Seed Production Of Horticulture Crops: Principles and Practices

Contents: 1. Introduction to seed and seed quality. 2. History of seed industry in India. 3. Generation system of seed multiplication. 4. Varietal deterioration: causes and maintenance. 5. Methods and tools for variety and hybrid seed production. 6. Seed development and maturation. 7. Seed crop management techniques. 8. Physiological maturation and harvesting techniques in seed crops. 9. Threshing/seed extraction and drying methods. 10. Seed processing and seed treatment. 11. Seed packing and storage. 12. Seed certification. 13. Seed sampling and testing. 14. Purity analysis and moisture estimation. 15. Seed germination test. 16. Seed viability and vigour tests. 17. Seed health test. 18. The Seeds Act, 1966. 19. The Seeds Rules, 1968. 20. The Seeds (Control) Order, 1983. 21. National Seeds Policy, 2002. 22. The Seeds Bill, 2004. 23. Seed marketing-marketing structure and organization. 24. References. The readers will get knowledge about seeds, science and technology involved in this subject. Seeds are fertilised mature ovules shaped through sexual reproduction in plants. It is the cheapest and key input in agriculture. It is estimated that good quality seeds of improved varieties can contribute about 20-25% increase in yield. Seed technology is an interdisciplinary science, involves such activities as variety development, evaluation and release seed development, seed processing, seed storage, seed testing, seed certification, seed quality control and seed marketing etc., through which the genetic and physical characteristic of seeds could be improved. Each topic was discussed in separate chapter and this book will prove extremely useful to its readers.…