SEED TIMES- APRIL-JUNE 2012 by Tulika Singh

Volume 5 No.2 April-June 2012

The National Seed Association of India Magazine

Seed Quality Assurance: Present Status and Future Needs - Malavika Dadlani

Comparative Assessment of Indian and International Standards (ISTA & OECD) for Seed Quality Assurance Enabling International Seed Trade

1 15

- Vilas A. Tonapi, M. Bhaskaran, CT Manjunath Prasad, MB Arunkumar and SK Yadav

Seed Quality Assurance

Role of Seed Health Testing and Quarantine in Pest Management - RK Khetarpal, V Celia Chalam and Kavita Gupta

nsa

National Seed Association of India

Message from the desk of President

eed is the most critical and vital input of agriculture. High quality seed brings packaged genetic potential and optimal plant stand on to the farm. The single most important task of any seeds man is to conserve the genetic makeup and deliver seed that has the ability to get desired plant stand in the farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s field. It is estimated that the direct contribution of quality seed alone to the total production is about 15-20%, which can be further raised up to 45%, with efficient management of other inputs. Over the years, Indian seed industry has undergone wide range of transformations including an increasing role of private sector seed companies, launch of biotechnology traits, changes in regulatory frameworks which have positively impacted seed research, marketing, distribution and trade. The industry made significant investments that are market driven for developing new products, with emphasis on value creation for farmers, consequently, farmer now has a wide choice of products. Seed quality specifications, comparable to international standards have been evolved and adopted. The country has a rigorous mechanism for seed quality control through voluntary seed certification and compulsory labelling, presently, the Indian seed industry is vibrant and well recognized in the international seed arena for adopting world class quality assurance practices. Several developing and neighbouring countries have benefitted from quality seed imports from India. India has a strong seed production base in terms of diverse and ideal agro-climates spread throughout the country for producing high quality seeds of several tropical, temperate and sub-tropical plant varieties in enough quantities. In future, the farmer expectations on seed quality and performance will be even more. A number of developing technologies like new seed treatment, new testing procedures, advanced equipments provide an opportunity for the seed industry to further upgrade. Industry shall adopt management practices, upgrade infrastructure and adopt technologies to deliver higher product quality and contribute to national endeavour of increasing agriculture productivity.

Dr. K.V. Subbarao President

CONTENTS Message from the desk of President

nsa

Message from the desk of Executive Director Seed Quality Assurance: Present Status and Future Needs

National Seed Association of India

1-5

- Malavika Dadlani

Seed Enhancements: The Next Revolution...

7 - 14

- Manish Patel and Arnab Gupta

15 - 29

- Vilas A. Tonapi, M. Bhaskaran, CT Manjunath Prasad, MB Arunkumar and SK Yadav

Seed Quality Assurance in National Seeds Corporation (NSC)

31 - 32

- S.K. Roongta

New Technology for Postharvest Drying and Storage of Seeds

33 - 38

- Keshavulu Kunusoth, Peetambar Dahal, Johan Van Asbrouck and Kent J. Bradford

Role of Seed Health Testing and Quarantine in Pest Management

41 - 49

- RK Khetarpal, V Celia Chalam and Kavita Gupta

Seed Quality Control System in India - R.K.Trivedi

51 - 53

DNA-Based Diagnostics for Genetically Modified Seeds

55 - 59

- Gurinder Jit Randhawa

Seed Quality Control Technology â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 'Easiest, Efficient, Economical and Reliable Replacement of GOT System

61 - 63

- Manish Patel and Manami Roy Gupta

Legislations for Seed Quality Regulation in India

65 - 73

- V. Shanthy; P.R. Vijaya Kumari; Anshu Vishwanathan and R.K. Deshmukh

Guidelines on Seed Health Testing in the Vegetable Seed Industry

Events

75 - 78

Honours & Awards

79 - 80

Seed & Agriculture Statistics

81 - 91

News

92 -98

New NSAI Members

CONTENTS

Comparative Assessment of Indian and International Standards (ISTA & OECD) for Seed Quality Assurance Enabling International Seed Trade

ABOUT NSAI National Seed Association of India (NSAI) is the apex organization representing the Indian Seed Industry. The vision of NSAI is to create a dynamic, innovative and internationally competitive, research based industry producing high performance, high quality seeds and planting materials which benefit farmers and significantly contribute to the sustainable growth of Indian Agriculture. The mission of NSAI is to encourage investment in state of the art R&D to bring to the Indian farmer superior genetics and technologies, which are high performing and adapted to a wide range of agro-climatic zones. It actively contributes to the seed industry policy development, with the concerned governments, to ensure that policies and regulations create an enabling environment, including public acceptance, so that the industry is globally competitive. NSAI promotes harmonization and adoption of best commercial practices in production, processing, quality control and distribution of seeds.

NSAI GOVERNING COUNCIL 2011-2013 President Vice President General Secretary Treasurer Immediate Past President

: : : : :

Dr. K. V. Subbarao (PHI Seeds) Mr. N. P. Patel (Western Agri Seeds) Mr. M. Harish Reddy (Ganga Kaveri Seeds) Mr. K.S. Narayanaswamy (Geo Biotechnologies) Dr. M. Ramasami (Rasi Seeds)

MEMBERS Dr. D.B. Desai (Navbharat Seeds)

Mr. Venkateswarlu Yaganti (Yaaganti Seeds)

Mr. Pawan Kansal (Kohinoor Seeds)

Mr. Bhupen Dubey (Advanta India)

Mr. K. Niranjan Kumar (Garc Seeds)

Mr. M. Sabir (Manisha Agri Biotech)

Dr. Manish Patel (Incotec India)

Dr. P. Sateesh Kumar (Prabhat Agri Biotech)

Mr. Vaibhav Kashikar (Ankur Seeds)

Mr. Aloke Marodia (Pan Seeds)

Mr. Satyanarayan Rathi (Divya Seeds)

Mr. S.K. Roongta (National Seeds Corp.)

NSAI SECRETARIAT Mr. Raju Kapoor

Dr. N.K. Dadlani

Dr. Seema Sehgal

Mrs. Tulika Singh

Executive Director

Director

Asst Director

COMPILED & EDITED BY

Dr. N.K. Dadlani & Mrs. Tulika Singh

National Seed Association of India

Message from the desk of Executive Director

MESSAGE

nsa

Agricultural productivity is, to a large extent, dependent on the genetic potential and performance of the seed at farmers' field. The quality and quantum of output depends on the quality of the seed that is sown by them. While the seed quality has been understood by the farmers and seed producers for decades but under the present challenging circumstances, there is strong need for the seed producers and the farmers to graduate from the simple concept of seed quality control to a more advanced stage of seed quality assurance (SQA). SQA is an integrated system of ensuring that each and every grain of seed, coming out of the seed production system conforms to the desired performance level. Significant advances have taken place in the area of ensuring seed quality through systemic interventions. Therefore, considering the importance of the subject of seed quality, we have decided to bring out this edition of 'Seed Times' to carry knowledge and information from the experts in this area. We are confident that the articles carried in this edition shall help in bringing the importance of SQA to the forefront in the minds of decision makers connected with the seed trade. We are overwhelmed by the very positive response from the readers about the look, feel and the contents of the First Edition of the 'Seed Times'. Even the readers from the academic and decision makers of the Government have complimented NSAI on the issue. We are pleased to inform you that the circulation reach of the magazine have doubled and in times to come, we would be reaching out to more stakeholders through this very important vehicle of knowledge. I would like to personally thank all contributors to this issue and all the advertisers who have helped us reach out to many more seedsmen. We wish everyone a very happy and normal monsoon and great kharif season ahead.

Raju Kapoor (Executive Director)

Seed Quality Assurance: Present Status and Future Needs Malavika Dadlani Joint Director (Research) Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) New Delhi

establishment of the first official Seed Testing Laboratory in Tharandt, Germany in 1869 by Professor Friendrich Nobbe, the seed quality assurance system in general, and seed testing in particular, have come a long way. Three factors were responsible for this:

evelopment of new varieties / hybrids, having desirable traits with respect to productivity, tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses or special quality attributes, is the most knowledge, time and investment-intensive process in crop research. And quality seed is the vehicle to carry the advantages of such research efforts to the end users. Hence, quality assurance of the product (i.e. seed) is of critical importance to the seed producers as well as farmers. Though the crucial role of seed in the whole process of agriculture was known to the cultivators since the evolution of agriculture and that of the mankind, the parameters of seed quality were determined only about a century before and precision of their measurement have undergone considerable changes over the years. The advancements and refinements in seed testing seen in the last two decades have been as remarkable as the technological revolutions seen with respect to plant breeding research itself.

growing awareness about the quality of seed in success of agriculture

large scale seed testing between and within the farmers of different communities, regions and countries and

Systematic steps taken by different governments to support agriculture by introducing pro-farmer policies and regulations

In India, the introduction and enforcement of the Seeds Act, 1966 by late 60s, coincided well with the era of Green Revolution. The Act provided for a formal system of seed quality control in the country for the first time. However, the informal system of quality assurance was prevailing since the beginning of the twentieth century and being followed in some form or the other by the private seed producing companies, mostly on the lines of Emergency Seeds Order of 1917 and the Seeds Act, 1920 of the UK. It is relevant to point out that the system of seed quality assurance may not necessarily be regulated by the requirements stipulated in the Seed Act, 1966. As per the Seeds Act, 1966 any seed of a notified variety/kind sold in the market must meet the minimum criteria of physical purity, germination and moisture. In case of certified seed,

As the importance of varietal performance and quality of seed used for farming was known to the farmers, they followed simple steps to ensure a good crop, such as selecting the best plants for seed collection, harvesting, threshing and cleaning the seeds from such plants separately and storing them in cool and dry conditions, using various locally available innovations, which resulted in better seed quality. It is only after the spread of seed trade as an agri-business, that an organized system of quality assurance came into practice. Since the Seed Times April - June 2012

the testing is conducted and validated by a Seed Certification Agency, where as in case of non-certified or labeled seed, the purchaser relies on the assurance by the producer, though the testing could be performed in a notified or private laboratory. Similarly, the authenticity and purity of the variety are also based on the assurance of the producer company. Though the three main components i.e. varietal purity, germination and physical purity remain the bases of seed quality, several additional parameters viz., seed health or presence of seed borne/transmitted pests and pathogens; vigour (planting value) of the seed, variety purity and trait purity in GM varieties are also subjected to laboratory testing to ensure the best performance of a seed lot.

(iv) Sampling and detection protocols for determining the adventitious presence of GM seed (v) Sampling and quantitative determination of trait purity in GM varieties Of these, vigour methods for pea, soybean and Brassicas (more species are being added), electrophoresis and isoelectrophoresis methods for hybrid purity of maize, sunflower and Immunological/DNA based detection methods for seed transmitted virus and bacterial pathogens have already been included in the ISTA's recommended methods.

Components of Seed Quality Assurance: The system of seed quality assurance relies on the testing of four primary components of seed quality, i.e. genetic (variety) purity, physical purity, germination and moisture. Testing for the seed borne pathogen is required in case of designated diseases. It can be performed at four levels of testing: Field and laboratory evaluation of the seed crop and processed seed by the seed producer

Field inspection and seed testing performed by the designated Seed Certification/Seed Testing agencies

Market sample collection by Seed Inspectors and its testing in a designated laboratory and

Quality check of a purchased seed lot by the farmer before its use (normally applies to the seed lots procured/purchased from less reliable sources).

The first two of the above constitute the basic mechanism for a reliable quality control system. However, there are several types of formal, official, quasi-official and voluntary seed quality assurance systems operative globally. Most of the countries have an official system of Seed Testing in place, which is operated as per the countries legislation by their respective designated laboratories. The working Groups of ISTA, in collaboration with the ISTA member laboratories, under take regular revisions of protocols and standardization of new protocols for existing or new parameters. Some of the newly added components of seed quality, for which protocols have been standardized for some crops and being standardized for more, are:

Presently there are 108 notified Seed testing Laboratories in the country, a majority of them are equipped only for performing the primary seed quality testing, i.e., physical purity, germination and moisture determination. Though several measures have been taken in the last two plan years to strengthen the STLs in terms of physical infrastructure and manpower, the status of their functioning still needs much improvement. Internationally, it is mandatory that a Seed Analyst must have necessary technical competence as an essential qualification. The analyst may either hold a degree or diploma or certificate in Seed Technology/Seed Testing to be eligible for such position. It is also desirable that the analysts regularly undergo refresher courses and upgrade their competence in view of the technological advances which ensure higher levels of precision in results.

(i) Vigour assessment methods (ii) Molecular techniques for species and variety determinations and purity analysis (iii) ELISA and PCR based techniques for identification of seed-borne pathogens Seed Times April - June 2012

Several of the Seed Testing Laboratories in the private seed sector have obtained the ISTA accreditation for different components of seed testing and issuance of certificates required for the purpose of international seed trade. Thus, these laboratories are recognized for quality assurance internationally. Reliability of seed testing largely depends on methodologies/protocols followed, competence of the analysts and operational accuracy. Inadequacy in any of the above factors could lead to serious discrepancies in the results of the testing performed by the Seed Testing Laboratories.

State Seed Testing Laboratories (SSTL) are meant to analyse seed samples of any notified kind or variety received from any source for the purpose of Analysis of samples Under Section 8 of the Seeds Act (received from SCA).

Seed labeling, selling or using for cultivation.

Compliance of labeling Under Section 7 of the Seeds Act (received from Seed Inspectors).

In India, the Central Seed Testing Association, NSRTC, run by the DOAC, Ministry of Agriculture is the coordinating unit, mandated with the responsibility of a Referral Laboratory. It receives at least 5% of all seed samples received by the notified Seed Testing Laboratories and validates the accuracy of test results. It also conducts annual workshops and organizes training for updating the competence of the analysts working in different STLs.

