GPBR 112 :: Lecture 23 :: SEED CERTIFICATION

It is a legally sanctioned system for quality control and seed multiplication and production.  It involves field inspection, pre and post control tests and seed quality tests.
Purpose of seed certification
          To maintain and make available to the farmers, through certification, high quality seeds and propagating materials of notified kind and varieties.  The seeds are so grown as to ensure genetic identity and genetic purity.
Eligibility for certification of crop varieties
          Seeds of only those varieties which are notified under section 5 of the Seeds Act, 1966 shall be eligible for Certification.
          Breeder seed is exempted from Certification.  Foundation and Certified class seeds come under Certification.
          Breeder seed is produced by the plant breeder which is inspected by a monitoring team consisting of the breeder, representative of seed certification agency (DDA), representative of NSC (Deputy Manager) & nominee of crop co-ordinator (s – 11).  The crops shall be inspected at appropriate stage.
Phases of seed certification or Seed certification procedures

  1. Receipt & Scrutiny of application
  2. Verification of seed source
  3. Field inspection
  4. Post harvest supervision of seed crops
  5. Seed sampling & testing
  6. Labelling, tagging, sealing and grant of certificate.

 

1. Receipt & scrutiny of application
a. Application for registration
          Any person, who wants to produce certified seed shall register his name with the concerned Assistant Director (AD) of seed certification by remitting Rs. 25/- per crop, per season.  There are 3 seasons under certification viz., kharif (June-Sep), Rabi (Oct. – Jan.) & Summer (Feb-May).
The applicant shall submit two copies of the application to the ADSC 10 days before the commencement of the season or at least at the time of registration of sowing report.
On receipt of the application, the ADSC will verify the time limit, variety eligibility & its source, the class mentioned, remittance of fee etc.
The application, if accepted will be given an application no (e.g. Paddy / k / 01- 05-06, where Paddy refers the crop to be registered, K-the season, 01-the application no & 05-06 -the financial year).  The original application is retained and the duplicate is returned to the applicant.
b. Sowing report: (Application for the registration of seed farm)
The seed producer who wants to produce certified seeds shall apply to the ADS.C, in the prescribed sowing report form in quadriplicate with prescribed certification fees along with other documents such as tags to establish the seed source.

Class of seed

Source of seed

1. Foundation class

Breeder seed

2. Certified class

Foundation seed

3. F. Class stage II

Foundation class stage – I

4. C. Class stage II

Certified class stage - I

 

Separate sowing reports are required for different crop varieties, different classes, different stages and if the seed farm fields are separated by more than 50 metres.
Separate sowing reports are also required if sowing or planting dates differ by more than 7 days and if the seed farm area exceeds 25 acres.
The sowing report shall reach the concerned ADAS.C within 35 days from the date of sowing or 15 days before flowering whichever is earlier.  In the case of transplanted crops, the sowing report shall be sent 15 days before flowering.
The producer shall clearly indicate on the reverse of sowing report, the exact location of the seed farm in a rough sketch with direction, distances marked form a permanent mark like mile stone, building, bridge, road, name of the farm if any, crops grown on all four sides of the seed farm etc, to facilitate easy identification of the seed farm by the seed certification officer.
The AD S.C, on receipt of the sowing report, scrutinizes & register the seed farm by giving a S.C number for each sowing report.  Then he will send one copy of the sowing report to the S.C officer, one to the D.D.S.C & the third to the producer after retaining the fourth copy.
2. Verification of seed source
          During his first inspection of seed farm the S.C officer, will verify whether the seed used to raise the seed crop is from an approved source.
3. Field Inspection
Objective
The objective in conducting field inspection is to verify the factors  which can cause irreversible damage to the genetic purity or seed health.

Inspection Authority

          The seed certification officer authorized by the registering authority shall attend to field inspections.

