cavity in the cross section when the seed is cut longitudinally through the raphe (see Figure 1).
3.11
plumpness
index to show the development of kernels of seeds in a seed lot
Note 1 to entry: It is expressed as the percentage of the plump seeds, determined by number, in the working
sample.
3.12
mature seed
seed with an embryo that is pyriform or saddle in the shape
3.13
maturity
...