Seed Production of Vegetable, Tuber and Spice Crops

Other invigourative seed treatments

Seed fortification

• It is a kind of seed treatment and it is used to invigorate the seed using vitamins, minerals, and chemicals.
  
• Tomato seeds are soaked in Vitamin E dissolved in acetone during storage.
Seed infusion

• Seeds that are susceptible to soaking injury and seeds with internal seed borne diseases which need penetration of chemical to kill the pathogen are soaked in alcohol dissolved nutrients like vitamin, pesticides and can be dried quickly.
  
• Infusion of Topsin, thiram into vegetable seeds.
Seed Colouring

• Seeds can be coloured with non-toxic dyes like methylred, bromocresol green, methylene blue and rosebengal dyes. They can help in lot identity, variety identity, brand specificity, identity of A.B.R. line, to indicate the efficiency of seed treatment etc. To colour faded seeds caused due to ageing but still vigorous.
Seed Tapes

• These are tapes embedded in paper or gel. Pretreated seeds are placed equidistantly in the gel and cooled. These tapes can be rolled out in the field, covered with soil and watered.
Seed hardening

• It is a method followed for improving the germination of seeds sown in arid regions. Pre-sowing hardening of seed helps in modifying the physiological and biochemical nature of seed protoplasmic characters and increasing the physiological activity of the embryo and associated structures.
• This leads to increase in elasticity of cell wall and developments of a stronger and efficient root system.
Seed treatment with bio-fertilizers

• To facilitate fixing of atmosphere nitrogen and conserve fertilizer utilization this treatment is done.
• Rhizobium - Cowpea, Lab-lab
• Azospyrillum, Azotobactor - Bhendi
• Carrier - Rice or sorghum gruel
Pelleting

• Seed pelleting is a pre-sowing management where the seed is enclosed in a filler material using an adhesive, just large enough to produce a globular unit of standard size to facilitate precision planting and to serves as a mechanism of applying needed materials on the seed.
Advantages

• Uniformity in seed size
• Singling of seeds and prevention of clogging
• Precision planting
• Supply of growth regulator and micronutrients/ needy substances
• Localization of fertilizer / nutrients
• Provide ballistic ability at aerial seeding
• Protect seed from external organism
• Remedy for seed germination in problematic soils
• Reduces seed rate
• Enhances field establishment
• Improvement in yield
• Low cost technology
Seed coating

• Seed coating is a technique by which additivies such as pesticides nutrients or nitrifying bacteria are applied to the external surface i.e., seed coat. But in contrast to pelleting the coating conforms to the individual seeds shape and does not normally significantly modify the seeds size.
Recommendation of seed treatment for different crops


S.No.	Name of Crop	Pest/Disease	Seed Treatment	Remarks
1.	Chillies	Anthracnose spp. Damping off	Seed treatment with Trichoderma viride 4g/kg, Carbandazim @ 1g/100 gm seed.	-do-
2.	Bhendi	Root knot nematode	Paecilomyces lilacinus and Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 10 gm/kg as seed dresser.	-do-
3.	Tomato	Soil borne infection of fungal disease Early blight Damping off Wilt	T. viride @ 2 gm/100gm seed. Captan 75 WS @ 1.5 to 2.0 gm a.i./litre for soil drenching. Pseudomonas fluorescens and V. clamydosporium @ 10gm/kg as seed dresser.	For seed dressing metal seed dresser/earthern pots or polythene bags are used.
4.	Coriander	Wilt	Trichoderma viride @ 4 gm./kg seed.	-do-
5.	Brinjal	Bacterial wilt	Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 10gm/kg.	-do-
6.	Leguminous Vegetables	Soil borne infection Nematode	Trichoderma viride @ 2 gm/100gms. seed. Carbofuran/Carbosulfan 3% (w/w)	-do-
7.	Cruciferous vegetables (Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Knol-khol, radish)	Soil / Seed borne diseases (Damping off) Root knot nematode	Seed treatment with Trichoderma viridi @ 2 g / 100 g seeds Captan 75% WS @ 1.5 to 2.5 gm a.i./litre for soil drenching. Pseudomonas fluorescens and Verlicillium clamydosporium @ 10gm/kg seed as seed dresser	-do-
8.	Potato	Soil and Tuber borne diseases	Seed treatment with MEMC 3% WS @ 0.25% or boric acid 3% for 20 minuts before storage.
9.	Capsicum	Root knot nematode	Pseudomonas fluorescens 1% WP, Paecilomyces lilacirius and Verticillium chlamydosporium 1% WP @ 10g/kg as seed dresser.