Crop stages for inspection

          The number of field inspections and the stages of crop growth at which the field inspections should be conducted vary from crop to crop.  It depends upon duration, and nature of pollination of the seed crop.
If the crop is grown for hybrid seed production, the no. of field inspections during the flowering stage should be more than in the case of self-pollinated / cross/ often cross pollinated varieties.
In hybrid seed production and variety seed production of cross pollinated crops, the inspection during flowering should be made without any prior notice of the seed grower to judge the quality of operation undertaken by him to maintain the genetic purity of the crop.  But in the case of self-pollinated crops the seed grower may be informed about the date of inspection.
In the former case if prior notice is given to the seed grower, it may not be possible to detect the damage by the contaminants, whereas in the latter case prior notice will lead to improvement of the quality of the seed production work and thus the quality of seed.

The key points to be observed at each stage of inspection are 

Stage of crop

Key points to be observed at Inspection

I.Pre-flowering stage (Vegetative stage)

Verification of seed source

Confirmation of acreage given in the report

Land requirement to keep check on genetic as well as physical contamination and spread of  disease inoculums.

Planting ratio

Border rows

Isolation distance

Guide the grower in identification of Off-types, pollen shedder, diseased  plants,   shedding tassels etc.

II. Flowering Stages:

(May be II & III inspections, When 5% of plants begin to flower)

Confirm the observation of plants inspection were correct.

Confirm whether grower had continued thorough roguing, after the previous inspection.

Verify the removal & occurrence of Off-types, pollen shedders, shedding tassels, objectionable weed plants & diseased plants.

III. Inspection during post flowering and pre-harvest stage

Confirm the correctness of  observations, made in earlier inspections

Guide the grower on roguing, based  on pods, earhead, seed & chaff  characters such as colour, shape &  size

Explain to the grower when & how to harvest the crop & process

IV. Inspection during harvest

(This is the last inspection conducted on a seed crop)

Verify that male parent rows have been
harvested separately.

Ensure complete removal of off-types,  other crops, weeds & diseased plants etc.

Seal properly by the certification agency  of the threshed
produce after initial leaning & drying.

Instruct the seed growers for safe storage & transportation.

MINIMUM NUMBER OF FIELD INSPECTIONS REQUIRED
FOR DIFFERENT CROPS FOR CERTIFICATION


Crop

Minimum no. of inspection

Stages of crop

Paddy & Wheat

2

Flowering to harvest

Sorghum

Hybrid

4

Ist before flowering, II nd & IIIrd during flowering,  IVth  prior to harvest.

Varieties

3

Ist before flowering,  II nd during flowering and  IIIrd prior to harvest

Maize

Inbred lines, Single crosses, Other hybrids

4

Ist before flowering
Rest during flowering

Varieties

2

I st before flowering
IInd during flowering

Bajra

Hybrids

4

Ist before flowering
II nd & IIIrd during flowering,
IVth prior to or during harvest

 

Varieties

 

3

Ist before flowering
IInd during 50% flowering
IIIrd prior to harvest

Green gram,Black gram, Red gram
Cowpea

2

Ist before flowering
II nd at  flowering & fruiting stage

Ground nut

2

Flowering to harvest

Sesame
(Gingelly)

3

Ist before flowering
II nd during flowering
IIIrd from fruit maturity to harvest

Sunflower

2

Flowering to harvest

Rape & mustard

3

Ist before flowering
II nd from flowering to fruiting
IIIrd from fruit maturity to harvest

Soyabean

2

Flowering to harvest

Castor

2

Flowering to harvest

Cotton (Varieties)
(Hybrids)

2
4

Flowering to harvest
Ist before flowering
II nd & IIIrd  during flowering
IVth during harvest

Brinjal, Tomato
Chilli, Bhendi

3

Ist before flowering
IInd from lowering to fruiting
IIIrd during maturity

Carrot

3

Ist early (20-30 days after sowing),
IInd when lifted & re-planted,
IIIrd during flowering.

