(a) Every soil amendment distributed in this state shall be registered with the Commissioner on forms obtained from the Commissioner's office. The applicant for registration shall provide such information as the Commissioner may require by regulation after opportunity for public hearing.

(b) In determining the acceptability of any product for registration, the Commissioner may require proof of claims made for the soil amendment. If no specific claims are made, the Commissioner may require proof of the usefulness and value of the soil amendment. As evidence of proof, the Commissioner may rely on experimental data furnished by the applicant and may require that such data be developed from tests conducted under conditions identical to or closely related to those conditions present in this state. The Commissioner may reject any data not developed under such conditions and may rely on the advice of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences experiment station personnel or other university personnel in evaluating data for registration.

(c) The registration fee shall be $50.00 per year for each product. Registration shall expire on December 31, annually, unless an application for renewal has been received prior to the expiration date.