In addition, a number of privately owned organizations companies in many countries provide services for seed quality assurance or testing different parameters of seed quality using immune-based, DNA-based, protein profiling, chromatographic or bio assay based techniques for evaluating seed purity, health, herbicide tolerance, Bt/transgene etc. Australian organizations such as “Rural Solutions' and 'Sure Seed' offer seed services to their clients and are accredited to issue OECD, AOSCA or ISTA certificates, following their prescribed testing programmes. Several ISO certified laboratories also provide similar services to the seed producers. Many countries viz. USA, Canada, Australia recognize the seed testing laboratories in the private seed companies for the purpose of quality assurance, though in India, the notified seed testing laboratories are operated only by the government organizations. However, for the purpose of labelling, the seed testing can be performed in the laboratories in the private or public sector organization.

Statistical Tools for ST: Application of statistical methods for accuracy of various test results is another important component of quality assurance. ISTA recommended Tolerance Tables are applied to validate the accuracy of test results within or between different laboratories and lots. Modern tools and softwares are being developed to assist seed analyst to derive reliable inferences. Seedcalc 8 (Microsoft Excel application written for Window 2000 and Xp) for testing purity/impurity including GM traits; statistical packages for inter laboratory tests using ISO 5725; Heterogeneity Testing Calculator for seed lots in multiple containers, are some of the new introductions for Seed Quality Assurance by international bodies viz. ISTA, AOSA etc.

Uniformity, Accuracy and Reproducibility In order to achieve precision in testing, the International Seed Testing Association, Zurich publishes a set of internationally validated and accepted procedures (Rules) for performing each of the seed quality tests for a large number of plant species including field crops, horticultural species, trees, shrubs, herbs and medicinal species etc. Most of the countries have adopted ISTA procedures for developing the national seed testing manuals, including India. North Americas follow a set of testing procedures and rules, very similar to those of ISTA, but validated and prescribed by the AOSCA. In order to achieve uniformity in (a) tests repeated on the same seed lot by the same analyst, (b) tests performed for different samples of the same lot by the same analyst, (c) tests performed on the same sample by different analysts or (d) tests performed on the samples of the same lot in different laboratories, it is important that all participating laboratories follows the same procedures and participate in the “ring tests” or “proficiency tests” coordinated by the nodal centre. All

Seed Times April - June 2012

Seed Quality Research: Both public research institutions viz. ICAR institutes (IARI, CICR, DSR); SAUs (TNAU, RAU, CCSHAU, PAU, UAS etc.) and private seed companies having strong R&D capabilities, have contributed in developing precise methods for quality evaluation, seed quality enhancement technologies, development of protocols and diagnostics and also in conducting customized, need-based research. In developed countries, there are private owned or not-for-profit organizations such as Seed Technology Research Foundation (STRF), USA, Farmers' Independent Research & Seed Technologies (FIRST), and others which are established with the objective to support applied research in seed testing, to promote standardization in laboratory procedures and increase the benefits of seed analysis to the industry. Certainly there is need and ample scope of partnerships and collaborations among different groups/institutions to achieve greater success.

M : Molecular Marker (20 bp) 1 : Female parent of pusa@ 2 : Male parent of pusa@ 3 : Pusa hybrid@ 4 : Female parent of pusa# 5 : Male parent of pusa# 6. Pusa hybrid # 7. Female Parent of ** 8. Male parent of ** 9 : **

Fig. 1: Identified SSR markers for ensuring the hybridity as well as extant of selfed seeds in hybrid seed lots of respective brinjal hybrids.

M : Molecular Marker (20 bp) 1 : Male parent of ** 2. Female Parent of ** 3 : ** 4-19 : PCR amplified product from new protocol. 1-3 : PCR amplified product from normal protocol.

Fig. 2: Validation of new protocol for testing the hybrid seed purity in brinjal.

400 bp 320 bp 240 bp 200 bp 160 bp F : Female Parent H : Hybrid M : Male Parent

Fig. 3: Duplex PCR technique for ensuring the identity of brinjal hybrids

Seed Times April - June 2012

Fig. 4. Esterase isozyme establishing hybridity in pearl millet hybrids (block arrows indicating bands of hybridity and arrow heads indicating heterodimer band) * Electrophoretic profile of seed esterases generated using the second generation seeds to test its stability over season

Seed Times April - June 2012

Seed Enhancements The Next Revolution...

Inotec India Pvt. Ltd., Ahmedabad

come in again with the novel pelleting and encrusting technology that plays a major role in continuation of agriculture with minimum manual sowing/planting operations by way of making seeds heavier and more sowable by mechanical planters.

ndia is the second largest producer of vegetables, with a total estimated production of 84 million tonnes from 6.2 million hectares and a growth of 2.6 percent. The present annual requirement of vegetables is estimated to be 100 million tones and is expected to be over 135 million tonnes by 2010. This leap can best be achieved through use of improved varieties and hybrid technology in combination with superior crop management skills. Substantial increases in productivity can thus be attained even with diminishing land and water resources.

A majority of the seed business is thriving on seedling business, where again the non-uniformity of seedling emergence causes nursery farmers uncertain income. Seed priming technologies ensure 100 percent uniformity to solanaceous vegetable seedling growers.

Hybrid vegetable and field crops technology has made significant impact in most crops in developed countries. India has not lagged behind in adopting this technology. The estimated area under vegetable hybrids has gone up from 192,100 ha in 1993-94 to 416,013 ha in 1999-2000. Vegetable production increased from an average of 10.5t/ha in 1991-92 to 15.2t/ha in 1999-2000 amounting to an increase of 52 percent. Data on area, production and productivity over the last decade reveal that overall production showed an upward trend while the total area showed an erratic movement and had an increase of only 0.42 percent. During the corresponding period, there had been a substantial growth in hybrid seed usage in India and this can be directly attributed to the steep increase in total production and productivity.

The upgrading technologies that are available with us is helpful to reclaim much of the vegetable seeds that does not meet quality standards. The state-of-the-art equipments from many companies are able to select the viable seeds from a lot and hence upgrading a total unplantable seed lot. So more quality seeds are made available for the Indian vegetable farmers.

The Seven Horses Some scientist visualized seed enhancements as “Seven Horses”…truly, we now have exactly the same classification as far as seed enhancements are concerned. The genetics of crops has almost reached a “yield-plateau” phase, ie. there is not much productivity that can be tapped anymore with the current resources. So the baton is in the hands of the seed technocrats who has the job of getting the most out of EACH SEED SOWN. Vagaries of nature, soil, inputs play havoc to the ultimate productivity of a crop. We are here to clear the “background noise” so that the genetics perform in a way that they should. Taking out the stresses, is the prime objective of seed enhancements and also explore the inner

Leading towards this bubbling seed industry, leading seed quality improvement, companies have continuously strived to, enhance and value add this primary input, and arm the growers against natures vagaries as well as biotic stresses. Labour force has been dwindling during the last few years and we come across some severe constraints in this seed industry to facilitate planting operations manually. Here we Seed Times April - June 2012

Dr. Manish Patel & Dr. Arnab Gupta

physiological ability of the seed that normally does not express under normal sowing-cropping practices.

Upgrading By definition, upgrading is the operation of selection of superior quality seed from a heterogeneous mass of bulk-raw seed deploying the characteristics of various physical, chemical or physiological properties. This implies the REAL removal of â&#x20AC;&#x153;badâ&#x20AC;? seeds from a seed lot thus rendering the remaining seeds with higher quality based on plant performance.

Introducing the seven horses 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Upgrading Seed Priming Film Coating Pelleting and Encrusting Disinfection Application of Actives and Additives (AAA) Electrophoretic Genetic Quality Control

Now this selection procedure can be based on many seed parameters. Trying to list out a few in the table.

Seed Property

Basis of Separation

Equipment/Process

Accuracy

Size

Screening

Air screen cleaners Scalpers/rough cleaners

High Low

Shape

Length, width, l / w ratio

Indented cylinder separators

Medium

Specific gravity

Same size, but differing in weight

Gravity deck Destoners

Medium High

Specific gravity (Buoyancy)

Archimedian principlevolume to weightbuoyancy

Liquid density separator (LDS)

High

Surface texture

Hairyness, smooth

Belt grader

High

Seed Times April - June 2012

Seed Property

Basis of Separation

Equipment/Process

Accuracy

Sphericity

How spherical the seeds are

Spiral separator

Medium

Wettability

Surface tension property

Magnetic separators

High

Surface static chagre

Chemical nature of the seedcoat has differential property to hold or not hold static charge

EM separators

Moderate

Chaffiness

Aerodynamics

Dakota blowers Air Classifiers

High High

Embryo image

X-ray vision

X-ray upgrader “Improver ®”

Extremely high

To allow your seed lot to achieve maximal germination potential and uniformity there are available a range of upgrading technologies that maximize germination and uniformity potential. We offer conventional sorting technology based on the characteristics of the seeds such as weight and size to improve uniformity. Fluid density upgrading (LDS) is another method that is more precise and can improve germination when conventional upgrading is not effective.

Alone or in combination, these technologies can really influence the final plant stand a lot and thus giving a healthy and uniform maturity , thus harvest.

Seed Priming To prime is to wake the embryo. You might imagine that, to endure a low moisture contents to the tune of 8-9% (in contrary to 75 percent of living tissues), the seed embryo has to undergo some dormancy process to overcome the harsh low water content and to protect the macromolecules (enzymes, oligosaccharides etc) from dehydration…and denaturation.

X-ray imaging is our most recent and innovative seed upgrading technology which can significantly increase the percentage of useable seeds in each seed lot. The internal embryo shape of each individual seed is inspected. X-ray technology is currently available for upgrading tomato seed lots.

The waking up process starts in the soil when the seed is sown on moist soil..it absorbs water and starts all the pre germination biochemical processes…..and subsequent germination. Here is when priming comes in. New technologies take care of this critical time of “pregermination” stages under very controlled conditions, in our

Available technologies can improve hybridity of the seed lot. With this technology we are often successful in upgrading a seed lot with a hybridity as low as 80 percent! Seed Times April - June 2012

production facility. The vagaries of nature at the pregermination stages takes a toll on the plant uniformity, stand and also on the later physiological processes. INCOTEC will handle this critical stage with our 45 years old experience and protocols and state-of-the-art equipments.

Benefits of Priming ØIncreased speed of

germination

ØIncrease seedling uniformity ØIncrease seedling stand

The final product that you get will germinate fast, more uniform, on a wider climatic range and longer shelf life (generally more with many protocols)

ØShelflife at least 18 months ØWide ranges of

abiotic stress tolerance

Capsicum After 6 Days on Paper Media

Primed "PROMOTOR"

Unprimed Control

Effect of Priming on Tomato (Promotor)

Cocopeat, at 250C... 6d after sowing

Original Seed

Seed Times April - June 2012

Primed Seed

Pelleting and Encrusting

Disinfection

Today's planting equipment requires a smooth round shape for optimal results The peletting or encrusting of seed will create a smoother surface and more uniform shape as well as increase size and weight: all characteristics designed to maximize planting efficiency. Certain coating products are developed to maintain the germination capacity of the seed. Good examples of this are the Split PillTM, and Splitkote® seed pellets, originally developed for lettuce. The coating is designed to allow free and easy access of moisture and oxygen to the seed.

Seeds need to be disinfected in order to rid them of seedborne pathogens. In an effort to contribute to the sustainability of global agriculture, seed disinfection treatments have been developed and fine tuned to meet the requirements of today's seed industry. Unlike most disinfection methods currently available, few very successful ones eg. eXccit TM product line can eradicate external and internal seed-borne diseases without negatively affecting the speed of emergence and final stand. ThermoSeedTM is an innovative treatment developed to eradicate seed-borne pathogens. This highly effective treatment involves subjecting seeds to hot humid air under strictly controlled conditions in such a way that disease producing organisms are controlled and the best possible germination, vigor and seed productivity potential are achieved. Furthermore, this is a GREEN TECHNOLOGY and no chemicals are involved in this, so this can be safely applied to the “organic seed” sector. Thermoseed TM, eradicates dangerous pathogens like Tilletia, Fusarium, Dreschlera, Ustilago, Magnaporthe, Gibberella, Cochliobolus etc.

With the ever changing market, our coatings are constantly being adapted to deal with present day needs and legislation both locally and globally. Pelleting: Covering seeds with a special powder material to singularize the seeds for easy planting. Seeds lose their shape to a sleek spherical shape. Size increase may be 5+ times. a.

This helps in easy seed drill planting of irregular/small seeds that are expensive and you will not want any loss while planting.

As-much-you-need loading of agrochemicals as per the disease/pest pressure of the sales region.

Encrusting: Similar to pelleting, but here the size increase is limited to 2 times to 21/2 times. This we have already partenered with some companies for onion and cumin. In onion, the advantage lies in that you don't need to have a nursery….direct sowing is possible. Irregular cavities of the seeds gets filled in with another special powder. The shape of the seeds is somewhat maintained. Very extensively used in lightweight grass seeds and flower seeds.

Seed Times April - June 2012

Filmcoating Seed Film Coating Seed Film coating is the application of very thin usually colored, biodegradable and water soluble polymer layer around the seed mainly to apply actives i.e. fungicide, pesticide, hormone, micronutrient, biological, etc. without changing shape and size. Seed Coating is an advance form of Traditional Seed Treatment.

Advantages / Benefits of Seed coating:

The characteristics of each seed lot are carefully established prior to treatment and this determines the parameters for the process. These pre-treatment tests and the regulation of the parameters are carried out with exceptional precision to maximize effectivity.

Seed Times April - June 2012

Reduces dust formed during application – safe for workers, farmers and labours.

Seed coating liquid acts as a carrier and binder for actives (fungicide and pesticide) – ensures proper application of actives.

Even distribution of actives (fungicide and pesticide) seed to seed – ensures efficient use of actives.

Cosmetic appearance to the seed – marketing benefit and farmers perception towards seed.

Improve the flowability of seed – coated seed can be used in mechanical planter.

Ensures slow release of fungicide and pesticide from seed surface – ensures protection of seed from different pathogens.