Cabbage

3

Ist before marketable stage
IInd when the heads have formed
IIIrd during flowering

Cauliflower

4

Ist before marketable stage
IInd during curd formation
IIIrd when most plants have formed curds
IV th during flowering

Onion
(seed to seed)

3

Ist during early vegetative stage
IInd during bulb formation
IIIrd during flowering

 

Field Counts

          The purpose of field inspection is to find out field standards of various factors in the seed farm.  It is impossible to examine all the plants in the seed farm.  Hence, to assess the field standards of various factors random counting is followed.
The number of counts taken and the method employed in taking counts vary from crop to crop.  It is necessary to take a minimum of 5 counts upto 5 acres &  an additional count for every 5 acres or part thereof as given below:

Area of the field (in acres)

No. of counts to be taken

Upto 5

5

6-10

6

11-15

7

16-20

8

21-25

9

Double Count
          In any inspection, if the first set of counts shows that the seed crop does not confirm to the prescribed standard for any factor, a second set of counts should be taken for that factor. However, when the first set of counts shows a factor more than twice the maximum permitted, it is not necessary to take a second count.
          On completion of double count, assess the average for the two counts.  It should not exceed the minimum permissible limit.
NO. OF PLANTS FOR A COUNT


S.no.

Crop

No. of plants / heads per count

Remarks

1.

Soyabean, Jute, Lucerne, Mesta, Berseem

1000 plants

Closely planted crops

2.

Beans, Cluster beans, Cowpea, Peas, Green gram, Blackgram, Mustard,Niger, Sesame, Bengal gram,  Safflower

500 plants

Medium spaced crops

3.

Bhendi, Brinjal, Chilli, Castor, Cole crops, Cotton, Cucurbits, Maize, Potato, Groundnut, Redgram, Tomato & Sunflower

100 plants

Wide spaced crops

4.

Bajra, Barley, Oats, Paddy, Wheat, Ragi, Sorghum

1000 heads

Tillering crops

Points to be observed before counting

  1. All plants falling in each count must be examined for each factor
  2. In hybrid seed field, the prescribed number of the field counts should be taken in each parent separately.

Sources of contamination or factors to be observed
The contaminants are

  1. Physical contaminants
  2. Genetical contaminants.
    1. Physical contaminants are inseparable other crop plants, objectionable weed plants and diseased plants.
    2. Genetical contaminants consist of off-types, pollen shedders and shedding tassels.

a. Off Type
Plant that differs in morphological characters from the rest of the population of a crop variety.
Off-type may belong to same spp. or different spp. of a given variety.  Plants of a different variety are also included under off-types.
Volunteer plants & mutants are also off-types.
b. Volunteer Plant
Volunteer plants are the plants of the same kind growing naturally from seed that remains in the fields from a previous crop.
c. Pollen Shedders
In hybrid seed production involving male sterility, the plants of ‘B’ line present in ‘A’ line are called Pollen shedders.
Sometimes ‘A’ line tends to exhibit symptoms of fertile anthers in the ear heads of either on the main tiller or side tiller and these are called Partials.  These partials are also counted as pollen shedders.
d. Shedding Tassels:These are plants which shed or shedding pollen in female parent rows. When 5 cm or more of the entire spike shed pollen they are also counted as Shedding tassels.
e. Inseparable Crop Plants
          These are plants of different crops which have seeds similar to seed crop.


Crop

Inseparable crop plants

Wheat

Barley, oats, gram, & Triticale

Barley

Oats, gram, wheat & Triticale

Oats

Barley, gram, wheat & Triticale

Triticale

Wheat, barley, oats, gram & Rye

f. Objectionable Weed Plants
These are weeds

  1. Whose seeds are difficult to be separated once mixed
  2. Which are poisonous
  3. Which have smothering effect on the main crop
  4. Which are difficult to eradicate once established.
  5. Difficult to separate the seeds.  These seeds cause mechanical admixtures

S.No

Crop

Common name of the weed

Botanical name

1.

Paddy

Wild rice

Oryza sativa var fatua

2.

Wheat

Wild morning glory

Convolvulus arvensis

3.

Sunflower

Wild sunflower

Helianthus spp

4.

Bhendi

Wild okra

Abelmoschus spp

5.

Rape, mustard

Mexican prickly poppy

Argemone mexicana

6.

