Method of seed production

Method of seed production
    • There are two methods of seed production
    1. In situ method (seed to seed method)
    2. Transplanting method (Head to seed method)
    • For seed production, seed to seed method is recommended since the head to seed method in India has not been very successful.
    • In seed to seed method (In situ method) the crop is allowed to over winter and produce seed in the original position, where they are first planted in the seedling stage.
    Stages of seed production
    • Breeder seed→ Foundation seed→Certified seed
    Varieties
    Early
    • Early Kunwari, Pusa Katki, Early Patna, Pusa Deepali, Pusa Early Synthetic, Pant Gobhi3, Improved Japanese.
    Mid season
    • Pant Shubhra, Pusa Synthetic, Pusa Shubhra, Pusa Aghani, Selection 235S, Hisar No.1, Pusa Himjyoti.
    Late
    • Snowball 16, Pusa Snow ball 1, Pusa Snowball 2, PSK 1, Pusa hybrid -2
    Hybrids
    • Pusa synthetic, Pusa hybrid 1 and 2
    Season
    • In the hills, the last week of August is the optimum sowing time.
    • The seed is sown in a nursery and transplanting should be completed by the end of September.
    • For early varieties (in plains) best season for sowing is the last week of May and transplanting should be completed during first week of July.
    • In hills, sowing should be adjusted that the plants put up the maximum leafy growth by 15th December when the temperature goes down and plants become dormant for which last week of August is optimum and transplanting should be completed by the end of September.
    • The mean temperature of 6.5 to 11° C during February to March is very conducive to curd formation.
    Land requirement
    • In the hills, select field on which the same kind of crop or any other cole crop was not grown in the pervious two years, unless the crop within the previous two years, was field inspected by the certification agency and found not to contain seed born diseases infection beyond the maximum permissible limit.
    Isolation requirement
    • Cauliflower is mainly a cross pollinated crop. Pollination is chiefly done by bees. The seed field must be separated from fields of other varieties at least by 1600 m for foundation class and 1000 m for certified class seed production.
    Seed rate
    • 375 to 400 g /ha.
    Nursery
    • Seeds may be sown on raised nursery beds 15 20 cm height in rows with 10 cm spacing.
    • Twenty five nursery beds of 2 to 2.65 m x 1 to 1.25 m size are enough for one hectare.
    • Thin sowing should be done to avoid damping off.
    • Three tonnes of FYM should be applied to nursery bed.
    • DAP spray at 10 to 15 days after germination is important.
    • Apply lime @ 5 t/ha before one month to nursery field and apply Borax and Sodium molybdate @ 4 kg/ha before sowing.
    Transplanting
    • Transplant the seedlings at 35 40 days old preferably at evening time with the spacing of 60 x 45 cm (for early varieties in plains) or 90 x 60 cm for late variety and irrigate immediately after transplanting.
    Main field manuring
    • The field should be prepared to fine tilth by deep ploughing and three to four harrowing followed by levelling. Cauliflower crop requires heavy manuring. Apply 50 60 tons of FYM/ha at the time of land preparation.
    Foliar application
    • NAA @ 40 ppm sprayed at 30 days after curd initiation was superior in increasing the yield and quality of seed (Gurusamy, 1996).
    Roguing
    • Minimum of four inspections are required viz., pre marketable stage, initiation of curd stage, curd formed stage and flowering stage. Roguing should be done based on the curd size, shape and colour, when fully developed. Off type plants with poor curd formation and plants affect by designated diseases like black leg, black rot, soft rot, leaf spot and phyllody should be removed during roguing.
    • First roguing is done after curd formation. Plants forming loose ricey, fuzzy and buttons are rejected. Blind, deformed and diseased plants are also rejected. Second roguing is done after bolting but before flowering, plants with peripheral and uniform bolting are kept for seed production. Early and late bolters are also rejected.
    Field standard
    Contaminants Maximum permitted (%)
    Foundation Certified
    Off types * 0.10 0.20
    Plants affected by seed borne diseases ** 0.10 0.50
    Plants affected by phyllody ** 0.1 0.5
    Pest and disease management
    • Use of insecticides during flowering affects the insect pollinators and will result in poor seed set. A single soil application of granulated Phorate, Dimethoate @ 18 Kg/ha during early February for control of sucking pests (Aphids) is advisable. In cauliflower the major disease in "Damping – off”. Thin showing and drenching with 150 g of Bavistin in 100 liters of water will control the disease.
    Plant protection
    Pests
    Cut Worms
    • Set up of light trap in summer months. Spray chlorpyriphos 2 ml/lit in the collar region during evening hours.
