seeds from china

Seeds from China

You may have heard about the reports of unsolicited packages of seeds being mailed to people across the U.S. that appear to originate from China.
Extension received a call this morning of someone reporting to have received these seeds in Arkansas.
 
If you get seed that you did not purchase you should contact 

Arkansas Plant Industries Division at 501-225-1598,
or email: [email protected] 
or email: [email protected] 
 
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture will advise what to do. Seeds should NOT be removed from their packaging and should NOT be planted. Investigators could be sent to retrieve the seed and will likely want to see the envelope and packing materials the seeds were sent in.
 
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture and other state departments of agriculture are working with USDA APHIS to determine what is going on and the risk.  Per Paul Shell with the AR Dept. of Ag, the concern is that there could be an introduction of a potential invasive weed, insect or plant disease associated with these shipments.

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​Arkansas Master Gardener Program
www.uaex.edu