Modern day film coating has travelled a long distance than the benefits explained above. They are now tailor-made to suit different conditions

Slow release film coats: Filmcoat liquids have been developed that releases some systemic insecticides over a longer period of time. We have seen a 60% release over 40 days in cotton.

High bond: To strongly bind high doses of insecticides and fungicides

High-flow: Enables smooth flow in the planting machines and packing machines and these equipments never clog.

ID-polymers: Having an invisible marker that fluoresces at only a certain frequency of light. Gives IPR protection and saves false claims.

Abrasion resistance : For heavy seeds like corn, beans…coatings do not get rubbed off even during very large bulk conveyance through elevators.

Anti freeze: For cold climates, the filmcoat liquids do not freeze during storage

Aesthetics: Pearlescents, shines, Sparkles, Metals, for different customer needs for brand image. Also tailormade colors and shades (eg: House-style colors of companies…Filmcoats are licenced to them in their own shades)

Application of Actives and Additives

Seed Applied Biologicals

Actives can have a positive influence on all or any of the phases of seed germination and/or the growth and development of seedlings and plants. Different types of actives are recognized and can be divided into three main sub-groups:

Biological Actives provide seed with either plant protection or plant growth stimulation. Thorough research ensures consistent results, recovery of the active ingredients, uniform seed-to-seed distribution and dust-free binding to the seed. We also pay particular attention to the safety of the handler and the environment. There are formulations of Bacteria and Fungi that together communicate with each other and proliferate in the root zone. This enables the roots to increase their surface area and thus the nutrient uptake increases considerably. We have seed upto 18 percent yield increment in wheatwith only 遜 gram application of the formulations. So these Actives have immense power.

? Plant Protection Products ? Stimulants ? Biologicals

Seed Applied Plant Protection Products Plant protection products are actives developed to combat pests and diseases and to enhance seed germination as well as seedling growth and development. Product lines such as Sanokote速 and Sanovision速, combine priming, coating and plant protection product (PPP) application to give optimal performance of your seeds. The patented Sanokote Smart, for example, can defeat the negative effects often experienced when seeds require high doses of PPPs.These PPPs may be biological or chemical. In either case these can be organic (natural) or non-organic. Our researchers are in close collaboration with the developers of seed applied PPPs so that we can continue to provide you with the best formulations for your crop.

Seed Applied Stimulants Control, Root Scan Image on a Transparent Tray

Seeds, seedlings and plants may benefit from stimulants. Many types of stimulants are available including micronutrients, plant growth regulators and promoters, gene activators, systemic resistance elicitors. Industry is constantly looking for new stimulants which, after rigorous laboratory and field trials, can be incorporated into our products as a seed treatment. These stimulants may be biological or chemical. In either case these can be organic (natural) or non-organic. Recently released Genius Coat 速 is a very potent Active , when incorporated with our filmcoats has 5-10% yield enhancements. These organic stimulants switch on certain genes that are responsible for root proliferation, thus enhancing water and nutrient uptake even in sub-optimal conditions. Seed Times April - June 2012

5.06.171 Higher root growth Tolerates Abiotic Stresses Higher yields

Electrophoretic Genetic Quality Control Marker technology (Protein Markers) in the seed industry is being thought about for the past 2 decades consistently. Various seed companies around the world, in Europe, US, Africa and Asia have been using this technology successfully to replace their traditional system of QC by GOT in 13

? Since proteins are the final products of gene translation,

controlling F1 genetic purity. This system is highly reliable and speedy with reasonable cost as compared to other methods of molecular assisted quality control. It is also ISTA accredited and we are the pioneers in developing superfine Isoelectric Focusing (IEF) systems where minor difference of 1Kbp can be detected. Protein, Isoenzymes and DNA are used as tools to develop such quality control system as well other breeding support Programme.

this molecule is targeted for this diagnostic technique. In a field GOT also the breeder observes the phenotype which is again the final translation product. So irrespective of errors in gene expression, protein diagnostic techniques are very reliable in Agriculture. ? It has a fine tune with their field correlation, which has

been proved in many of the cases, making our technique the most reliable,

UTLIEF (Ultra Thin Layer Iso Eletric Focusing) ? Electrophoretic techniques are used to resolve seed proteins on an Ultra Thin Gel which gives a superfine resolution (1bp) and analyze the banding patterns. Certain gels are very thin (46 microns) in comparison to other commercially available gels of 1.25 mm thickness.

? Also, Protein marker technology produces a huge

number of Data Points (50-60 bands or even more per gel ) in comparison to DNA markers(1-15 data points maximum),and that's why our technology is unique and Unbeatable. ? This is a high throughput technology, so it is cost

effective and faster.

Applications

Seed Times April - June 2012

Genetic quality control: fast, accurate, economical. Can easily replace field GOT

Homogeniety test of parental lines or Purelines.

Comparison test for â&#x20AC;&#x153;me-tooâ&#x20AC;? cases in Agriforensics.

Breeding assistance for backcrossing populations.

Genetic distance evaluation for heterosis prediction.

Plant variety protection with Protein fingerprints.

Comparative Assessment of Indian and International Standards (ISTA & OECD) for Seed Quality Assurance Enabling International Seed Trade Vilas A. Tonapi1, M. Bhaskaran2, CT Manjunath Prasad1, MB Arunkumar1 and SK Yadav1 1. Division of Seed Science and Technology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 2. Division of Seed Science and Technology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore seed testing and control (pre- and post-control). In these elements, four important seed quality parameters â&#x20AC;&#x201C; genetic purity, physical purity, physiological condition and seed health status - are the focus. Seed quality assurance is a mechanism put in place to guarantee the quality of seed from production, harvesting, and post-harvest handling through sales. In India, certification is voluntary and labeling is compulsory. Seed certification is subject to the Seeds Act 1966 and the procedures are regulated by the 1968 rules for certification and subsequent amendments. Certified seed must satisfy the standards as outlined in the 1988 edition of the Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards. Trade in seed is subject to bilateral and/or multilateral agreements at local, regional, and international levels. In general, the seed trade is one of the most regulated sectors in all countries, with a plethora of seed laws, testing and certification procedures. The simplification and harmonization of testing and certification procedures helps to improve farmers' access to high-quality seed in all regions of the world. Several international bodies were created for setting standards and regulations that provided an enabling environment for the seed industry: the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) in 1924; the International Plant Protection

Introduction:

n this era of rapidly changing global conditions, improved varieties and good quality seeds are inevitable to confront the challenges of ever increasing population and food insecurity. Improved seed is the carrier of technological innovations and serves as an engine for agricultural advancement when available in the required quantities and of the right quality. Seed being a commodity of trade, seed production supply activities and seed quality constitutes a more serious source of concern than seed quantity. As the first input in the cropping process, high-quality seed brings high genetic yield potential resulting in higher productivity and crop production. Seed quality assurance is a systematic and planned procedure for ensuring the genetic, physical and physiological integrity of the seed delivered to farmers. The term â&#x20AC;&#x153;seed quality assuranceâ&#x20AC;? implies that agencies charged with seed quality cooperate with and support stakeholders in other areas of the seed industry to assure quality products. Overall, elements covered by seed quality assurance include variety release, proper land selection, field crop inspection, Seed Times April - June 2012

Convention (IPPC) in 1951; the OECD Seed Schemes in 1953, and the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) in 1961.

is determined only by its level of occurrence in the seed lot. Proposal for maximum seed lot size is to achieve reasonably homogenous seed lot. Seed size is generally the significant factor in determining the maximum seed lot size and the submitted sample is largely in relation to the purity working sample, based on the weight of 2500 seeds. It is very important to note here is that the seed lot is rejected or accepted for sale, only on the basis of the tests conducted on the representative sample submitted to the seed testing laboratory. However, there exists a large variation in maximum seed lot size, minimum submitted sample and working sample size between IMSCS, 1988 and ISTA's International Rules for Seed Testing, 2011 [Table-1 & 2].

National and Global Seed Scenario The estimated value of the World seed market is 42 billion USD of which USA stands first with 12000 million USD. Indian domestic seed sector ranks fifth in the World with a turnover of 3000 million USD, next only to USA, China, France and Brazil. India's rank in the world seed market in terms of value has increased from 10th position with value of 600 million USD in 2002 to fifth position with 3000 million USD in 2011. However, India's share in global seed export is less than 2 percent. As per the International Seed Federation's estimate of 2011, India exports the seeds of field crops worth of 19 million USD. Hence, in order to enhance the seed export potential, India has become the member of OECD Seed schemes since October 2008. This will facilitate all the stakeholders to participate in multiplication of seeds abroad as well as increase the International Seed Trade. The varieties and hybrids of different crops including vegetables, developed and produced in India can be marketed in Asian and African countries falling within the same Agro- Eco- Zones of 30 degrees N-S latitudes. The hybrids seeds particularly of maize and paddy can be marketed in Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka and seeds of paddy, sorghum, pearl millet and vegetables can be exported to African countries. This will help for increasing the rural employment in the seeds sector, in addition to improving the economic conditions of the seed-producing farmers in the State. Concerning trade, imports and exports of seed are governed by the Export and Import (EXIM) Policy 2002-2007. While most of the seed traded internationally today is vegetable seed, nevertheless, there is growing interest in exporting seed of field crops, in particular, hybrid seed. At present, new legislation is under discussion and once approved will enhance seed exports and facilitate seed imports. Since 2009, small amounts of maize, jute and millet seed were exported to neighboring countries, while substantial amounts of pulse seeds were imported from countries in South America. It is prime time that we identify the disparities in the present quality regulation requirements to truly go global in order to enhance the share in international seed business. An attempt is made to present major disparities that exits in the present seed quality standards and regulatory requirements and to harmonize these standards and regulations with international organizations like International Seed Testing Association [ISTA] and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development [OECD].

About International Seed Testing Association [ISTA] The International Seed Testing Association [ISTA] established in 1924 work towards a vision of uniformity in seed testing internationally. ISTA is based in Zurich, Switzerland and is truly a global network with member laboratories in over 75 countries worldwide. ISTA's concurrent mission is to develop, adapt and publish standard procedures for sampling and testing seeds, and to promote uniform application of these procedures for evaluation of seeds moving through international trade. ISTA's seed sampling and testing methods have been developed by its members since its formation. Methods have gone through appropriate validation studies to ensure that test procedures give reliable and reproducible results. The test methods is based on scientific knowledge and the accumulated experience of those working in seed testing and quality control. The test results are reported on the ISTA International Seed Analysis Certificate, which are accepted by many authorities and consumers

Comparison of Genetic Purity and ODVs in Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards Conventionally, genetic purity of hybrids is assessed by a grow-out test (GOT), which involves scoring distinct morphological traits for a given hybrid till maturity. There exists a compromise between minimum genetic purity [%] and Maximum permissible ODVs. GOT is not mandatory for all crops, however, for hybrids the genetic purity standard is 95 percent (i.e., 5 in 100). If we calculated the numbers permissible off-type seeds to achieve 95 percent genetic purity, it works out to be 2143 seeds per Kg of paddy seeds, where as permissible ODVs are 20 per Kg [Table-3] that is distinguished only based on morphological markers, which is practically very difficult. Therefore, it is a time to fix the higher level of standards for genetic purity. Further, we could also go for alternate methods of genetic purity testing [Isozymes, DNA markers etc.] to minimize time and cost mainly as a measure of quality control.

Comparison in Maximum Seed Lot, Submitted Sample & Working Sample Size Sampling is aimed obtaining a sample of a size suitable for tests, in which the probability of a constituent being present Seed Times April - June 2012

Table 1: Comparison of maximum seed lot size [kg] in different crops where discrepancies observed in requirements as in Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards, 1988 and ISTA's International Rules for Seed Testing, 2011. Indian Requirements

ISTA Requirements

Crop and Botanical Name

Maximum weight of seed lot [Kg]

20,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 10,000

30,000 30,000 30,000 30,000 30,000

20,000 20,000 20,000 10,000 20,000

30,000 30,000 30,000 30,000 30,000

20,000 10,000 20,000 20,000

30,000 25,000 30,000 25,000

20,000 20,000

25,000 30,000

10,000

5,000

20,000 20,000 20,000

30,000 30,000 30,000

Field Crops and Millets Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) Paddy (Oryza sativa L.) Triticale (X. Triticosecale) Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) Pulses Bengal gram (Cicer arietinum L.) Black gram (Vigna mungo L.) Green gram (Vigna radiata L.) Lentil (Lens culinaris L.) Pea (Pisum sativum L.) Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Pods Kernels Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) Soybean (Glycine max L.) Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) Fiber Crops Cotton (Gossypium spp.) Oat (Avena sativa L.) Green Leafy Vegetables Amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) Legume Vegetables Broad bean (Vicia faba L.) Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) Scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus L.)

Foundati on (white), Breeder (Yellow), and Certified Seed (Blue) tags in

Seed Times April - June 2012

18 1000 1000 300 1000 250 350 100 25 25 25 25 40 25 100

Fiber Crops Cotton (Gossypium spp.) Jute (Corchorus spp.)

Forage Crops Birdwood grass (Cenchrus setigerus L.) Blue panic (Panicum antidotale L.) Buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris L.) Doob (Cynodon dactylon L.) Fenugreek (Trigonella spp.) Guinea grass (Panicum maximum L.) Sweet clover (Melilotus indicus L.)

1000

1000 1000

Pulses Black gram (Vigna mungo L.) Indian bean (Lablab purpureus L.)

Oilseeds Castor (Ricinus communis L.) Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Pods Kernels Linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

400

(2)

Minimum submitted sample [g]

Field Crops Paddy (Oryza sativa L.)

