Karnal Bunt; Reclassification of Regulated Areas

We are amending the Karnal bunt regulations by removing the restricted and surveillance area categories of regulated areas and replacing them with a single classification. As part of this change in the regulations, we are releasing from regulation most of the areas that had been designated as restricted areas for seed; removing the prohibition on planting wheat, durum wheat, and triticale in fields associated with Karnal bunt; and removing the cleaning requirement for vegetables grown in those fields. Removing those areas that had been designated as restricted areas for seed from the regulations greatly reduces the total area in the southwestern United States that is regulated for Karnal bunt, and removing the planting prohibition and the vegetable cleaning requirement eases restrictions on field owners in the regulated areas. We are also amending the list of regulated areas to add several fields or areas in three Arizona counties to the list of regulated areas. These additions to the list of regulated areas are necessary due to the detection of bunted kernels in fields in those counties during 1998.