ISO 20311:2017

Traditional Chinese medicine - Salvia miltiorrhiza seeds and seedlings

ISO 20311:2017 specifies the minimum requirements and test method for Salvia miltiorrhiza seeds and seedlings. It is suitable for use in quality assurance during the production and management of Salvia miltiorrhiza seeds and seedlings.

Médecine traditionnelle chinoise — Graines et plants de Salvia miltiorrhiza

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 05-Mar-2017
• ICS: 65.020.20 - Plant growing
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 249 - Traditional Chinese medicine
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 249 - Traditional Chinese medicine
• Current Stage: 9093 - International Standard confirmed
• Start Date: 31-Oct-2022
• Completion Date: 13-Dec-2025

Overview

ISO 20311:2017 - Traditional Chinese medicine - Salvia miltiorrhiza seeds and seedlings defines minimum requirements and test methods for Salvia miltiorrhiza (used in Traditional Chinese Medicine) seed and one‑year seedlings. The standard is intended for quality assurance during production, handling and management of seeds and seedlings, and it links to established seed‑testing procedures to ensure reliable, reproducible results.

Key Topics

• Scope and definitions: clear terminology (seed lot, primary/composite/subsample, seedling, purity, viability, maturity).
• Descriptive morphology: structure of Salvia miltiorrhiza seed and seedling parts (embryo, pericarp, mucilage layer; bud, tap root, lateral/fibrous roots).
• Minimum quality requirements:
  • Seeds: black or brown colour, hard texture, free of mildew; moisture ≤ 10%, purity ≥ 70%, viability ≥ 90%, maturity ≥ 90%.
  • Seedlings: healthy, intact buds and roots, no disease, no nematodes, intact tap root.
• Grading: the standard provides grading criteria for seeds based on 1 000‑seed weight, moisture content, purity and germination percentage.
• Sampling rules: sampling is aligned with ISTA rules; seedling lots and minimum sample sizes are specified (seedling sample minimum not less than 100; maximum sample lot defined).
• Test methods:
  • Moisture, purity, 1 000‑seed weight, viability (tetrazolium test), germination - referenced to ISTA International Rules for Seed Testing and ISTA working sheets.
  • Specific procedures for maturity assessment, fungus testing (sample preparation, incubation, Alternaria and Fusarium tests) and nematode testing.
• Quality management: requirements for test reporting, packaging, storage, transportation and marking.

Applications

ISO 20311:2017 is practical for:

• Seed producers and nurseries producing Salvia miltiorrhiza seeds and seedlings.
• Quality-control and seed-testing laboratories performing germination, viability and health assays.
• Herbal medicine manufacturers and TCM growers ensuring consistent raw material quality.
• Certification bodies and regulators setting procurement or trade specifications for Salvia miltiorrhiza seed lots.

Using ISO 20311 helps reduce variability in seed performance, supports traceable sampling/testing, and improves crop establishment and supply‑chain confidence for TCM raw materials.

Related Standards

• International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) - International Rules for Seed Testing (normative reference).
• ISTA - Working Sheets on Tetrazolium testing (viability assessment).

Keywords: ISO 20311:2017, Salvia miltiorrhiza seeds, Salvia miltiorrhiza seedlings, Traditional Chinese medicine, seed testing, seed quality, germination, ISTA.

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 20311
First edition
2017-03
Traditional Chinese medicine —
Salvia miltiorrhiza seeds and
seedlings
Médecine traditionnelle chinoise — Graines et plants de Salvia
miltiorrhiza
Reference number
©
ISO 2017
© ISO 2017, Published in Switzerland
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
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ii © ISO 2017 – 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 Salvia miltiorrhiza seeds . 5
5.3 Seedlings. 6
6 Sampling . 6
6.1 Seed sampling . 6
6.2 Seedling sampling . 6
7 Test method . 7
7.1 Moisture . 7
7.2 Maturity . 7
7.3 Purity . 7
7.4 Seed viability. 7
7.5 1 000-seed weight . 7
7.6 Germination percentage . 7
7.7 Fungus testing . 7
7.7.1 Preparation of seed . . 7
7.7.2 Preparation of seedling . 8
7.7.3 Test of Alternaria spp. . 8
7.7.4 Test of Fusarium spp. 8
7.8 Nematode testing . 8
7.9 Seedling diameter . 8
7.10 Seedling length . 8
8 Test report . 8
9 Packaging, storage and transportation . 8
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
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electrotechnical standardization.
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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
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URL: w w w . i s o .org/ iso/ foreword .html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 249, Traditional Chinese medicine.
iv © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 20311:2017(E)
Traditional Chinese medicine — Salvia miltiorrhiza seeds
and seedlings
1 Scope
This document specifies the minimum requirements and test method for Salvia miltiorrhiza seeds and
seedlings. It is suitable for use in quality assurance during the production and management of Salvia
miltiorrhiza seeds and seedlings.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. 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.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— IEC Electropedia: available at http:// www.e lectropedia. org/
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http:// www. iso. org/o bp
3.1
seed lot
specified quantity of seed (3.7) that is physically and uniquely identifiable
[SOURCE: ISTA, International Rules for Seed Testing, 2.2.1]
3.2
primary sample
portion taken from the seed lot (3.1) during one single sample action
[SOURCE: ISTA, International Rules for Seed Testing, 2.2.2]
3.3
composite sample
sample formed by combining and mixing all the primary samples (3.2) taken from the seed lot (3.1)
[SOURCE: ISTA, International Rules for Seed Testing, 2.2.3, modified]
3.4
subsample
portion of a primary sample (3.2) obtained by reducing a sample
[SOURCE: ISTA, International Rules for Seed Testing, 2.2.4]
ISO 20311:20
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