Lucerne

Dodder

Cuscuta spp

g. Designated Diseases
          The diseases which may reduce the yield and quality of seeds are termed as Designated diseases.


S.No

Crop

Name of the Disease

Casual organism

1.

Wheat

Loose smut

Ustilago tritici

2.

Sorghum

Grain smut
Head smut

Sphacelotheca sorghii

3.

Pearl millet

Ergot
Grain smut
Downy mildew

Claviceps microcephala
Tolyposporium pencillariae
Sclerospora graminicola

4.

Cowpea

Anthracnose

Colletotrichum lindemuthianum

5.

Green gram

Halo blight

Pseudomonas phasiolicola

6.

Gingelly

Leafspot

Cercospora sesami

7.

Sunflower

Downy mildew

Plasmopara halstedii

8.

Brinjal

Phomopsis blight

Phomopsis vexans

9.

Chilli

Leaf blight
Anthracnose

Alternaria solani
Colletotrichum capsici

10.

Tomato

Early blight
Leaf spot
Tobacco mosaic virus

Alternaria solani
Stemphylium solani
(TMV)

Land Requirement
          The field offered for certified seed production should not been grown in the previous season with the same crop. If it was grown, the variety should be the same.  In that case, the field should be irrigated at least 3 weeks before sowing and ploughed just prior to sowing, in order to destroy germinating seeds.
Isolation
Separation of seed fields from fields of other varieties of the same crop, same variety fields not conforming to varietal purity requirements, and other related species fields and fields affected by diseases to prevent genetic & disease contamination.
The minimum distance to be maintained between the seed crop and the contaminant is called Isolation distance.


Crop

F.S (m)

C.S (m)

Self pollinated crops

Cereals and Millets

Paddy

3

3

 Wheat

3

3

Pulses

Green gram

10

5

Black gram

10

5

Soya bean

3

3

Bengal gram

10

5

Cowpea

10

5

Lab lab

10

5

Oil Seeds

Groundnut

3

3

Vegetables

Tomato

50

25

Cluster beans

10

5

French beans

10

5

Peas

10

5

lettuce

50

25

Potato

5

5

Often Cross Pollinated crops

Millet

Sorghum  Variety

200

100

Sorghum hybrid

300

200

Pulses

Red gram

200

100

Oil Seeds

Sesame

100

50

Cotton (variety)

50

30

Vegetables

Brinjal

200

100

Chillies

400

200

Bhendi

400

200

Cross Pollinated Crops

Millets

Maize (varieties)

400

200

Inbred line

400

-

Single cross hybrid

400

-

Double cross hybrid

-

200

Bajra variety

400

200

Bajra hybrid

1000

200

Sun hemp

200

1000

Castor

300

150

Sunflower variety

400

200

Sunflower hybrid

600

400

Cabbage

1600

1000

Beetroot

1600

1000

Radish

1600

1000

Cauliflower

1000

500

Onion

1000

800

Carrot

400

200

Amaranthus

1000

500

Gourds

 

 

 

 

Inspection Report

          The seed certification officer after taking field counts and comparing them with the minimum field standards, the observations made on the seed farm field should be reported in the prescribed proforma to

  1. Deputy Director of S.C
  2. To the Seed producer
  3. AD, S.C
  4. Retained with him.
Assessment of seed crop yield

          It is necessary to avoid malpractices at the final stage during harvest operation.
The seed certification officer is expected to fix the approximate seed yield.

L.F.R REPORT (Liable For Rejection Report)

          If the seed crop fails to meet with any one factor as  per the standards, L.F.R report is prepared & the signature of the producer is obtained & sent to D.DSC within 24 hrs.

RE-Inspection

          For the factors which can be removed without hampering the seed quality, the producer can apply for re-inspection to the concerned D.D,S.C within 7 days from the date of F.I rejection order. For re-inspection half of the inspection charge is collected.

4. Post Harvest Supervision Of Seed Crop
The post harvest inspection of a seed crop covers the operations carried out at the threshing floor, transport of the raw seed produce to the processing plant, pre-celeaning, drying, cleaning, grading, seed treatment, bagging & post processing storage of the seed lot.

