SEED CLASSES- TYPE AND FEATURES

SEED CLASSES- TYPE AND FEATURES

INTRODUCTION

Seed is the basic and most important input for sustained agricultural production.
At the time of release of a variety, small quantity of seed normally known as Nucleus seed is available with the plant breeder. It is the initial number of pure seed of improved variety or parental lines of a hybrid produced under supervision of the plant breeder who has evolved that variety of hybrid.
The nucleus seed is genetically cent percent pure and does not contain any physical impurities. The nucleus seed is produced strictly under isolation so as to avoid both genetic and physical contamination. Nucleus seed should retain original vigour of the variety or parental line.
Commercial quantity of seed is produced after a series of multiplication steps. Starting from maintenance programme in which nucleus seed is multiplied in a generation system of multiplication as breeder, foundation and certified seed.

CLASSES OF SEED

There are four classes recognized by the International Crop Improvement Association. These are briefly described here.

Breeder Seed

Such seeds are also known as nucleus seed and are produced directly under the supervision of plant breeder and possessed all the required genetic characters.
Such seeds are produced from nucleus seed under the supervision of a qualified plant breeder in a research institute of Agricultural University. It may be monitored by a joint inspection team of scientists and officials of certification agency and National Seed Corporation.
Such seeds have high genetic value and due to very little in quantity possess high cost.
Breeder seed is used to produce foundation seed.
In case of self-pollinated species, mass selection may be regularly practiced to retain the genetic purity of the variety.
Tag colour is yellow.

Foundation seed

It is also known as mother seed because such seeds are the source of all other certified seed classes either directly or through registered seed.
Such seeds are produced from breeder seed by State Farm Corporation of India, National Seed Corporation (NSC), State seed Corporation under technical guidance of qualified plant breeders or research scientists.
White tag denotes foundation seed.

Registered seed

It may be produced from foundation seed or registered seed itself and its production is supervised and approved by certification agency.
It has satisfactory genetic value and purity and is usually produced by progressive farmers on their field under supervision of SSC and or NSC.
Such seeds are often omitted in India and thus, certified seeds are produced directly from foundation seed.
It has purple tag.

Certified seed

such seeds may be progeny of foundation seed or registered seed or certified seed itself.
Its production is supervised and approved by state seed certification agency.
The seed of this class is normally produced by the State and National Seeds Corporation and Private Seed companies on the farms of progressive growers.
This is the commercial seed which is available to the farmers for commercial crop production and its genetic purity should be 99 per cent.
It has blue tag.