Quality Seed Production in Pulses

1. Quality seed production in Pulses
Dr. T. Ramanadane
Professor (SST)
PAJANCOA & RI
Karaikal

2. Pollination behaviour
Black gram Green gram Soybean Red gram
Self Self Self Often cross
40-70%
Black gram Green gram
Red gram Soybean

3. Black gram Green gram Soybean Red gram
Season June-July
Summer: Hard seeds
Should not coincide with rain
(off coloured seeds)
June-July
and
Sep-Oct
1st Fortnight of
June
1st Fortnight of
December
Land
requirements
Fertile
Irrigation and drainage
Same crop was not grown in previous season
Isolation
distance
10 m and 5 m 3 m 200m; 100m
Seed source Authenticated
Off-coloured seeds
Hard seeds-Scarification-2 min
Authenticated
Seed Rate 20 kg/ha 16-20 kg/ha 80 kg/ha SD-25 kg/ha
LD-10 kg/ha
Spacing 20x15 cm 30 x 15 cm 30 x 10 cm SD-45x30 cm
LD-90 x 30 cm
Seed treatment Carbendazim or Thiram-2 g /kg
Trichoderma viride – 4 g/kg
Pseudomonas fluorescens – 10 g/kg
Rhizobium – 3 pkts/ha

4. Black gram Green gram Soybean Red gram
Seed production
stages
BS-FS-CS
Manures and
Fertilizers
25:50:25 Kg NPK/Ha
DAP: 2%
NAA: 40 ppm
Irrigation
management
1st : immediately
Life:2-3 days
10-15 days interval
1st : immediately
Life:2-3 days
10-15 days interval
1st : immediately
Life:2-3 days
8-10 days interval
Weed management
Insect management
Disease management
Roguing Off types,
pest affected,
mosaic plants
Laef colour, plant stature, leaf shape, pod colour, flower
colour, seed colour
Off-types
Volunteer plants
Late flowering
Early flowering
Immature pods in
Male parent

5. Black gram Green gram Soybean Red gram
Supplementary
pollination
-
Sunflower as
border crop
Bee hives @ 5-
8/ha
Pre-harvest
sanitation spray
Two weeks prior to harvest : Malathion (0.07%) 2-3 sprays
Field standards Off-types:0.10% and 0.20%
Plants affected by seed borne:
0.10% and 0.20%
Off-types:0.1%
and 0.5%
Off-types:0.05%
and 0.1%
Pollen shedders:
0.05% and 0.1%
Harvesting 30 days after 50% flowering
Pod - 17-18%
23-25 DAA
Yellowing of
plants and
Browning of
pods
Physiological
maturity 32 and
38 DAA in Winter
and Summer,
respectively
3 pickings

6. Black gram Green gram Soybean Red gram
Seed Processing
Drying – Pods-12-13%
Seeds – 10%
Grading: BSS 7x7
10/64” Drying – Pods-12-
13%
Seeds – 10%
Grading: Large -
BSS (5x5)-3.5 mm
Small: BSS (6x6) 2.8
mm
Seed standards
Pure seed (Min) 98 98 98
Inert matter (Max) 2 2 2
Other crop seeds (Max) 5/kg, 10/kg None 5/kg, 10/kg
Weed seeds (Max) 5/ kg, 10/kg 5/ kg, 10/kg 5/ kg, 10/kg
ODV (Max) 10/kg, 20/kg 10/kg, 20/kg 10/kg, 20/kg
Germination (%) (Min) 75 70 75
Moisture – Open (Max) 9 12 9
Vapour proof (Max) 8 7 8
Seed storage (Bruchid
free condition)
Ambient: 10-12 months
Vapour proof: 18-24 months
Am: 12 months
VP: 24 months
VP :15 months

7. Importance of seed vigour and vigour testing

8. Seed vigour : degree of aliveness / index of seed quality
Definitions
(i) “the sum total of all seed attributes, which favour stand
establishment under unfavourable field conditions” (Isley, 1957)
(ii) “overall ability of the seed to perform well when sown in the field
(Heydecker, 1972)
(i) “seed vigour is the sum total of those properties of the seed, which
determine the potential level of performance and activity of a
nondormant seed or seedlot during germination and seedling
emergence (ISTA)
Hiltner and Inssen (1911) based on their work on cereal seeds infected with
Fusarium spp.