Pre-requisites for processing

  1. Processing report should accompany the seed lot
  2. ODV test for paddy should be done at the time of sealing & issue of processing report or before processing.  If the result exceeds 1% the produce may be rejected.
  3. It should correlate with the estimated yield.
  4. Seed should be processed only in approved processing unit.
  5. Field run seed should be brought to the processing unit within 3 moths from the date of final inspection.  Processing & sampling should be done within 2 months in oil seed crops & 4 months for other crops from the date of receipt in the processing unit.  In cotton, the kapas from the passed lot should be moved to the ginning factory within 5 days from the date of issue of processing report.  The ginning should be done within 3 months from the date of final harvest inspection report.  Ginned seeds should be moved to seed processing unit within 5 days of ginning.  Inspection and sampling should be done within 3 months after ginning.

Intake of Raw Produce & Lot Identification

          The seed certification officer in-charge of the seed processing plant may, after verification of the above stated documents and total amount of seed accept the produce for processing.
After verification he should issue a receipt to the seed grower.  Each seed lot has to be allocated a separate lot number for identification.

Processing of seed lot

  1. It is done to remove chaff, stones, stem pieces, leaf parts, soil particles etc from the raw seed lot.
  2. Grading to bring out uniformity in the seed lot.
  3. Seed treatment to protect it from storage pests & diseases.

Processing Inspection

  1. The processing should be done in the presence of concerned seed certification officer.
  2. The recommended sieve size should be used for grading.
  3. While processing of paddy, the work of perfect processing has to be evaluated then & there.This is done by conducting a float test.  Take 400 seeds from the processed seed & put into a tumbler of water.  Count the floating paddy seeds.  Maximum float admissible is 5%.  If the float seeds exceed the limit, adjust the air flow or feeding to perfect the processing.
  4. In maize, before shelling, the cobs should be examined for off-type and off -coloured kernels.  Individual cobs should be examined with reference to its Varietal characters.  The cobs of off-types and off-coloured kernels should be rejected.
  5. Seed Sorting in Cotton.

The ginned seeds will be evaluated for its quality.  A maximum of 3% for the following factors can be taken into account.

  • Immature seeds
  • Ill-filled seeds
  • Broken seeds
  • Stained seeds &
  • Over fuzzy seeds.

 

Groundnut Pod Verification

  • In groundnut 4% of ill-filled pods can be allowed.
  • After processing, the seeds may be treated, packed, weighed & sealed before the SCO.
  • The unit of packing may be equal to the seed rate of  1/2 or one acre or ha

5. Seed Sampling & Testing
          During packaging S.C officer will draw samples according to ISTA Procedure & send the sample to ADSC concerned within a day of sampling.  The ADSC will inturn send the sample to the STL within 3 days of receipt of the sample for testing seed standards viz. physical purity, germination, moisture content & seed health as prescribed. The STO will communicate the result to the ADSC concerned within 20 days.
On receipt of the analytical report, the ADSC will communicate the result to the producer & SCO.
6. Labelling, tagging, sealing and grant of certificate
After receiving the seed analytical report, the SCO will get the tag from the ADSC & affixes labels (producer’s label) and tags (Blue for C.S & White for F.S) to the containers & sealed to prevent tampering and grant certificate fixing a validity period for 9 months.
Tagging should be done within 60 days of testing.
Resampling & Reprocessing
          When a seed lot does not meet the prescribed seed standards in initial test, on request of the producer SCO may take resample.
If the difference in germination analysed & required is within 10, then straight away re-sampling can be done. If  it is > 10, reprocessing & resampling may be done.
The producer should request the SCO concerned in writing within 10 days from the receipt of the result.  No charge is collected for resampling.
When a seed lot, fails even after free sampling, reprocessing can be taken upon with special permission from D.S.C. For such reprocessing a fee of Rs. 20/- Q and lab charges of Rs. 10/- Q is collected.

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