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

Method of seed production

Stages of seed production

• Breeder seed → Foundation seed → Certified seed
Varieties

• CO1, Rajendra Kanti, RMT-1, Lam Sel.1, Hissar Sonali
Isolation

• Foundation Seed 10 m; Certified seed 5 m
Climate and Soil

• It has a wide adaptability and is successfully cultivated both in the tropics as well as temperate regions. It is tolerant to frost and freezing weather. It does well in places receiving moderate or low rainfall areas but not in heavy rainfall area. It can be grown on a wide variety of soil but clayey loam is relatively better. The optimum soil pH should be 6.0 to 7.0 for its better growth and development.
Land preparation and sowing

• Land is prepared by ploughing thrice and beds of uniform size are prepared. Broadcasting the seed in the bed and raking the surface to cover the seeds is normally followed. But, line sowing is advocated in rows at 20 to 25 cm apart which facilitates the intercultural operations.
Season

• Sowing in the plains is generally taken up in September to November while in the hills, it is grown from March. Approximately 20 to 25 kg of seed is required for one hectare and the seed takes about 6-8 days to complete its germination.
Manures and fertilizers

• Besides 15 tones of farmyard manure, a fertilizer dose of 25 kg N, 25 Kg P2O5 and 50 kg K2O per ha is recommended. Half of the N dose and the entire quantity of P and K are applied basally and the remaining half N is applied 30 days after sowing.
Irrigation

• First irrigation is given immediately after sowing and subsequent irrigation is applied at 7 to 10 days interval.
Inter cultivation

• Hoeing the weeding during the early stages of plant growth is required to encourage proper growth. Thinning may be done on 20 to 30 days to keep the distance between the plants at 10 to 15 cm and to retain 1 to 2 plants per hill.
Rouging

• The offtypes should be removed both at flowering and at maturity stage.
  
• The plants of melilotus spp should also be removed from the field prior to harvest.
Field standards

Factors	Breeder seed	Foundation seed	Certified seed
Isolation distance (m)	50	10	5
No. of field inspection	-	2	2
Offtypes (%)	-	0.10	0.20
Inseparable other crop plants (%)	-	-	-
Objectionable weed plants (%)	-	0.01	0.02
Plant / affected by designated diseases (%)	-	-	-
Harvest

• Fenugreek seeds attained physiological maturity 45 days after anthesis when the seed moisture content was around 20 per cent.
  
• Harvesting should be done when the lower leaves start shedding and the pods have become yellowish.
  
• Harvesting should be done by cutting the plants with sickles.
  
• Delay in harvesting leads to shattering and lose of seeds. The harvested plants are tied in bundles and allowed to dry for 4-6 days.
  
• Threshing should be done on clean floor or tarpaulin.
  
• The seeds are separated by beating followed by winnowing or by the use of mechanical threshers.




Figure 2. Fenugreek plants with ripening fruits or pods

Seed grading

• Seed grading is done with 6/64” round perforated metal sieve.
Seed yield

• 1200 – 1500 kg/ha.
Plant protection

• Root rot (Rhizoctonia solani) is a serious disease and can be controlled by soil application of Neem cake @ 150 kg/ha and seed treatment with Trichoderma viride @ 4g/kg and drenching with carbendazim 0.05% first at the onset of the disease and another after one month.
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)	10/kg	20/kg
Germination(minimum)	70%	70%
Moisture (maximum) (normal container)	8%	8%
For VP Container(maximum)	6%	6%