(1)

Crop and Botanical Name

3 2 3 1 4 2 10

35 10

1000 600 30 180 125

1000

150 500

(3)

Purity analysis

25 20 25 10 40 20 100

350 100

1000 1000 300 1000 250

1000

1000 1000

400

(4)

Other species seed

Minimum working samples [g]

Indian Requirements

150 20 60 10 45 20 50

1000 150

1000 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 150 900 1000

1000

1000 1000

700

(5)

Minimum submitted sample [g]

15 2 6 1 45 2 5

350 15

1000 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 15 90 200

500

700 600

(6)

Purity analysis

150 20 60 10 450 20 50

1000 150

1000 -150 900 1000

1000

1000 1000

700

(7)

Other seed by number

Minimum working samples [g]

ISTA Requirements

Table 2: Comparison of minimum submitted and working sample size [kg] in different crops where discrepancies observed in Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards, 1988 and ISTA's International Rules for Seed Testing, 2011

Seed Times April - June 2012

25 25 1000 700 150 150 350 70 7 70 25 40

Green Manure Crops Poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) Tobacco (Nicotiana spp.)

Vegetable Crops Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) Bottle gourd (Lagenaria leucantha L.) Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) Long melon (Cucumis melo L.) Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata L.)

Fruit vegetables Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Tomato hybrids 7

Green Leafy Vegetables Amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) Celery (Apium graveolens L.)

Cole crops Chinese cabbage (Brassica chinensis L.) 4

7 1

7 7

450 70 70 70 180

1 0.5

2 5

70 10

70 15

1000 700 150 150 350

10 5

20 25

24 48

98.00 95.00

(3)

12 24

Reject number for sample size of 800 400

99.00

(2)

Standards for minimum Genetic Purity [%]

1071 / Kg 2143 / Kg

714 / Kg

(4)

Permissible off-types [Maximum]

10 10

15 7

1000 150 150 350

10 5

20 50.5

2 1

7 -

500 70 70 180

1 0.5

2 5

1000 -

10 5

20 / Kg 20 / Kg

10 / Kg

(5)

Permissible ODVs [Maximum]

Note: Permissible off-types (5) calculated based on the test weight of the seed for paddy varieties and hybrids. The standards are of IMSCS, 1988.

Foundation Certified a. Varieties, composites, synthetics, multilines b. Hybrids

(1)

Class of Seeds

Table 3: Differences in permissible off-types and ODVs existing in IMSCS, 1988 in paddy

25 25

Shaftal (Trifolium resupinatum L.) Venezuela grass (Melinis minutiflora L.)

Comparison in Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards and OECD Seed Scheme

About OECD Seed Scheme The Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) is an intergovernmental Organization founded in 1961 based in Paris. The OECD helps governments to foster prosperity and fight poverty through economic growth, financial stability, trade and investment, technology, innovation, entrepreneurship and development cooperation. The OECD Seed Schemes provide an international framework for the certification of seed with the aim of facilitating the growth in trade of seed by reducing technical barriers [providing 'Seed Passport']. The Schemes were established in 1958 in response to a combination of factors including the rapidly growing seed trade, the increase in regulatory requirements in some countries, the development of off-season production, the large breeding and production potential of exporting countries. The purpose of the OECD Seed Schemes is to encourage the use of â&#x20AC;&#x153;quality-guaranteedâ&#x20AC;? seed in participating countries. The Schemes authorize the use of labels and certificates for seed produced and processed for international trade according to agreed principles. The OECD Seed Certification Schemes are based on two key criteria; varietal identity and varietal purity. The OECD certification is applied to varieties satisfying DUS tests (Distinction, Uniformity and Stability), and the Schemes aim to ensure varietal identity and purity through seed multiplication, processing and labeling. They also provide specifications for seed multiplication outside of the country, which is becoming an ever-increasing practice. In 2008, over 500 000 metric tons of seed were OECD-certified, traded and used by farmers. In addition, the main OECD principles can also be applied to seed that is used on the domestic market. There are seven distinct and independent Seed Schemes and admission to each Scheme is voluntary. India became full members of the scheme in 2009. Presently, India participates in 5 schemes namely, Cereal seed; Maize and sorghum seed; Vegetable seed; Grass and legume seed and Crucifer seed and other oil or fiber species seed.

To-date, over 6500 high yielding varieties of field crops adapted to different cropping systems and quality standards have been developed. In OECD Seed certification, currently, 61 varieties of 19 crops are listed in the OECD List of Varieties, all of which are from public research institutions. However, with better coordination of both public and private through greater awareness of the OECD Certification Schemes, the private sector is expected to take a bigger role in future years. The Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards are being developed and adopted in India for the Domestic certification systems. This is designed and being adopted as per the need and requirements of Indian conditions to satisfy the domestic Seed Industry and farmers demand. Whereas the OECD Seed certification Rules and Directions are mainly meant for the requirements of 59 member countries following harmonized rules for the International Trading purposes. Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards exceeds the minimum requirements as set out in the OECD Rules and Directions. Whenever a seed crop is being offered for OECD certification, OECD Rules and Directions will be applied for field inspection to ensure varietal identity and purity. The Central Seed Certification Board prescribes the standards for certification of seed and this is applied across all States. India operates a very rigorous and complete systems approach for the provision of OECD certification. This process is well monitored through a comprehensive system of checks and balances. India is a net importer of high quality seed due to the rapidly increasing demand from farmers. Seed certification is voluntary and the vast bulk of seed currently produced in India is absorbed in domestic market. Exports of certified seed of field crops are limited. Currently, 61 seed varieties, covering 19 crops, are listed in the 2010 OECD List of Varieties, all of which are from the public sector. The private sector has been involved in and has gained familiarity with the OECD Schemes, and there is growing interest from private companies, especially for the high value seeds. The process of involving the private varieties in the OECD official list and private stakeholders in the OECD certification are being worked out. Even though we find certain commonalities, there are wide difference in the modus operandi and standards between Indian certification system and OECD certification system [Table-4].

Seed Times April - June 2012

Table 4: Comparison of Indian Seed Certification with OECD Seed Schemes for varietal Certification

1 General Standards Sl. No.

OECD Varietal Certification Systems

Indian Minimum Seed Certification

Classes and Stages of Seed Multiplication 1

Nucleus Seed: Through maintenance breeding by the maintainers / breeders. Checked for varietal characters. Controlled and maintained by the maintainers / breeder. Carries Breeder's certificate. Used for Breeder Seed multiplication.

Breeders Maintenance Material: Checked against DUS characters. Carries Suppliers Labels. Controlled and maintained by the maintainer / breeder. Used for pre-basic seed multiplication. Pre-Basic Seed: Carries White Label with diagonal Violet Stripe. Controlled by official certification authority (DA) + Maintainer. Undertake precontrolled test. Cannot be commercialized and not for sale. Produced officially by the recognized institute/ organization.

Breeder Seed: Carries Golden Yellow Tag. Production monitored by expert team. Grow Out Test is employed for certain crops. Used for Foundation Seed multiplication. Foundation Seed: Carries White Color Tag. Controlled by official seed certification agency directly and no role of maintainer. GOT test is not compulsory and only on need based undertaken. Produced through registered seed producers / growers. Can be used for Foundation Stage-I to Foundation Stage-II multiplication on specific cases for the open pollinated varieties with specific approval from the Director of Seed Cer tification. Used for Cer tified Seed multiplication.

Basic Seed: Carries White Label. Controlled by official certification authority (DA) + Maintainer. Undertake pre-controlled test. Cannot be commercialized and not for sale. Produced officially by the recognized institute/organization. Certified Seed: Cl : Carries Blue Label C2 : Carries Red Label Not under Breeder's / Maintainers control however consulted for the number of multiplication. DA's and Controlling Authorities undertake the quality control including post control test + provision of Patent Royalty to the Maintainers / Breeder's. Used for the commercial multiplication / sale.

Certified Seed: Carries Azure Blue Tag. Controlled by official seed certification agency directly and no role of maintainer. GOT test is not compulsory and only on need based undertaken. Produced through registered seed producers / growers. Can be used for Certified Stage-I to Certified Stage-II multiplication on specific cases for the open pollinated varieties with approval from the Director of Seed Certification.

Not Finally Certified Seed: Carries Grey Label. Seed which is to be exported from the country of production after field approval, but before final certification as basic or certified seed, shall be identified in fastened containers by the special label.

Labeled Seed: Produced by the producer himself and no role of certification agencies. Seed carries producer label of opal green color with all details of seed standards and signed by the producer himself. Producer himself is responsible for varietal purity and seed standards.

Standard Seed: Carries Dark Yellow Label. This category mainly exists in vegetable seed scheme. Seed that is declared by the supplier as being true to the variety and of satisfactory varietal purity. It must confirm to the appropriate conditions in the scheme.

Seed Times April - June 2012

Sl. No.

OECD Varietal Certification Systems

Indian Minimum Seed Certification

Eligible Varieties and Parental Constituents 2

Only the varieties notified under Section (5) of the Seed Act, 1966 are eligible for certification under IMSCS 1988, based on Value for Cultivation and Use (VCU) Systems.

Country shall have national list of varieties under the OECD Seed Schemes, which include only those varieties tested and listed to be Distinct, Uniform and Stable following internationally recognized guidelines and in case of agricultural species, varieties also found to have acceptable Value for Cultivation and Use (VCU) in at least one country. Registered in National Catalogue of Varieties.

Control of the Production of the Seed 3

Nucleus seed production is purely under the control of Breeder. Breeder seed is produced by breeder and monitoring by a team comprising of breeder, concerned Asst. Director of seed certification and a member from NSC and a nominated member from farming community. Foundation and Certified seeds are certified and labeled /tagged by Certification Agencies as per IMSCS. Under Indian system, for certified seed production only official inspectors are allowed and seed analysis is carried out in Notified Seed Testing Laboratories.

The Designated Authority [DA] in the country of production of the seed is responsible for implementing the Scheme in relation to that production. For certified seed production in OECD non-official inspectors are also allowed. Seed testing is done as per the International Methods of Seed Testing recognized by the DA. The DA may authorize non-official laboratories to carry out seed analysis, but under official supervision.

Seed Sampling 4

Shall be made by the officials of Certification Agency only. No provision of authorization of non-official persons to carry out, under official supervision seed sampling, fastening and labeling of containers.

DA is authorized to take seed lot sampling, fastening and labeling of container. He may authorize non-official persons to carry out, under official supervision seed sampling, fastening and labeling of containers.

Seed Analysis 5

Seed Analysis is conducted in the Notified Seed Testing Laboratory as per seed standards prescribed under IMSCS and procedure adopted from the Seed Testing Manual.

Carried out in the official laboratory designated by the DA for analytical purity and germination according to current International Methods.

Seed Sample Storage 6

Guard samples of each seed lot shall be preserved for two years from the date of grant / extension of the certificate and four years in respect of rejected seed lots.

Seed Times April - June 2012

Basic Seed: A third part of each sample shall be stored as long as possible for comparison in control plots with future test samples of Basic seed. Certified Seed: Third part of each sample shall be stored for one year. 22

Sl. No.

OECD Varietal Certification Systems

Indian Minimum Seed Certification

Pre and Post Control Tests 7

Only the varieties notified under Section (5) of the Seed Act, 1966 are eligible for certification under IMSCS 1988, based on Value for Cultivation and Use (VCU) Systems.

Pre control test is compulsory for Pre-Basic and Basic seed. A part of every sample of Basic Seed and 5 to 10% of the Certified seed shall be checked in a post-control test conducted immediately or in the season following the drawing of the sample.

Issue of Certificates 8

Release order (Form-II) issued by the officers of SSCA for Foundation and Certified class and for Breeder Seed by the concerned Scientist in-charge of production.

The Designated Authority may issue certificates for each lot of Pre-Basic, Basic and Certified seed approved under the Scheme.

Blending of Lots of Same Variety / Re-Packing and Re-labeling in Another Country 9

Bulking of unprocessed seed lots stocks are permitted provided the stocks meet certain requirements. No provision for Re-packing and Relabeling in another place / country.

Two or more lots of certified seed of the same generation of one variety may be blended before or after export in accordance with the regulations of the country in which the seed is blended. Provision for Re-packing and Relabeling in another country allowed.

REFERENCE NUMBERS FOR SEED LOTS Reference Numbers for CERTIFICATES Certificates and AND Seed Lots 10

In Indian system there is no country code. Lot numbers need not be given in uniform digits. Continuous lot numbers are given for three years. (MAR09-22-122-12) (harvest month and year-state code-unit code-lot number).

In OECD the lot numbers are assigned based on Three letter country code as per ISO-3166-1 followed by initial letters of DA followed by reference number of the lot having uniform digits (for example, 0001 to 9999) and a code letter used to indicate harvest year. The code number is given for a year.

Specifications for Label or Marking of Seed Containers 11

Kinds of Indian Seed Certification Tags: 1. Breeder Seed: Golden yellow color 2. Foundation Seed: White color 3. Certified Seed : Azure Blue color 4. Labelled Seed: Opal green color

Type: Labels may be either adhesive or non-adhesive. The information may be printed on one side only or on both sides. Shape: Labels shall be rectangular. Color: The colors of the labels shall be:

Breeder seed label - 12cm x 6cm -golden yellow; Label size for foundation and certified is 15 cm x 7.5 cm and the color are both side white and azure blue, respectively. The label shall be made of durable material such as thick paper, paper with

Seed Times April - June 2012

Pre-Basic Seed: White with diagonal violet stripe; Basic Seed: White; Certified Seed, 1st Generation: Blue; Certified Seed, 2nd Generation or successive generations: Red;

Sl. No.

Indian Minimum Seed Certification

OECD Varietal Certification Systems

cloth lining, wax coated paper, plastic coated paper etc. There are differences in material, size and particulars furnished in the label. This is not followed in Indian system. When the information is marked indelibly on the container the layout of the information and the area marked shall conform as closely as possible to a normal label. No such method is followed in Indian system.

Not Finally Certified Seed: Grey. On all red labels and all grey labels for certified seed of 2nd or further generation the appropriate generation number must be stated. One end of the label shall be overprinted black for a minimum distance of 3 cm leaving the rest of the label colored. Material: The material used must be strong enough to prevent damage in ordinary usage. Statement of repacking and relabeling is given if applicable. In OECD all information shall be given in either English or French except reference to the Scheme which must be in both English and French. Label no. is not given in OECD.

