Seed Production of Vegetable, Tuber and Spice Crops

Method of seed production

Isolation distance

• Isolation distance of 50 metres for foundation seed and 25 metres for certified seed crop.
Method and time of sowing

• French bean can be sown twice in a year, i.e,in January - February and July - September in the plains and March - June in the hills.
Distance of sowing

• Bush types are planted at 45-60 cm x 10-15 cm (row x plant) whereas pole types at 100 cm x 22-30 cm.
Nutrition

• Nitrogen at higher level decreases nodulation. But nitrogen at low level enhances microbial activity in the soil and plants while phosphorus at double the level than nitrogen required for better up take of nutrient and nodulation.
  
• Similarly, potassium plays important role for higher seed yields.
  
• Potassium has also been found to induce early flowering.
	N kg/ha	P kg/ha	K kg/ha	FYM t/ha
Hills	180	125	100	30
Plains	100	100	50	12.5
Roguing

• Roguing is performed at four stages. They are
1. Before flowering

• The first roguing is done before flowering. This is based on plant habit, vigour, according to type (bush type or pole type), leaf shape and colour. Besides, severely affected plants by diseases particularly seed borne diseases.
2. at flowering

• At this stage, plants are removed on the basis of vigour and flower colour, and plants affected with seed borne diseases.
3. At pod developing stage

• At this stage, plants are removed based on pod characters such as pod shape, colour and plants affected with seed borne diseases.
4. At maturity

• At this stage, later flowering and late maturing off-types can easily be detected, which are removed.
Field standards

Factors	Foundation	Certified
Off types	0.10%	0.20%
Designated Diseases	0.20%	0.20%
Harvesting

• Harvesting is done when pods are fully ripe and have turned yellow i.e. about to shatter. Crop is harvested manually or by machine. The harvested plants are staked for 7-10 days for drying.
Threshing

• Fully dried plants are threshed either by bullock or by threshing machine.
Seed yield

• The average seed yield of French bean is about 12 to 18 quintals per hectare.
Plant protection
Pests
Aphids and thrips

• Treat the seeds with carbofuran 3 G at 10 g/kg of seed or monocrotophos 36 WSC 10 ml/kg of seed using adhesive. Spray monocrotophos 36 WSC or methyl demeton 25 EC or dimethoate 30 EC each at 1 ml/lit. In hills, glass house white fly occurs during May - August. Spray monocrotophos 36 WSC 1 ml/lit. Place 20 yellow sticky traps coated with castor oil in polythene sheet to attract the white flies.
Pod borer

• Spray carbaryl 50 WP thrice at fortnightly intervals at the rate of 2 g/lit. Dust with carbaryl 10 D at the rate of 25 kg/ha or endosulfan 35 EC @ 2 ml/lit.
Ash weevil

• Spray endosulfan 35 EC @ 2 ml/lit.
Whitefly

• Spray methyl demeton 25 EC or dimethoate 30 EC or monocrotophos 36 WSC or phosphamidon 40 SL @ 1 ml/lit of water.
Diseases
Powdery mildew

• Spray Wettable sulphur at 2 g/lit or dust Sulphur at 25 kg/ha.
Rust

• Dust Sulphur at 25 kg/ha.
Anthracnose

• Spray Mancozeb at 2 g/lit or Carbendazim 1 g/lit or Chlorothalonil 2 g/lit.
Leaf spot

• Spray Mancozeb 2 g/lit.
Root rot

• Drench with Carbendazim 1 g/lit.
Seed standards

Factors	Foundation	Certified
Pure seed (max.)	98%	98%
Inert matter (max.)	2%	2%
Other crop seed (max.)	None	None
Total weed seed (max.)	None	None
Other distinguishable varieties (max.)	5/kg	10/kg
Germination (max.)	75%	75%
Moisture (max.)	9%	9%
For vapor proof container (max.)	8%	8%