Seed Technology

Contents: Part One: Introductory Topics/ Part Two: General Principles of Seed Production / Part Three: Foundation and Certified Seed Production / Part Four: Seed Processing, Storage and Marketing / Part Five: Seed Testing / Part Six: Seed Certification and Seed Legislation

Edited by a renowned seed biologist with a team assembled from the most respected laboratories worldwide, Seed Technology and Its Biological Basis illustrates the commercial value of seeds as a major resource. The editors provide a sweeping overview of the current state-of-the-art in seed technology and its biological basis. The book is invaluable to researchers and professionals in both the industrial and academic sectors.

Difficulties in conduction of purity analyses of tropical species are discussed with particular emphasis on the pasture species. Methods and equipment requiring further research are highlighted. Operating and management problems of processing -seed in tropical areas are described. Ways in which viability losses can be reduced in open or naturally ventilated seed stores are described. Methods of protecting seed from insect attack and testing seeds of tropical crops for many seed-borne diseases are discussed. Marketing and promotion requirements, methods, agencies and channels are diagrammed. Two alternatives are described for established a seed testing station in tropical areas: Seed - lab 2000, that can test 2000 samples/ year and Seed - lab 5000 that can test 5000 samples/year. A list of books and journals for a basic seed testing library is appended.

This publication is about the Seed Technology Research Questionnaire, which covered nine major research areas, corresponding to broad fields of study, to determine relative demand for different kinds of seed research.

Seed quality. The seed industry. Development, ripening, dormancy and germination. Climatic and other requirements for seed multiplication. Pollination. Agronomy. Harvesting and drying. Storage. Processing. Multiplication. Testing for cultivar authenticity and purity. Certification. Release and registration of cultivars. Tolerances and sampling. Testing for purity. Testing for germination capacity and vigour. Testing for moisture content, health and uniformity. Legislation. Plant names.

All Indian Agricultural Universities provide courses in plant breeding and seed technologies at the undergraduate and graduate levels. It is also provided at the graduate level in biology and the postgraduate level in botany in all conventional universities. Numerous books have been written on the subject, many of them by authors from other countries. However, no single source covers the curriculum entirely. In addition, foreign-authored texts rarely incorporate examples from India, and the bulk of Indian students cannot pay their high costs. The primary objective of the current publication, "Fundamentals of Plant Breeding and Seed Technology," was to assist Indian students. This book would be beneficial to the students, teachers, emerging scientists, and researchers from both an individual and institutional perspective. The book has all the fundamental concepts of the chosen subject covered. For the benefit of Indian students, each unit is written in simple, understandable language. For everyone studying plant breeding and seed technology, as well as teachers and researchers in the subject, this book will be helpful. Additionally, it will be beneficial for people taking competitive exams and tests for research fellowships. These are the chapters that are included: 1. An Introduction to Plant Breeding, Its Scope and Importance; 2. Conventional Plant Breeding Techniques, Methods, and Practices; 3. Heterosis and hybrid vigor; 4. Mutation Breeding; 5. Polyploidy; 6. Breeding for Resistance or Tolerance; 7. Introduction of Seed Technology; 8. Seed Certification; 9. Seed Processing; 10. Seed sampling; 11. Physical purity analysis 12. Seed Storage; 13. Seed Testing, and 14. Seed marketing.

Seed quality is critical to achieving successful crop cultivation, propagation and breeding, whilst seeds are also pivotal to the conservation and management of plant genetic resources. The sector must develop a better understanding of seed quality, germination and seedling emergence to ensure successful crop establishment. Advances in seed science and technology for more sustainable crop production provides an authoritative review of the wealth of current research on key advances in seed science and technology. The collection considers the development of new techniques to ensure seed quality control, including seed phenotyping, hyper-spectral imaging and electrophotography. Later chapters discuss advances in seed coating, conditioning and priming techniques, as well as the growing use of biostimulant-based seed treatments throughout agriculture.