Specimen Certificate and Analysis Results 12

In Indian standards no such reference is specified. Tag numbers utilized for the lots are given in Indian system, certification tags / labels are issued.

In OECD, statement of re-packing and re-labeling is given additionally. In OECD only number of containers and declared weight of the lot is given. In OECD, ISTA orange certificate is given.

Procedure for the Extension of the Scheme 13

This provision is not available in Indian system.

Procedure for the extension of the scheme to include, for the purposes of field inspection, varieties under examination for registration on a National List.

II. Specific Crop Standards: Previous Cropping 1

Land to be used for seed production shall be free of volunteer plants. The previous cropping requirements of OECD may not be feasible under Indian conditions where seed production is taken up in large scale in suitable agro-climatic regions. In OECD there shall be a minimum time interval between seed crop and any other crop of same species i.e., 5 years for crucifer species, and 2 years for other species. It is not the case in Indian system. Only in the case of Groundnut, the time interval is 2 years, whereas in sunflower it is prescribed as one year, for other oilseeds and fibers no specification is given except the land shall be free from volunteer plants. As off-types of Cotton are easily identifiable the interval time may not be considered for cotton.

Seed Times April - June 2012

Hybrids: Hybrid seed may not be grown in the same field for successive years. Varieties: Grower requires furnishing particulars concerning the previous cropping in each seed field. There shall be minimum time interval at least 2 years between cereal crops of same species. Successive crops of the same variety & category of seed may be grown on the same field without any time interval provided that the satisfactory varietal purity is maintained. The growers shall furnish to the DA, particulars regarding, the previous cropping in each seed field. There shall be a minimum time interval between seed crops and any other crop of the same species as follows: for crucifer species: five years; for other species: two years.

Sl. No.

OECD Varietal Certification Systems

Indian Minimum Seed Certification

Isolation 2

Depending upon the pollination behavior of crop, contamination nature, presence of wild species the distances vary for Foundation and Certified Seed. No modified Isolation distance is permitted.

Hybrids: OP variety, Hybrid, Female Parent prescribed distances from other variety of the same species except from a crop of male parent. Distances can be modified where there is sufficient protection from undesirable pollen or where the possibility of cross-fertilization is eliminated. Varieties: The seed crops of self-fertilizing species shall be isolated from other cereal crops by a definite barrier or a space sufficient to prevent mixture during harvest.

Weeds 3

Maximum permitted objectionable weed plants: Foundation Seed: 0.010 percent ; Certified Seed: 0.020 percent; Specific permissible limit for designated diseases and weed seeds not indicated in OECD standards. No maximum permissible limits are indicated in case of insect damage.

Crops containing an excessive number of weeds shall be rejected.

Number of Harvest Years 4

No such specification.

The Designated Authority shall decide the number of harvest years to be permitted for a seed field, with particular attention when multiplying foreign varieties to the effects of changed ecological conditions on varietal purity.

Field Inspection 5

Varieties: Minimum of two to four inspections shall be made from the time the crop approaches flowering until it is ready for harvesting depending upon the crops.

There shall be at least one field inspection of each seed crop after the emergence of the inflorescence. Control plots wherever possible be available for detailed examination at the time of field inspection of the seed plot. The DA shall decide whether or not approval can be given to the field following field inspections.

Hybrids: Four inspections: 1st before flowering, 2nd & 3rd during flowering & 4th at maturity. Only one inspection is prescribed at the time of emergence of the inflorescence.

For hybrids and parental lines three inspections.

Varietal Purity in Seed Crop 6

For all foundation class, the genetic purity is 99.0 percent and for certified class 98.0 percent. For cotton hybrids it is 90.0 percent and for all other hybrids it is 95 percent.

Seed Times April - June 2012

Basic seed 99.9 percent, Certified 1st generation - 99.7 percent and Certified 2nd generation - 99.7 percent. Depending upon the species ranges from 99.9 to 95 percent. 25

Sl. No.

OECD Varietal Certification Systems

Indian Minimum Seed Certification

Field Inspection of Seed Crops by Authorized Inspectors Under Official Supervision 7

In Indian system there is no non-official inspector.

Official seed certification officers only authorized. Nonofficial inspectors are also allowed to conduct field inspection.

Seed Sampling (Including Fastening and Labeling of Containers) and Seed Analysis by Authorized Persons or Laboratories Under Official Supervision 8

Seed sampling is done by 'Seed Certification Officers' and Seed samples are analyzed by 'Seed Testing Officers' of Notified Laboratories. Under OECD exclusive Seed Samplers are appointed to draw samples of seed lots but there is no seed sampler in Indian system.

The Designated Authority may authorize persons who are not under its direct and exclusive authority to draw samples under official supervision is called 'seed samplers'. Laboratories may also be authorized to carry out seed analysis as required under the Schemes. Sampling, fastening and labeling of seed containers may be entrusted to authorized persons.

Seed Lot Sampling 9

Sampling done by Seed Certification Officers and supervised by supervising authority.

Here sampling is done by samplers and supervised by official supervisors. 5 percent check sampling done by official seed samplers. 1.

DA may authorize non officials person to carry out seed sampling, fastening & labeling of container under official supervision (5 percent) in OECD, which is not prescribe in IMSCS.

DA may authorize Non-official laboratory for seed analysis. Whereas only notified laboratory are authorized under IMSCS.

Model Label for container & printed information must be submitted for approval to OECD where as it is approved by DA under IMSCS.

White label for basic seed is not require if it is to be used in the same country, there is no such provision under IMSCS.

Seed Analysis 10

In Indian System, seed samples are analyzed in notified laboratories. The seed analysis is done as per the procedures given in Seed Testing Manual approved by Central Seed Committee as per IMSCS.

Seed Times April - June 2012

In OECD Seed analysis is carried out to laboratories authorized by DA and the laboratories shall carry out seed testing in accordance with current international methods. The laboratory shall be: 1. 2. 26

an independent laboratory, or a laboratory belonging to a seed company.

Sl. No.

OECD Varietal Certification Systems

Indian Minimum Seed Certification

In the case referred to in point (b), the laboratory may carry out seed testing only on seed lots produced on behalf of the seed company to which it belongs, unless it has been otherwise agreed between the seed company, the applicant for certification and the DA.

Validity Period 11

No validity period is prescribed for Breeder Seed under IMSCS. For Foundation and Certified Seed classes, the validity period shall be 9 months from the date of test at the time of initial certification that could be further extended for 6 months on retesting.

No validity period is mentioned for Pre-Basic, Basic and Certified Seed.

Off-types in Field 12

Maximum permitted Off-types: Foundations Seed : 0.05 percent,

Maximum number of plants of the same species being not true to variety.

Certified Seed

Basic Seed

: 0.20 percent,

: 1 in 30 Sq.mt.,

Certified seed: 1 in 10 Sq.mt.

This varies depending upon the crops / stages of multiplication. This show the IMSC standards are more precise.

The maximum permitted Off-types as per OECD standards in terms of Foundation: 0.075 percent; certified: 0.23 percent; According to plant geometry 45 cm X 15 cm, 1,48,148 seed crop plants are there in 01 ha. It shows that in OECD standard following off type plants are permitted: Basic Seeds - 0.22 percent and Certified Seeds- 0.67 percent.

Male Sterile Seed Parent 13

No such specification; follows 6:1 ratio according to crop. Standards for Male sterile seed parent are unique in OECD.

Male sterile seed parent may be mixed with fully fertile seed parent in the ratio of 2:1.

Down-grading Seed Class 14

If a seed field or seed lot is not found meeting the prescribed standards for the class for which it has been registered but conforms to the prescribed standards to the immediate lower class, the certification agency may accept such seed fields/seed lots for certification to the immediate lower class. However downgrading shall not be applicable in case of hybrids and their parents.

Seed Times April - June 2012

No provision is made to the OECD seed certification in this aspect.

Sl. No.

OECD Varietal Certification Systems

Indian Minimum Seed Certification

Field Inspection Count 14

Crop Group

Indian Seed Standards

Crops

OECD Seed Standards

Foundation

Certified

Basic

Certified

Pulse vegetables

Pea, Cowpea, Bean

500 plant per count

100 plant per count

Leafy crop

Lettuce, Spinach, Coriander, Methi

1000 plant per count

500 plant per count

Fiber crop

Jute

500 plant per count

200 plant per count

Fruit crop

Tomato, Brinjal , Okra, Capsicum, Chilly

500 plant per count

100 plant per count

Developments in India Since Becoming Signatory to OECD •

Notification has been issued that Joint Secretary (Seeds), Ministry of Agriculture, DAC, Government of India as NDA for the OECD Seed Scheme, who will responsible for the implementation of the Seed Schemes in India.

•

Various Meetings have discussed the issues related to India's Participation in the OECD Scheme with Officials of Seeds Division, ICAR, SAUs, NSC, SSC, PPV&FRA, NSAI, State Agriculture & Horticulture Departments, Stake holders of Seed Industry including both public and private sector.

•

Ten State Seed Certification Agencies covering the all the regions of the country were nominated as Designated Authorities who will carry out the varietal certification of the OECD Seed Schemes in India.

•

Each Designated authority has formed core group comprising Officials of State, ICAR, SAUs, NSC, SSCA, Private seed Industries in their area of operation, and have organized brain storming sessions to explain OECD schemes and also for identification of the varieties

•

Three Trainings, Two workshops with the involvement of OECD expert from UK, one exposure visit to Canada have been organized for the benefit of Department of Agriculture on implementation of OECD Seed Schemes.

•

A list of 73 varieties belonging to 23 crops was sent to OECD Secretariat for inclusion in the OECD Official list. A total of 61 varieties of 19 crops in the varietal list have been published in the OECD Official list during July 2010 for multiplication abroad and International Trading.

•

Now the working group is identifying the varieties of private sector seed Industry for inclusion in the OECD list.

Critical Issues and Conclusions •

The Indian Minimum Certification Standards were developed and is being adopted since 1974 for the domestic certification systems as per the need and requirement of Indian farmers and stake holders of seed industry in India.

•

Whereas the OECD Seed Schemes Rules and Guidelines are being developed for the benefit of 58 member countries for their Varietals Certification process to meet out the International seed standards and trading requirements.

•

As these are two separate streams, we cannot harmonize the Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards with the OECD Varietals Certification Rules and Guidelines.

Seed Times April - June 2012

•

Whenever, a variety is being registered / offered for the OECD Seed Schemes then the OECD Rules and Guidelines need to be adopted and International varietal certification process has to be carried out.

•

Similarly, the existing domestic seed certification with Indian minimum seed and field Standards will continue for the production of high quality seeds as per the Seeds Act.

•

Both Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards (IMSCS) and OECD Varietal Certification Systems, have agreeable level of general and specific crop standards requirements to meet the certification systems in these streams.

•

However, certain variations have been found between IMSCS and OECD in general standards in case of: Classes and Stages of Seed Multiplication, Eligible varieties and Parental constituents, Control of the production of the seed, Seed sampling, Seed analysis, Seed sample storage, Pre- and Post Control tests, Issue of Certificates, Blending of lots of same variety, Provision of Re-packing and Re-labelling in another country, Reference numbers for certificates and seed lots, Specifications for the OECD Label or Marking of seed containers, Specimen certificate and analysis results, Procedure for the extension of the scheme, etc. The Specific crop standards namely: Previous cropping, Isolation, Off type, Varietal identification, Disease, Weed seeds, Number of harvest years, Field inspection count, Vareital purity in seed crop, Seed crop inspection, Field inspection of seed crops by Authorized Inspectors under Official supervision, Seed sampling (including Fastening and Labelling of containers) and Seed analysis by Authorized persons or laboratories under Official supervision, Validity period, Down-grading seed class, etc., are as mentioned in Table 5.

•

In summary, we can say that even though India has become the member of OECD Seed Schemes, the two seed certification systems i.e. Indian Seed Certification and OECD Varietal Certification would move parallel in our country for the production of high quality seed as per the demand at Domestic and International trading requirements.

•

As per the norms of OECD guidelines the Labels and Certificates designed and prepared by India as new member country shall need to be placed for the discussion and concurrence of OECD Secretariat.

•

Multiplication of Indian Varieties in member countries for enhancing the International trading activities need to be explored by discussion with Officials of EU, ISF, ISTA, and AOSA for facilitation.

References: 1.

Tunwar and Singh. 1988. Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards

International Rules for Seed Testing, Edition 2012. http://www.seedtest.org/en/international-rules_content---1--1083.html

OECD Schemes for the Varietal Certification or the Control of Seed Moving in International Trade, OECD SEED SCHEMES “2012” Consolidated version as revised by the OECD Council on 28 September 2000 [C(2000)146/FINAL] and subsequently amended [C(2007)122, C(2007)123, C(2007)128, C(2008)150, C(2008)151, C(2008)152, C(2008)153, C(2009)155, C(2010)133 and C(2012)2], ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT PARIS 2012. http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/30/11/41977674.pdf

Seed Times April - June 2012

Seed Quality Assurance in National Seeds Corporation (NSC) S.K. Roongta Chairman-cum-Managing Director, National Seed Corporation (NSC) eed is a living product that must be grown, harvested and processed scientifically to maximize its viability and subsequent crop productivity. It has been scientifically proved that the use of good quality seeds alone enhances the crop productivity by about 15 to 20 per cent. It is the degree of excellence of various characters like physical composition of the seeds, germinability, free from insect pests and diseases and genetic purity which determine the seed quality. Keeping in view the importance of the quality of seeds, GOI has been making constant efforts to provide quality seeds to the farmers at an affordable price. The seed certification system introduced by GOI is one of the most important steps taken in maintaining quality of the seeds through third party participation. The seed certification ensures availability of high quality seeds to the farmers and distribution of only notified varieties having superior characters in the market.

iii)

To achieve this quality assurance, NSC has built a hard core of about 8,000 well trained, technically experienced registered seed growers all over the country during the last five decades.