9. Importance of seed vigour
1. Crop performance: Good, uniform crop stands
2. Suboptimal plant population prone to stress
3. Poor growth due to slower growth rate
4. F1 hybrid vegetables
5. Non-productive plants

10. Characteristics of vigorous seeds
1. Rapid germination
2. Uniform germination
3. Tolerance of stressful environmental conditions
4. Less susceptible to soil pathogens
5. Longer potential storage life

11. Manifestations of differences in seed vigour
Seed vigour differences may be expressed throughout the life
cycle of the plant.
• expressed in terms of field emergence (% and speed),
• plant growth and crop yield,
• uniformity of plant population,
• morphological abnormalities, and
• longevity of seeds in storage.

12. Relationship between germination and vigour

13. The Relationship Between Seed Vigour, Viability and Deterioration
(Delouche and Caldwell, 1960 )

14. i) Seed ageing and vigour loss
ii) Imbibition and vigour loss
III) Other associated detrimental factors :
 enzyme activity in immature and dormant seeds;
 respiration during harvest and storage;
 impaired protein and the use of protein and RNA synthesis
during periods of low temperature stress;
 genetic damage;
 accumulation of toxic metabolites.
Factors responsible for seed vigour differences

15. • Estimation of seed vigour (Seed vigour tests)
Vigor tests in general are expected to:
• provide a more sensitive index of seed quality than the
germination test
• provide a consistent ranking of seedlot performance
• be objective, rapid, simple, and economically feasible
• be reproducible and interpretable
(McDonald, 1980; Perry, 1984)

16. Physical tests Performance tests Stress tests Biochemical tests
1. Seed size
2. Physical
soundness
3. X-ray test
1. First count
2. Speed of
germination
3. Seedling growth rate
(dark)
4. Seed ling dry weight
5. Re TEST
1. Cold test
2. Brick gravel test
3. Paper piercing
test
4.Accelerated
ageing test
5. Controlled
deterioration
6. Salt saturated
accelerated ageing
1. Glutamic acid test
2. Tetrazolium test
3.Respitration and RQ
4. ATP level test
5.Membrane integrity
Seed vigour tests…….

17. Uses of seed vigour tests
Seed production companies : to establish “in house” seed quality standards,
to monitor seed quality during the various phases of seed production and
processing. This allows them to identify where losses of seed vigour occur,
and to identify practices which could subsequently lead to improve seed
vigour.
Seed store manager : to make better informed decisions about the
suitability of seed lots for storage, the possible length of storage time and
storage conditions required.
Seed exporters : to decide which seed lots can withstand the rigours of
transport and thus to be expected to arrive in the importing country with
unimpaired quality.
Farmer: to know the vigour status whether a seed lot is of high or low vigour
and which seed lots will be more likely to perform better under sowing
conditions which provide some form of stress

22. Storage of soybean seeds with desiccants i.e. silicagel, calcium chloride,
drying beads (Zeolites)
Treatments
T1 = Vitavax treated seeds stored in Super grain bags with CaCl2 (10 g
/ kg of seeds).
T2 = Vitavax treated seeds stored in Super grain bags with silica gel
(10 g / kg of seeds).
T3 = Vitavax treated seeds stored in Super grain bags with drying
beads (35 g / kg of seeds).
T4 = Vitavax treated seeds stored in Super grain bags.
T5 = Vitavax treated seeds stored in Cloth bags with CaCl2 (10 g / kg
of seeds).
T6 = Vitavax treated seeds stored in Cloth grain bags with silica gel
(10 g / kg of seeds).
T7 = Vitavax treated seeds stored in Cloth bags with drying beads (35
g / kg of seeds).
T8 = Vitavax treated seeds stored in Cloth bags.
1. Seed moisture content (%)
2. Seed borne pathogen (%)
3. Insect infestation (%)
4. Seed germination
5. Seed germination
6. Vigour Index I and II.
7. Field emergence
Observations recorded
CaCl2 Silica gel Zeolites beads

