Seed Production of Vegetable, Tuber and Spice Crops (2+1)

Strategies for seed improvement

Exploitation of Hybrid Vigour

• It is the best approach for varietal increase in production of crops. The area under hybrids is about 27 per cent while their contribution to yield is 40 per cent.
Description of Notified Varieties

• The implementation of plant variety protection would necessarily require detailed characterization of all varieties. The variety registration would have on DUS criteria. Efforts are being made to characterize all the crop varieties under seed production chain.
Enhancement of Seed Replacement Rates

• The socio-economic status of the farmer does not permit to purchase quality seeds. Therefore the seed replacement rate is very low. The realistic indents and production of breeder seed of different crop varieties by maintaining quality can enhance SRR.
• Seed Replacement Rate is the rate at which the farmers replace the seeds instead of using their own seeds
Seed Replacement Rate of major vegetables



Crop	SRR (%)
Brinjal	63.4
Cabbage	100
Cauliflower	86.4
Chilli	83.7
Gourds	73.5
Melons	89.2
Okra	92.4
Tomato	99.3
Beans	62.2
Onion	87.3
Peas	93.5
Others	72.6


Enhancement of Seed Multiplication Ratio

• SMR is nothing but the number of seeds to be produced from a single seed when it is sown and harvested, which can be altered by adoption of proper seed and crop management techniques. However, according to expert group of seeds (1989), the seed multiplication ratios for different crops are as follows.
Crop	SMR
Okra	1:100
Tomato	1:400
Brinjal	1:450
Chillies	1:240
Watermelon	1:100
Pumpkin	1:160
Bittergourd	1:41
Bottlegourd	1:99
Ridgegourd	1:83
Cucumber	1:200
French bean	1:9
Clusterbean	1:50
Peas	1:19
Onion	1:171
Radish	1:100
Carrot	1:83