To achieve quality in seed processing, NSC has established 43 seed processing plants having a total capacity of 11,52,900 qtls. which is manned by technically qualified persons for supervision of the operation. In addition, 43 ordinary storage godowns have also been established by NSC for

Only promising varieties and hybrids from the public research system which are suitable for different agro-climatic regions are selected and the same are introduced in the product range of the Corporation.

Seed Times April - June 2012

The seed multiplication is strictly followed in accordance with the limited generation concept prescribed in the Minimum Seed Certification Standards by the GOI i.e. only three generation of seed multiplication from the breeder seed.

The seeds produced by NSC are constantly monitored and certified by the concerned State seed certification agency in accordance with the Seeds Act. Besides, NSC also undertakes various steps to maintain the quality at all level. A full-fledged quality control wing with technically qualified personnel is in place in all the Regional offices to undertake quality control check at every level of production, processing, storage and marketing. Besides, the testing of the seed in the Seed Testing Laboratory of the respective State Government, the seed produced by NSC are tested in the quality control laboratory established at five locations in the country. The seed lots which are found standard in both the laboratories are only procured for further marketing.

NSC being a pioneer in the Indian seed industry also takes utmost care to maintain the quality of the seeds produced by the Corporation. The quality control system is an inbuilt mechanism in the entire process of seed production by the Corporation right from introduction of a variety in the seeds chain up to the delivery of the seeds to the end users. Various action taken to maintain the quality are as below: i)

ii)

purity of the foundation seeds produced by the Corporation as well as that of the hybrid seeds of any crop.

storing 44,94,100 qtls. of seeds in a scientific manner to ensure quality during storage. NSC has also established 5 nos. of air-conditioned godowns with storage capacity of 9,700 qtls. for storing high value low volume crop seeds like vegetables, hybrids as well as the breeder and foundation seeds of all the crops. The seed stored in the godowns are inspected at regular intervals and prophylactic measures like fumigation and spraying is undertaken to prevent the seed from damage by storage pests. Further at the time of despatching the seeds to the marketing regions, a Certificate of Physical Inspection (CPI) is issued after checking the quality of the seed stocks being despatched. The consignee at the time of receipt of the seeds also examine the quality and issue a Certificate of Physical Examination (CPE) confirming the quality and quantity of the seeds received from the consignors. This method of quality check helps the Corporation to supply only the seeds of good quality to the marketing centres so that the farmers are given only good quality seeds. In addition to double testing of the seeds at the laboratories of STL and NSC, grow out test facility has also been created by NSC to test the genetic

Seed Times April - June 2012

At present, a focussed attention is being given for the production of hybrid seeds of field as well as vegetable crops which are to be tested for the genetic purity before marketing. To meet this demand recently, Corporation has also established a DNA finger printing facility in the quality control laboratory at New Delhi to undertake testing of genetic purity, based on the DNA finger printing method which is a quickest method of assessing the genetic purity. Despite all the above precautions undertaken by the Corporation, if any, quality complaint arises, the same is addressed by an established procedure. The complaint is investigated within a specified time schedule by deputing a Committee of technically qualified officers either at the field level or at the storage level. The report submitted by the Committee is scrutinised at the corporate level to take appropriate redressal measure and simultaneously corrective actions are also taken to avoid recurrence of such quality problems in future.

New Technology for Postharvest Drying and Storage of Seeds Keshavulu Kunusoth1, Peetambar Dahal2, Johan Van Asbrouck3, and Kent J. Bradford4

Department of Seed Science & Technology, Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad 500 030, Andra Pradesh, India (Keshava_72@yahoo.com)

Plant Reproductive Biology, Department of Plant Sciences, One Shields Avenue University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA (pdahal@ucdavis.edu)

Rhino Research, Moo Baan Sai Samphan 66/17, 66000 Phitchit, Thailand (johan@rhino-research.com)

Seed Biotechnology Center, Department of Plant Sciences, One Shields Avenue, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-8780, USA (kjbradford@ucdavis.edu)

or 5 degree centigrade increase in temperature, and the effects are additive. Thus, seeds stored at 10 percent moisture content and 30 degree centigrade will last only one-quarter as long as seeds stored at 9 percent moisture content and 25 degree centigrade. This principle implies that seed storage life can be enhanced considerably by lowering both moisture content and temperature. However, moisture content is the key factor that can be lowered for successful seed storage in tropical countries. In addition, seeds that are dried to low moisture contents are more tolerant of storage at warm temperatures, so drying is more important than refrigeration. However, even prolonged sun drying in high humidities cannot reduce seed moisture content to the levels low enough to assure long-term viability.

igh quality seed is a basic and crucial agricultural input that can determine the commercial success of a crop variety. A bumper harvest is possible only when the seeds possess high quality standards viz., purity, germination, uniformity in weight and size in addition to freedom from pests and diseases. These quality traits are known to be influenced by environmental conditions and by cultural, harvest and post-harvest management practices at both field and storage levels. Maintenance of high quality seeds in storage is the most important aspect in many crops. In India, 80% of crop seed is kept in storage for atleast one planting season and the remaining 15-20 percent is carried over for subsequent sowings due to various reasons. Seed storage can be a major problem in India as it is located in tropical and subtropical regions, where the combination of high temperature and high relative humidity causes rapid deterioration of seed quality. Generally, seeds harvested before or during the monsoon season need to be dried and stored until the next planting season. For most of the period between harvest and planting periods, the relative humidity exceeds 75 percent and temperatures remain above 30 degree centigrade, causing seeds to deteriorate rapidly. Seeds absorb water from the ambient air when they are stored in humid environments and lose water when stored in low relative humidity. Generally speaking, a seed's longevity is reduced by approximately half for every 1 percent increase in seed moisture content (water content as a percent of fresh weight) Seed Times April - June 2012

A novel zeolite desiccant bead technology for seed drying and storage of low-volume high-value seed was developed by Rhino Research in Thailand and is being tested and extended in collaboration with the University of California, Davis, and Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Hyderabad, India with financial assistance of a Horticultural Cooperative Research Support (Hort CRSP) project funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). With this technique, one can easily dry seeds and maintain their moisture content below 6% (or at ultra dry conditions) during storage. Therefore, farmers, seed growers and the seed industry can effectively store seeds for sowing in the next season without losing their quality and viability by using drying beads. 33

Seed Drying and Storage Procedure Using Beads Seed drying beads are modified ceramic materials (aluminum silicates or â&#x20AC;&#x153;zeolitesâ&#x20AC;?) that specifically absorb and hold water molecules very tightly in their microscopic pores (Fig. 1A and B). The beads will continue to absorb water until all of their pores are filled, up to 20 to 25% of their initial weight. Farmers, seed growers and seed companies can store seed at moisture contents less than 7% in any type of environment, especially in tropical and subtropical regions, by following this method. When placed in an enclosed space like a plastic or metal container, the beads will remove water from the air, creating and maintaining a very low humidity environment. Seeds placed into a container with the beads will lose water due to the low air humidity, and will continue to do so until they come to equilibrium. Hence, desiccant-based drying simply transfers the water in the seed to the drying beads through the air without the need for heating. Beads can be mixed with the seeds for more rapid drying, and can be easily screened out from the seeds for reuse. Alternatively, the beads can be enclosed in a porous bag or container within the hermetic container with the seeds for convenience in separation. The beads can subsequently be removed and regenerated separately by heating at >200 degree centigrade in an oven for 2 hours to release the absorbed water. After heating for 2 to 3 hours, the beads should be cooled in a metal container with a lid (to reduce re-absorption of water) until they can be safely handled, then stored in a moisture-proof container until reused (Fig. 2) (www.dryingbeads.com).

A: Drying beads;

Heat beads at 200 degree centigrade for 2 h.

Cool briefly in covered container until safe to handle.

Figure 2. Bead Recuperation for Reuse

Advantages of Desiccant Bead Technology

B: Storage of drying beads in air tight containers

Figure 1 : Seed drying and storage using zeolite beads

Constructing controlled seed storage facilities (low temperature and low humidity) involves huge costs, while desiccant bead technology is relatively inexpensive since the beads can be reused indefinitely.

Desiccant bead technology is a simple, inexpensive and reasonable method for seed drying and storage in humid areas.

Zeolite beads will absorb moisture with their full capacity across all RHs while silica gel less effective at low RH.

Bead drying is not dependent upon the sun or other direct sources of energy.

Using desiccant bead technology and storing the seed in hermetic containers maintains low moisture content.

Once beads and seeds are in the closed container, the transfer of water from seeds to beads takes place automatically.

The dried seeds in the moisture-proof hermetic containers maintain the low moisture content and are protected from molds, rodents, birds and insects, enabling seeds to be stored for several years.

Bead drying is a simple, low-cost technology that can be scaled appropriately for individual farmers to commercial seed companies to store their seed safely.

There are ways to utilize this technology on larger industrial scales for seed drying and storage in hermetic packaging.

10. Important germplasm, nucleus seed and some populations of high volume seed can also be stored very efficiently with this method. 11. Beads can be used to dry herbs, vegetables, fruits, chillies, nuts, jaggery and medicinal plants or other horticultural products. Generally, it is best suited for low-volume high-value seeds and other commodities.

Materials Needed Oven: An oven or other heat source is needed to regenerate the beads for reuse. This can be any type of oven capable of heating to over 200 degree centigrade (~400Â°F) (Fig. 3A).

Package for storage in airtight containers

Seed Times April - June 2012

Airtight Container: Any type of locally available airtight container (plastic, metal can, etc.) of any size can be used. A gasket inside the cap may be needed to ensure airtight conditions in plastic or metallic containers (Fig.3B, C, D).

new collaborators in Asia and Africa (IDE, CEAPRED and CABI) to improve seed production and quality in Nepal, Bangladesh, Kenya, Tanzania and other countries. However, without effective drying and storage technology, seed production programs will be thwarted by the short storage lives of seeds in tropical climates.

Metal or Plastic Container: The beads should be cooled in a metal container with a lid (to reduce re-absorption of water) until they can be safely handled, then stored in a moisture-proof container (Fig.3B, C, D). A

Due to the prevailing tropical climatic conditions in India, the Department of Seed Science and Technology, Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University, Hyderabad conducted storage experiments with multiple crops including field and vegetable crops in collaboration with the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore; the Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, ICAR, Varanasi; the National Horticultural Research and Foundation, Nasik; and M/s Vibha Agro Tech Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad. The effectiveness of the zeolite beads for post-harvest drying of multiple species of seeds was tested. The seed industry has used other materials as desiccants (e.g., silica gel), but they proved to be less efficient than drying beads (zeolite) and tended to break up with reuse, whereas ceramic (zeolite) beads were much more efficient in absorbing water and are essentially indestructible in normal use. Silica gel loses water-absorbing capacity each time it is regenerated, while the beads retain their full capacity (Fig. 4A). This is because the pores in the zeolite molecular sieves are only large enough to accommodate water molecules, preventing other compounds from entering and eventually blocking water absorption. In addition, drying beads will absorb their full capacity across all RHs, while silica gel is much less effective at the low RH levels that are best for storing seeds (Fig. 4B). The beads can be regenerated by heat and reused indefinitely, amortizing an initial investment over many years or multiple users.

Figure 3. Materials needed. A. Oven B. Air tight container C. Air tight plastic drum D. Seed stored with drying beads in air tight containers. Wet seeds, such as fresh tomato or melon seeds, should be surface dried by the sun or other method before mixing directly with seed drying beads. Beads can be mixed with the seeds for more rapid drying, and can be easily screened out from the seeds for reuse (beads can be produced in different sizes to be easily separated from various types of seeds).

Water absorbtion (% of dry weight)

Note: Adding liquid water directly to dry beads generates heat. Avoid bringing liquid water into direct contact with dry beads.

Quantity of Beads at Ultra Dry Seed Storage Conditions The amount of beads required depends upon several factors: 1) the water-holding capacity of the beads; 2) the quantity of seeds to be dried; 3) the initial seed moisture content; and 4) the final desired seed moisture content. It is easy to determine the ratio of beads to seeds needed based on the initial seed moisture content or the ambient humidity and the bead capacity (generally about 20%). In general, a ratio of 0.5:1 to 1:1 bead: seed ratio will dry most seeds to safe storage moisture content. Alternatively, a smaller quantity of beads could be used and regenerated repeatedly to dry a large quantity of seeds with a small quantity of beads.

35 30 25 20 15 beads

silca gel

5 0 0

Relative humidity (%)

Effectiveness of Drying Beads We demonstrated the effectiveness of drying beads to improve seed quality and longevity of a number of crops in India, USA, Thailand and Nepal. Now we areworking with Seed Times April - June 2012

100

20%

% moisture absorbtion at 100% RH

Nashik is the major onion seed production site in India and it is the biggest onion market in Asia. The moisture content (MC) of onion seeds in open storage initially was 8.7 percent in the Nashik region during July 2010. The moisture content in traditional open bags varied with ambient conditions and increased to 10.1percent in July 2011 (Fig. 5A). In contrast, seeds stored in containers with drying beads maintained MC at less than 5 percent until July 2011 (Fig. 5B). Onion seed lots germinated between 80-91percent (average 84 percent) at the start of the experiment (Figs. 5C). Viability had declined to 41.5 percent in porous bags by July 2011, but germination of the lots stored with beads remained around 80 percent during the same period (Figs. 5C, D). These data illustrate the dramatic extension of seed viability by storing with drying beads in comparison with standard open storage in cloth bags. Since short longevity in storage is a major problem for onion seed, the above technology is boon to the onion growers.

18% 16% 14% 12% 10%

B2 B3

S1 4% S2 2%

0% 0

Hours

In studies on sunflower, the initial moisture content of seed was 9.67 percent which was reduced to 2.40 percent even after 12 months of storage with drying with beads (zeolite beads). Germination of 92 percent owas observed, while control seeds stored in cloth bags were at 6.3 percent moisture and only 45 percent germination, which is below IMSCS standards (Fig.6A).

Figure 4. Comparison of zeolite drying beads and silica gel. A. Drying beads are able to absorb the same amount of water each time they are regenerated (curves B1-B3), while silica gel loses waterholding capacity each time it is regenerated (curves S1-S3). B. Drying beads will absorb essentially the same amount of water across all humidities, including at very low RH where silica gel is much less effective.

