Seed production, processing and storage techniques for agricultural, horticultural, forage and silvicultural crops.
Paddy seed upgradation using common salt solution (2 kg NaCl in 10 lit. of water) to remove floaters based on density.
Acid method of seed extraction in brinjal and tomato : Soaking fruit pulp in HCl @ 25 ml / kg for 30 min. with frequent stirring, washing thoroughly with water and collection of settled seeds.
Delinting of cotton seeds with commercial sulphuric acid @ 100 ml / kg for
2-3 min. followed by thorough washing and drying.
Tendril clipping in cowpea at alternate days to reduce vegetative growth and to induce flowering and pod set.
Storing groundnut pods in gunny bags with CaCl2 @ 250 g /30 kg of pods inside the plastic container extends the storability of pods.
Pre harvest sanitation spray with malathion 50 EC @ 0.05 % 3 – 5 days prior to harvest to control pulse beetle.
Keeping bee hives @ 5 No./ ha for improving the seed set in sunflower.
Foliar spray of NAA 20ppm for vegetables and 40 ppm for cotton to reduce flower drop.
Seed pelleting with pelleting mixture or leaf powder @100 -200 g / kg of seeds to increase the size and shape of the seed suitable for mechanized sowing in all crops.
Seed coating with polymer @ 3 g dissolved in 5 ml of water / kg of seeds to enhance the field emergence in maize, pulses, cotton and vegetables.
Foliar spray with 2% DAP at the time of flower initiation and 15 days after first spray to improve seed set and seed size in all pulses.
Seed treatment with halogen mixture @ 3 g / kg of seed (CaOCl2 + CaCO3 + Arappu leaf powder @ 5:4:1 ratio) as a pre storage treatment.
Live seed separation in groundnut – soaking groundnut seeds in 0.5% CaCl2 for 6 hours and incubation in moist gunnies for overnight and collection of
pre- germinated seeds for sowing.
Seed hardening to withstand drought condition :
Soaking paddy seeds in equal volume of KCl 1% solution for 16 hours
Soaking red gram and black gram seeds in 1/3rd volume of ZnSO4
100 ppm solution for 3 hours
Soaking green gram seeds in 1/3rd volume of MnSO4 100ppm solution for 3 hours
Soaking sorghum seeds in 600ml of KH2PO4 2 % solution for 10 hours
Soaking maize seeds in equal volume of KH2PO4 2 % solution for 8 hours
Soaking pearl millet seeds in 650ml of KCl 2 % solution for 10 hours
Soaking cotton seeds in equal volume of KCl 2 % solution for 3 hours
Soaking sunflower seeds in equal volume of KNO3 2 % solution for 6 hours
Soaking ragi seeds in equal volume of CaCl2 0.5 % solution for 12 hours
Seed treatment with Carbendazim or bavistin @ 2 g / kg of seeds before storage – All crops.
Seed dormancy breaking and seed testing methods for popular tree species.
