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The integrity of bean cultivars depends on bean seed propagation being secure and “true to type.” Without a secure seed supply, the identity of a commercial cultivar will likely “drift” and as such, the genetic and phenotypic traits will differ over time (generations). Strict quality control must be maintained to secure bean genetics in commercial seed production. This process is conducted under governmental (national/federal, state/provincial) and/or private sector certification programs.

The certification programs are governed by minimum standards set by members of the Association of Official Seed Certification Agencies (AOSCA), with the opportunity to adopt more stringent requirements on a state‐by‐state basis (Novak and Moore 2015). The policies and procedures for the Idaho Crop Improvement Association (www.idahocrop.com) serve as a model for a secure seed quality program. Defined protocol and standards for growing, harvesting, and managing the seed by identify preserved lots are required for certification. Such programs commonly designate various levels of certification (e.g., foundation, registered, and certificated) based on the intensity of the production control tolerances applied. Foundation seed is usually produced by the originator of the variety and sold to seed producers to produce Registered seed. Registered seed is grown by seed producers to increase the supply for production of Certified seed. Certified seed is to be used for commercial production and in most cases cannot be used to produce another generation of certified seeds (Novak and Moore 2015).

The key elements of certified seed production include: grower application requirements, land requirements (e.g., freedom of bacterial blight), crop management (e.g., weed control and specific requirements for disease tolerance), and seed standards (e.g., pure seed, contrasting classes, weed seed, inert matter, splits and cracks, and germination percentage). Finally, strict control of harvesting and seed handling are used to assure integrity of the seed lots. Bean seed certification has had a regional and global impact on the integrity of cultivars and overall improvement of bean productivity (Idaho Bean Certification 2018).