Stored for 1 year by farmers

% 9

Seed MC reduced by 4 % with beads.

% 85

Germination decreased by 45% in open bags.

Figure 5. Onion seed storage at Nashik, Maharastra. A and C. Moisture content and germination of onion seed at farms and research stations following storage in cloth bag (Control) . B and D. Moisture content and germination of onion seed at farms and research stations following storage with drying beads (Zeolite beads).

Seed Times April - June 2012

Similarly in soybean seed stored in cloth bags at 12 percent moisture, the germination percentage was initially 92 percent but gradually fell to about 10 percent during storage. Storing the seeds with zeolite beads reduced the moisture content to 4 percent, and since the seed was kept in an airtight container with drying beads, it retained its germination percentage (73 percent) above the Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards (IMSCS) even after 17 months. However, in an airtight container without beads the seeds lost viability below IMSCS after 8 months of storage (Fig.6B), as the moisture content remained high. Therefore, it can be concluded that the zeolite beads can minimize the loss in seed germination under ambient conditions and can maintain viability of seeds for longer storage periods.

during storage. The freshly harvested seed after sun drying were at 10.30 percent MC with 100% germination (Fig.7). Ten pairs of bruchids were introduced in a kilogram of seed stored either in a sealed container with drying beads or open to the atmosphere in cloth bags. The drying beads reduced the moisture content to an ultra dry level of 3.7 percent at 11 months, when 95 per cent of the seeds germinated normally, which is quite higher than the IMSCS. In contrast, in control seeds stored in open bags,the moisture content was 8.8 percent at 11 months of storage and the germination and viability had steeply declined to 24 percent due to insect damage and deterioration. These results suggest that seed stored with zeolite or silica gel is protected from bruchid infestation and damage by restricting its multiplication. Thus, the desiccant beads can minimize the loss in seed germination under ambient conditions and can maintain the viability of seed for longer times.

The zeolite bead technology also was used to control pulse beetle (Callosobruchus chinensisL.) damage in greengram

100 90 80 Germination (%)

Moisture Content (%)

6 5 4 3 2

70 60 50 40 30 20 10

1 0 Control ( Cloth bag)

Zeolite beads

Control ( Cloth bag)

C 80

Zeolite beads

70 60 Germination (%)

Moisture Content (%)

10 8 6 4 2

50 40 30 20 10 0

0 Control (Cloth bag)

Airtight container

Control (Cloth bag)

Zeolite beads

Airtight container

Zeolite beads

Figure 6 : Effect of drying (zeolite) beads on moisture content (%) and germination (%). A and B. Sunflower seed storage after 11 months. C and D. Soybean seed storage after 17 months.

Seed Times April - June 2012

Initial Seed MC -11.8%

Final MC with beads - 4.2%

11 months storage

Without beads

With beads

Figure 7. Insect control at ambient storage without using pesticide

Availability of Drying Beads During our team visit to Bangladesh, Nepal, Tanzania, Kenya, Thailand and India, farmers, seed growers and seed companies in these countries were enthusiastic about the bead drying technology, but also asked about the price and availability of beads in the market. After realizing the benefits of their technology, there is no hesitation that all the stakeholders want to utilize this technology for rapidly

Seed Times April - June 2012

reducing the moisture from the seed and safely storing the seed for longer periods of time while maintaining its quality. Therefore it is necessary to make drying beads available with a market-based system of dealers prevailing in different countries. Our project team is working toward this objective now by establishing importers and dealers in target countries and studying effective ways of integrating drying beads into local seed production, handling and distribution systems.

Seeds

Role of Seed Health Testing and Quarantine in Pest Management RK Khetarpal*, V Celia Chalam and Kavita Gupta

Introduction

Division of Plant Quarantine, National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi. * Regional Director, CABI, South Asia CABI South Asia â&#x20AC;&#x201C; India, New Delhi

nfected or contaminated seed is a primary source of with other factors have even lead to certain famine-like inoculum for a large number of destructive diseases of situations. The seed-borne rice blast was responsible for important food, fodder and fiber crops (Neergaard, 1977) famine in Japan during the 1930s, and brown spot of rice for and is an excellent carrier for the dissemination of the famous Bengal famine in India in 1943. Severe yield phytopathogenic agents to long geographical distances. The losses of important crops caused by seed-borne diseases have devastating effects resulting from diseases and pests been reported worldwide. Apart from affecting the yield, introduced along with international movement of planting many seed-borne pathogens reduce seed germination, material, agricultural produce and products are well vigour of the seedlings and induce qualitative changes in the documented (Khetarpal et al., 2006a). The Irish famine of physico-chemical properties of 1845, which forced the people to seeds, such as colour, odour, oil migrate en masse from Europe, was content, iodine and saponification Apart from affecting the yield, the result of almost total failure of value, refractive index and protein many seed-borne pathogens potato crop due to attack of late content, thereby affecting their reduce seed germination, vigour commercial value (Agarwal and blight pathogen (Phytophthora infestans) introduced from Central of the seedlings and induce Sinclair, 1997). America. Coffee rust (Hemileia qualitative changes in the Management of seed-bor ne vastatrix) appeared in Sri Lanka in physico-chemical properties of diseases is important to minimize 1875 and reduced the coffee production by >90% in 1889. The seeds, such as colour, odour, oil the quantitative and qualitative losses induced by seed-borne disease entered India in 1876 from content, iodine and pathogens, for which, it is Sri Lanka and within a decade, the saponification value, refractive imperative to undertake seed coffee industry of South India was health testing for evaluating the index and protein content, badly affected. Bulk import of health status of the seed lot. The seeds without proper phytosanitary thereby affecting their seed trade which is now under the measures, indiscriminate exchange commercial value (Agarwal and gamut of International of germplasm and the distribution Sinclair, 1997). Agreements of World Trade of seed by international agencies Organization (WTO) further have increased the possibility of highlights the importance of seeddissemination of pests in areas borne diseases, seed health testing and seed certification previously considered pest-free (Kahn, 1989; Khetarpal et al., 2006a). Further, the threat may become severe, if more procedures in order to remain competitive. virulent strains or races or biotypes of the pest are introduced into previously pest-free areas. Even a low seed transmission 1. Seed Health Testing rate of a pathogen, especially viruses may lead to an International Seed Testing Association (ISTA), European epiphytotic proportion of the disease in field, if other and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) conditions of field spread and climate are favourable. and National Seed Health System (NSHS) of the US among others recommend methods for the assessment of seed

Historically, crop epidemics of seed-borne diseases coupled

Seed Times April - June 2012

health. Several working sheets were brought out by Plant Disease Committee of ISTA. Also, International Seed Health Initiative (ISHI) established in 1994 with the members from private industry (France, Israel, Japan, The Netherlands and USA) is involved in development of seed health testing methods and the methods developed by ISHI are validated by ISTA. ISTA issues International Certificates to seed lots that have been tested in its approved laboratory. Issuance of the certificate allows the seed to be traded freely, however, it may not be, accepted by organizations or countries universally. India is a member of ISTA and

attempts to follow its standards for certification. The selection of a diagnostic method for evaluating seed health depends on the host to be tested and the type of pest that may be carried in the seed. The techniques may vary considerably in specificity and a distinction can be made between generalized method revealing a wide range of pests and more or less specialized technique designated to detect a particular species, pathogenic race or strain or biotype. The technique should be reliable for field performance and quarantine requirements, reproducible within statistical limits, economical with regard to time, labour and

Table 1. Summary of various techniques for detecting seed-transmitted pathogens and insect pests Techniques

Fungi

Bacteria

Virus

Insects

Nematodes

Dry seed examination

Seed washing test

Soaked seed test

Whole embryo test

Incubation tests

Phage sensitivity test

Staining of inclusion bodies

Electron microscopy

Growing-on test

Infectivity test

X ray radiography

Transparency test

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)

Dot-immunobinding assay (DIBA)

Immunosorbent electron microscopy (ISEM)

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

Reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR)

Immunocapture-RT-PCR (IC-RT-PCR)

Real-time PCR

Real-time RT-PCR

Conventional

Serological

Molecular

Seed Times April - June 2012

ELISA for detecting viruses in single embryo, determination of seed transmission by coupling it with group analysis, mode of eliminating the interference of non-embryonic tissues (which do not play a role in transmission of virus through seeds) in routine assessment of seed transmission rate and its role in seed certification programmes.

equipment and should be rapid to provide results of large samples in the shortest time. However, not much information is available on certification of seed for estimating insect damage. The various techniques, conventional and modern, that are employed for seed health testing of different pests have been reviewed (Gaur and Khetarpal, 1994; Khetarpal and Kumar, 1995; Agarwal and Sinclair, 1997; Khetarpal, 2004) and are summarized in Table 1.

2.2. Seed Health Certification in India India has developed a seed improvement programme during 1960s setting up National Seeds Corporation (NSC) in 1963, State Farms Corporation of India (SFCI) and Tarai Development Corporation (TDC) in 1969. The Seed Review Team (1968) and National Commission on Agriculture (1971) were also constituted during this period and they made several recommendations for the expansion of the seed sector.

2. Seed Certification Seed certification for a crop comprises of legal norms to be qualified for ensuring genetic identity, physical purity, germinability and freedom from seed-transmitted pathogens and weeds. ISTA and Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA) among others have introduced minimum seed certification standards. Essentially, the certification procedures ensure the genetic purity and quality of seed production in the field, during harvest, processing, storage and finally inspection in the market. Seeds are distributed to farmers under the guarantee of quality, in terms of genetic and physical purity and germination capacity. Certification for seed-borne pathogens is followed only as and when required depending on the impact of the pathogen on yields.

In order to maintain quality of seeds during production and distribution stages, Indian Seeds Act (1966) was enacted. Central Seed Certification Board (CSCB) was also set up in 1972 to advise the Central and State Governments on all matters related to seed certification. Since then, seed industry experienced phenomenal growth. Nineteen Seed certification agencies have been set up and area under seed certification which was few hundred hectares in the early stage of seed certification has increased to >5,00,000 hectares. In 1988, CSCB brought out the Minimum Seed Certification Standards (MSCS) for 102 crops and a supplement was brought out in 2002 confirming the

The objective of developing certification programmes for seed-transmitted pathogens is to ensure that the level of infection of a seed lot, destined for growers, is acceptable in a given agricultural context as well as that a seed sample to be used for developing a crop variety is free from pathogens. Moreover, the seed material under international exchange needs to be certified as pest-free to minimize the risk associated with the introduction of exotic pests or virulent strains/ biotypes to an area in which they have not previously been reported (Maury et al., 1998). Similarly, conservation of pest-free seeds of a crop in Gene Banks will minimize the spread of "germplasm-borne" pests as these materials are multiplied and exchanged worldwide.

2.1. Determination of Tolerance Limit For quality control of seeds a tolerance limit for the disease has to be fixed. The tolerance limit refers to the inoculum threshold that can be tolerated in an agricultural context. For determining the inoculum threshold, there is a need to collect detailed epidemiological information on the seed transmission rate, the degree of susceptibility of various cultivars, the rate and intensity of field spread (by vectors in case of viruses) in relation to climatic conditions, the resulting percentage of infected plants in the field and yield reduction (Maury et al., 1985). Once the tolerance limit is determined, the methodology has to be developed for quality control. However, for most of the seed-borne pests not much serious work has been done in this direction. Maury and Khetarpal (1989) discussed in depth the use of

Seed Times April - June 2012

The Seeds Act (1966) and the New Policy on Seed Development (1988), formed the basis of promotion and regulation of the seed industry. Globalization and economic liberalization have now opened up several new opportunities as well as challenges. The National Seeds Policy (2002) has come into force which gives renewed quality assurance mechanisms.

modifications/ revision in MSCS of 18 crops including 8 new crops. The overall procedure of certification can be divided into four steps viz., Verification of seed source for raising seed crop; Crop inspection to verify conformity to seed standards; Seed testing and Post-harvest supervision. MSCS prescribes the maximum permissible levels for certain designated seed-borne diseases i.e., per cent affected plants in the seed crop and infected seeds in the seed lot. Though seed health certification in India is a part of the seed certification programme operating under the provisions of the Seeds Act, in most of the cases, it is only based on fieldstage standards. Out of 110 crops for which seed certification standards are prescribed, seed health standards for seedborne diseases are available for 43 crops (57 fungal diseases, 17 bacterial diseases, 14 viral diseases and one phytoplasma disease) by seed crop inspection at field stage, for two crops (2 fungal diseases and 2 bacterial diseases) by seed sample analysis at seed stage and for seven crops (21 fungal diseases, 2 bacterial diseases, one nematode disease, one bacterial + nematode complex and 2 viral diseases) by both field inspection and seed analysis. Thus, only in 9 crops including potato and sweet potato, post-harvest pathology is related to seed certification (Khetarpal et al., 2006b).

3. Exclusion of Exotic Pests through Quarantine 3.1. International Scenario The recent trade related developments in International activities and the thrust of the WTO Agreements and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) imply that countries need to update their quarantine or plant health services to facilitate pest-free import/ export.

3.1.1. World Trade Organization The establishment of the WTO in 1995 has provided unlimited opportunities for international trade of agricultural products. History has witnessed the devastating effects resulting from diseases and pests introduced along with the international movement of planting materials, agricultural produce and products. It is only recently however, that legal standards have come up in the form of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures for regulating the international trade. The WTO Agreement on the Application of SPS measures concerns the application of food safety and animal and plant health regulations. It recognizes government's rights to take SPS measures but stipulates that they must be based on science, should be applied to the extent necessary to protect human, animal or plant life or health and should not unjustifiably discriminate between members where identical or similar conditions prevail (http://www.wto.org, Khetarpal and Gupta, 2002).