23. Desiccants Super
grain bag
Cloth
bag
CaCl2 83 37
Silica gel 85 43
Drying beads 85 39
Without
desiccants
80 52
Mean 83.3 42.8
Seed germination (%) in soybean after
9 months of storage
Desiccants Super
grain bag
Cloth
bag
CaCl2 8.23 10.15
Silica gel 7.88 10.13
Drying beads 7.85 10.10
Without
desiccants
8.75 10.35
Mean 8.18 10.18
Seed germination (%)
Seed moisture (%)
Initial seed moisture : 8.18%
80% 52%

24. Soybean seed storage in
super grain bags and
cloth bags
9 months after storage
With CaCl2
With Beads
With Silica gel
Without desiccants

25. Seed germination in soybean after 9 months of storage
Cloth bag
Super grain bag

26. Results……..
At 9 months of storage,
 Seeds stored in Super grain bags registered 80% germination as
against 43% in cloth bags, with or without desiccants.
 The loss in seed vigour due to ageing was only 12% in Super
grain bags as compared to 83% in cloth bags indicated that
Super grain bag has the potential to effectively contain the
influence of environment on seeds stored.
 It is suggested that the vigour and viability of soybean seeds
could be very well prolonged by storing in Super grain bag
instead of cloth bags under coastal environment.

45. Quality Seed Production & Supply in Rice (2015-16) at PAJANCOA & RI, Karaikal
Sl. No. CROPS/ VARIETIES QUANTITY of Seed
Produced (Quintals)
QUANTITY of Seed supplied
(Quintals)
QUANTITY of Seed available
(Quintals)
Breeder
seed
TFL Breeder
seed
TFL Breeder
seed
TFL
1 ADT 37 2.35 - 2.35 - - -
2 ADT 43 2.38 - 2.38 - - -
3
ADT (R) 45 4.27 7.52 4.27 0.60 -
6.92
4 CR 1009 3.97 32.01 3.97 2.70 - 29.31
5 KKL (R) 1 3.50 - 0.30 - 3.20 -
6 ADT (R ) 50 4.07 3.25 3.40 - 0.67 3.25
7 I.W.Ponni 2.84 5.60 2.84 5.60 - -
8 ADT (R ) 46 3.63 12.72 3.63 12.72 - -
9 TKM 9 - 13.68 - 3.00 - 10.68
10 TKM 13 - 1.34 - 1.34 - -
11 CO (R) 50 - 2.00 - 1.50 - 0.50
12 I.S. Mahsuri - 9.39 - 9.39 - -
Total 27.01 87.51 23.14 36.85 3.87 50.66

46. Sl. No. CROPS/ VARIETIES QUANTITY of Seed
Produced (Quintals)
QUANTITY of Seed
supplied (Quintals)
QUANTITY of Seed
available (Quintals)
Breeder
seed
TFL Breeder
seed
TFL Breeder
seed
TFL
1. Fodder maize - 3.00 - 3.00 - -
2. Fodder cow pea - 1.00 - 1.00 - -
3. Black gram - 1.00 - 1.00 - -
4.
Daincha -
1.00
-
1.00
- -
5. Sunn hemp - 1.00 - 1.00 - -
Total - 7.00 - 7.00 - -
Quality Seed Production & Supply in Rice (2015-16) at PAJANCOA & RI, Karaikal