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Ag. Technologies : Seeds

Minimum Seed Certification Standards

In a seed quality control programme through seed certification, the minimum seed certification standards, in fact, are the minimum standard conditions which must be met. The minimum seed certification standards, thus are the standards required for the certification of seeds by the certification agencies.

The certification standards in force in India are called the ‘Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards’. These were published by the Central Seed Certification Board. As a general principle, these standards have been kept at the level, which demand scrupulous attention of the certified seed growers but at the same time practical enough that these can be met also.

The minimum seed certification standards can be broadly grouped into two groups.

  1. General Seed Certification Standards

  2. Specific Crop Standards

The two combined sets of standards constitute the minimum seed certification standards for seed certification.

A. General Seed Certification Standards: The general seed certification standard aims at outlining the general requirements for the production of genetically pure good quality seed. These standards prescribed the procedure for certified seed production so that maximum genetic purity and good quality of the seed this ensured.

B.Specific Crop Standards: Specific crop standard consists of Field Standards and Seed Standards Field standards consist of: -

  1. The minimum preceding crop requirement have been specified to minimize genetic contamination from the disease, volunteer plants.

  2. The minimum isolation requirement has been specified to minimize seed born disease contamination.

  3. The number of feed inflection and specified stage of crop have been described to ensure verification of genetic purity and other quality factors.

Seed Standard consist of:

  1. The minimum percentage of pure seeds and maximum permissible limits for inert matter, other crop seeds have been prescribed.

  2. The maximum permissible limits for objectionable weeds, seeds infected by seed borne diseases have been prescribed to ensure goods seed health.

  3. The maximum permissible limits for moisture content have been prescribed for the safe storage of seeds.

Minimum field standards of some important crops are given in the following table:

Minimum field standards

Crop

Class of seed

Land require-
ment

Isolation
(meters)

No.of field inspe
-ctions

Off
types

Insepar-
able other crop plants

Objection-
able weed plants

Affe-
cted Plant
/head

Paddy

FS

--

3

2

.05

--

.01

--

 

CS

--

"

2

.20

--

.02

--

Wheat

FS

--

3,

2

.05

.01

--

.10

     

150*

         
 

CS

--

 

2

.20

.05

--

.50

Sorghum
(open pollinated varieties)

FS

--

200,
400*

3

.05**
.10***

--

--

.05

pulses

FS

--

10

2

.10

--

--

--

Oilseeds
Groundnut

FS

Two season

3

2

.10

--

--

--

Soybean

FS

--

3

2

.10

--

--

--

 

CS

--

3

2

.50

--

--

--

Fiber Crops
Cotton

CS

--

30,5*

2

.20

--

--

--

Vegetable Crops
Potato Seed

 CS

 *

 50,

 4

 .10

 --

 --

 3.0

Tomato

FS

--

50

3

.10

--

--

.10

 

CS

--

25

3

.20

--

--

.50

Cauliflower

CS

--

1000*

3

.20

--

--

.50

Onion

FS

--

5

2*

.10

--

--

--

FS= Foundation Seed

CS= Certified Seed