    Aphids
    • The incidence is severe during autumn season. Installation of yellow sticky trap at 12 no/ha to monitor Macropterous adults (winged adult) is necessary. Spraying of neem oil 3 % or dimethoate 2 ml/lit with 0.5 ml Teepol/lit.
    Diamond backmoth
    1. 1. Growing mustard as intercrop at 20:1 ratio.
    2. 2. Installation of pheromone traps at 12 No/ha.
    3. 3. Spraying of cartap hydrochloride 1 g/lit or Bacillus thuringiensis 1g/lit at primordial stage (ETL 2 larvae/plant)
    4. 4. Spraying of NSKE 5 % after primordial stage.
    5. 5. Release of larval parasite Diadegma semiclausum (Ichneumonidae: Hymenoptera) at 50,000/ha, 60 days after planting.
    Diseases
    Club root
    • Seed treatment at 10 g/ kg of seeds or soil application @ 2.5 kg/ha or seedling dip in solution of 5g/ litre with Pseudomonas fluorescens.
    • Dipping the seedlings in Carbendazim solution (1 – 2 g/lit) for two minutes.
    • Drench the soil around the seedlings in the main field with Carbendazim @ 1 g/lit. Follow crop rotation.
    • Crucifers should be avoided for three years.
    Leaf Spot
    • Spraying of Mancozeb at 2 g/lit or Carbendazim 1 g/lit.
    Leaf Blight
    • Spray of Mancozeb @ 2.5 g/ litre.
    Blanching
    • Blanching refers to covering of curds. A perfect curd of flower is pure white. It is necessary to exclude sunlight to obtain this. The common practice is to bring the outer leaves up over the curd and tie them with a twine or rubber band. By using a different coloured twine each day. It is easy at the time of harvest to select those tied earlier.
    Physiological disorders
    Browning or brown rot
    • This is caused by Boron deficiency. It appears as water soaked areas and later changes into rusty brown. Spray one kg of Borax in 500 lit of water 30 days after planting.
    Whip tail
    • This results from the deficiency of Molybdenum. It is more pronounced in acidic soil. The leaf blades do not develop properly. In severe cases only the midrib develops and it can be corrected by spraying 100 g of Sodium molybdate in 500 lit of water 30 days after planting.
    Buttoning
    • The term buttoning is applied to the development of small curds or buttons. The plants do not develop normally and leaves remain small and do not cover the developing curds. Deficiency of Nitrogen and planting the early varieties in late season may cause these symptoms. Avoid transplanting aged seedlings.
    Blindness
    • Blind-cauliflower plants are those without terminal buds. The leaves are large, thick, leathery and dark green. It is due to the prevalence of low temperature when the plants are young or due to damage to the terminal bud during handling the plants or due to injury by pests
    Scooping
    • Scooping central portion of curd when it is fully formed helps in the early emergence of flower stalks in hills. Scooping is normally not required for seed production in plains. Scooping curd pruning and half curd removal were effective in increasing the seed yield. However, scooping of curd was best compared to other methods
    Harvesting and processing
    • The ripened fruit is called siliqua. Harvesting may be done in two lots. Heavy bearing may topple the plants, hence staking may be done wherever necessary. Wind belts can also be erected if needed. Generally the early matured plants are harvested first, when the siliqua turn in to brown colour. Delayed harvest results into seed shattering and bird damage. Hence, 2 3 harvestings are required. About 50 days are needed for pod maturity after fertilization. Seeds of early types are ready for harvesting in December January and in February March for North Indian Plains. However, snowball types are ready for harvesting by June. As harvesting is done when bottom siliqua turn brown followed by yellowing of the top siliqua, curing is necessary for ripening the late maturing siliqua. After harvesting, plants are piled up for curing. After 4 to 5 days it is turned up side down and for further curing for 4 to 5 days. The siliqua are threshed with pliable sticks and cleaned. Then the seeds are dried to 7% moisture content, cleaned and treated with Bavistin @ 2 g / Kg of seed.
    Seed yield
    • Indian cauliflower may very between 500 600 kg/ha and snowball from 300- 500 kg/ha.
    Designated diseases
    • Black leg, Black rot and Soft rot
    Seed standards
    Factors Foundation Certified
    Pure seed (minimum) 98% 98%
    Inert matter (maximum) 2% 2%
    Other crop seed (maximum) (no./kg) 5/kg 10/kg
    Total weed seed (maximum) (no./kg) 5/kg 10/kg
    Germination (minimum) 65% 65%
    Moisture (maximum) (normal container) 7% 7%
    For VP Container(maximum) 5% 5%

Last modified: Wednesday, 20 June 2012, 6:31 AM