More than 100 plant viruses are known to be seedtransmitted of which one third have great economic importance, but there are no seed health standards prescribed for viral diseases at seed stage. Also, seed certification for pathogen infection during storage is not mandatory with regard to certified packed seed in store/ under storage. Seed analysis is carried out essentially by dry seed examination, though many advanced detection techniques are available. Apart from seed-borne diseases, for insect damage also, fieldstage standards have been given for 4 crops and seed-stage standards for three crops. General seed-stage standards are also given for other crops for visible evidence of insect damage.

The SPS Agreement aims to overcome health-related impediments of plants and animals to market access by encouraging the "establishment, recognition and application of common SPS measures by different Members". The primary incentive for the use of common international norms is that these provide the necessary health protection based on scientific evidence and improve trade flow at the same time.

Seed certification as such is voluntary. About 50% of the seed produced/ distributed passes through certification for the designated seed-borne diseases in the field and/ or seed stages depending upon the stage for which certain maximum permissible level is prescribed in the MSCS.

SPS measures are defined as any measure applied within the territory of the Member State:

Seed produced/ handled outside certification is governed by the internal quality control (QC) standards/ procedures of the concerned firm, institution or individual, which vary between firms. No authentic information is available about the internal QC arrangements of firms outside certification. The Government of India's standards and procedures seem to form the basis for the QC systems adopted for seed production/ handling outside certification. Unfortunately so far, emphasis on seed health especially seed-borne diseases per se is only secondary to varietal purity and physiological quality.

Seed Times April - June 2012

to protect animal or plant life or health from risks arising from the entry, establishment or spread of pests, diseases, disease- carrying/ causing organisms;

to protect human or animal life or health from risks arising from additives, contaminants, toxins or disease causing organisms in food, beverages or foodstuffs;

to protect human life or health from risks arising from diseases carried by animals, plants or their products, or from the entry, establishment /spread of pests; or to prevent or limit other damage from the entry, establishment or spread of pests.

The SPS Agreement explicitly refers to three standardsetting international organizations commonly called as the 'three sisters' whose activities are considered to be particularly relevant to its objectives: International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and Codex Alimentarius Commission of Joint FAO/ WHO. The IPPC develops the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) which provide guidelines on pest prevention, detection and eradication. To date, thirty two standards as given below have been developed and several others are at different stages of development.

16.

ISPM 16: Regulated non-quarantine pests: concept and application

17.

ISPM 17: Pest reporting

18.

ISPM 18: Guidelines for the use of irradiation as a phytosanitary measure

19.

ISPM 19: Guidelines on list of regulated pests

20.

ISPM 20: Guidelines for phytosanitary import regulatory system

21.

ISPM 21: Pest risk analysis for regulated nonquarantine pests

22.

ISPM 22: Requirements for the establishment of areas of low pest prevalence

23.

ISPM 23: Guidelines for inspection

24.

ISPM 24: Guidelines for the determination and recognition of equivalence of phytosanitary measures

25.

ISPM 25: Consignments in transit

26.

ISPM 26: Establishment of pest-free areas for fruit flies (Tephritidae)

27.

ISPM 27: Diagnostic protocols for regulated pests

28.

ISPM 28: Phytosanitary treatments for regulated pests

29.

ISPM 29: Recognition of pest-free areas and areas of low pest prevalence

30.

ISPM 30: Establishment of areas of low pest prevalence for fruit flies (Tephritidae)

31.

ISPM 31: Methodologies for sampling of consignments ISPM-32:Categorization of commodities according to their pest risk

ISPM 1: Principles of plant quarantine as related to international trade

ISPM 2:: Guidelines for pest risk analysis

ISPM 3: Code of conduct for the import and release of exotic biological control agents

ISPM 4: Requirements for the establishment of pest free areas

ISPM 5:

Glossary of phytosanitary terms

ISPM 6:

Guidelines for surveillance

ISPM 7:

Export certification system

ISPM 8:

Determination of pest status in an area

ISPM 9: Guidelines for pest eradicatio programmes

32.

10.

ISPM 10: Requirements for the establishment of pest free places of production and pest-free production site

11.

ISPM 11: Pest risk analysis for quarantine pests including analysis of environmental risks and living modified organisms

Prior to the establishment of WTO, governments on a voluntary basis could adopt international standards, guidelines, recommendations and other advisory texts. Although these norms shall remain voluntary, a new status has been conferred upon them by the SPS Agreement. A WTO Member adopting such norms is presumed to be in full compliance with the SPS Agreement.

12.

ISPM 12: Guidelines for phytosanitary certificates

13.

ISPM 13: Guidelines for the notification of noncompliance and emergency action

14.

ISPM 14: The use of integrated measure in a systems approach for pest risk management

15.

ISPM 15: Guidelines for regulating wood packaging material in international trade

Seed Times April - June 2012

3.1.2. Convention on Biological Diversity The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) affirms that conservation of biodiversity is a common concern of humankind and reaffirms that nations have sovereign rights over their own biological resources. Its major objectives are the conservation of biological diversity and sustainable use of its components; fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out from the use of genetic resources; and

definitions, clarifying specific queries raised by quarantine authorities of various countries, with revised lists of crops under the Schedules VI, VII and quarantine weed species under Schedule VIII. The revised list under Schedules VI and VII now include 715 and 286 crops/ commodities, respectively, and Schedule VIII now include 31 quarantine weed species. The PQ Order ensures the incorporation of “Additional/ Special Declarations” for import commodities free from quarantine pests, on the basis of pest risk analysis (PRA) following international norms, particularly for seed / planting material (http://www.agricoop.nic.in /gazette.htm).

a p p r o p r i a t e t r a n s f e r o f r e l eva n t t e c h n o l o g i e s (http://www.cbd.org). The quarantine related commitments made by parties to the Convention are to establish means to regulate, manage or control risks associated with use and release of living modified organisms from biotechnology with likely adverse environmental effects and to prevent introduction of species from outside a country which could threaten native ecosystems or species. Although CBD covers all types of organisms (including plants), the scope of IPPC appears broader. The IPPC covers all organisms injurious to plants and plant products, whereas the coverage under the CBD is subject to their sustainable use. The ISPM 11 on “Pest risk analysis (PRA) for quarantine pests including analysis of environmental risks and living modified organisms” has been developed by IPPC to address the environmental safety issues. This would give an independent framework of rules for WTO members who are not signatories to CBD. In India, the Ministry of Environment and Forests is the nodal agency dealing with Invasive Alien Species (IAS) for negotiations with CBD, but, it is the Ministry of Agriculture which is the key body dealing with their quarantine, survey and control. Our legislative measures cover diverse aspects of IAS including quarantine, environment protection and trade. However, despite the enforcement of the revised PQ Order 2003 and also the periodically amended Environment (Protection) Act (1986), there is still a need for a cohesive policy and action plan to deal with IAS (Gupta and Khetarpal, 2006; Khetarpal and Gupta, 2008).

The Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage (DPPQS) under the Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for enforcing quarantine regulations and for quarantine inspection and disinfestation of agricultural commodities. The quarantine processing of bulk consignments of grain/ pulses etc. for consumption and seed/ planting material for sowing are undertaken by the 35 Plant Quarantine Stations located in different parts of the country and many pests were intercepted in imported consignments (http://www.plantquarantineindia.org/ docfiles/appendix-8.htm). Import of bulk material for sowing/ planting purposes are authorized only through five Plant Quarantine Stations. There are 41 Designated Inspection Authorities who inspect the consignment being grown in isolation in different parts of the country. Besides, DPPQS has developed 21 standards on various phytosanitary issues such as on PRA, pest-free areas for fruit flies and stone weevils, certification of facilities for treatment of wood packaging material, methyl bromide fumigation etc. Also, two Standard Operating Procedures have been notified on Export inspection & phytosanitary certification of plants/ plant products and other regulated articles and Post-entry quarantine inspection (www.plantquarantineindia.org/standards.htm).

3.2. National Scenario Plant quarantine is a government endeavour enforced through legislative measures to regulate the introduction of planting material, plant products, soil, living organisms etc. in order to prevent inadvertent introduction of pests and pathogens harmful to the agriculture of a region and if introduced, prevent their establishment and further spread.

The National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), the nodal institution for exchange of plant genetic resources (PGR) has been empowered under the PQ Order to handle quarantine processing of germplasm including transgenic planting material imported for research purposes into the country by both public and private sectors. NBPGR has developed well-equipped laboratories and post-entry quarantine green house complex. Keeping in view the biosafety requirements, National Containment Facility of level-4 (CL-4) has been established at NBPGR to ensure that no viable biological material/ pollen/ pathogen enters or leaves the facility during quarantine processing of transgenics. At NBPGR, adopting a workable strategy, a number of pests of great economic and quarantine importance have been intercepted on exotic material, many of which are yet not reported from India viz., insects like Acanthoscelides obtectus in Cajanus cajan, Anthonomus grandis in Gossypium spp., Ephestis elutella in Macadamia nuts and Vigna spp., Quadrastichodella eucalytii in Eucalyptus, nematodes like Heterodera schachtii, Ditylenchus dipsaci, D. destructor, Rhadinaphelenchus cocophilus, etc. in soil clods and plant

As early as in 1914, the Government of India passed a comprehensive Act, known as Destructive Insects and Pests (DIP) Act, to regulate or prohibit the import of any article into India likely to carry any pest that may be destructive to any crop, or from one state to another. The DIP Act has since undergone several amendments. In October 1988, New Policy on Seed Development was announced, liberalizing the import of seeds and other planting material. In view of this, Plants, Fruits and Seeds (Regulation of import into India) Order (PFS Order) first promulgated in 1984 was revised in 1989. The PFS Order was further revised in the light of World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreements and the Plant Quarantine (Regulation of Import into India) Order 2003 [hereafter referred to as PQ Order], came into force on January 1, 2004 to comply with the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement (Khetarpal et al., 2006a). Till December 25, 2009, 14 amendments of the PQ Order were notified and eight draft amendments were prepared, revising

Seed Times April - June 2012

debris, fungi like Claviceps purpurea in seeds of wheat and barley, Peronospora manshurica on soybean, Fusarium nivale on wheat, barley and Aegilops, Uromyces betae on sugarbeet, bacteria like Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris on Brassica spp. and viruses like Barley stripe mosaic virus in barley, Broad bean stain virus in broad bean, Cherry leaf roll virus on French bean and soybean, Cowpea mottle virus in cowpea and Bambara groundnut, Tomato ring spot virus on soybean etc. (Khetarpal et al., 2006a; Chalam et al., 2005, 2008; Chalam and Khetarpal, 2008). Till date, 8,636 samples of transgenic crops comprising Arabidopsis thaliana, Brassica spp., chickpea, corn, cotton, potato, rice, soybean, tobacco, tomato and wheat with different traits imported into India for research purposes were processed for quarantine clearance, wherein they are tested for associated exotic pests, if any, and also for ensuring the absence of terminator gene technology (embryogenesis deactivator gene) which are mandatory legislative requirements. A number of economically important pests (insects, mites, nematodes, fungi, bacteria and viruses) were intercepted including the ones not reported from India such as Peronospora manshurica (downy mildew fungus) on soybean, Barley stripe mosaic virus and Wheat streak mosaic virus on wheat. Also, Maize dwarf mosaic virus not reported on wheat in India was intercepted (Singh et al., 2003; Chalam et al., 2009).

regulated non-quarantine pests (http://www.ippc.int /ipp/en/standards.htm). There are two kinds of PRApathway-based and pest-based. It consists of three stages: initiating the process for analyzing risk, assessing pest risk, and managing pest risk. Initiating the process involves identification of pests or pathways for which the PRA is needed. Pest risk assessment determines whether each pest identified as such, or associated with a pathway, is a quarantine pest, characterized in terms of likelihood of entry, establishment, spread and economic importance. Pest risk management involves developing, evaluating, comparing and selecting options for reducing the risk. The process requires detailed information on pest scenario in both countries importing and exporting the commodity. Efforts to develop a database for endemic pests has been made by the Plant Quarantine Station in Chennai and NBPGR has compiled pests of quarantine significance for cereals (Dev et al., 2005), grain legumes (Chalam et al., unpublished) and a check-list for viruses in grain legumes (Kumar et al., 1994). The Crop Protection Compendium of CAB International, UK, is an useful asset to scan for global pest data (CAB International, 2007). As we face challenges to crops from intentional or unintentional introductions of pests, speed and accuracy of detection become paramount. Intense efforts are under way to improve detection techniques. The size of consignment received is very critical in quarantine from processing point of view. Bulk seed samples of seed lots need to be tested by drawing workable samples as per norms. The prescribed sampling procedures need to be followed strictly and there is a need to develop/ adapt protocols for batch testing, instead of individual seed analysis (Maury et al., 1985). On the other hand, germplasm samples are usually received as a few seeds/ sample and thus, it is often not possible to do sampling because of few seeds and also because of the fact that a part of the seed is also to be kept as voucher sample in the National Genebank in India apart from the pest-free part that has to be released. Hence, extreme precaution is needed to ensure that the result obtained in the test was not denote a false positive or a false negative sample. Removal of exotic viruses from germplasm by growing in PEQ greenhouses inevitably causes a delay in the release of seeds as it takes one crop season to release the harvest only from the indexed virus-free plants. Samples received after the stipulated sowing time would require the indenter to wait for another season. Non-destructive testing of the seeds could shorten this time and therefore, more attention needs to be given to non-destructive techniques wherever possible (Khetarpal, 2004; Chalam and Khetarpal, 2008).

All the plants infected by the viruses were uprooted and incinerated. The infested/ infected samples were salvaged by using suitable techniques and the pest-free germplasm was only used for further distribution and conservation. If not intercepted, some of the above quarantine pests could have been introduced into our agricultural fields and caused havoc to our productions. Thus, apart from eliminating the introduction of exotic pests from our crop improvement programmes, the harvest obtained from pest-free plants ensured conservation of pest-free exotic germplasm in the National Genebank.

4. Challenges in Diagnosis of Pests in Quarantine The issues related to quarantine methodology were analyzed/ reviewed recently by Khetarpal (2004). The challenge prior to import is preparedness for pest risk analysis (PRA). PRA is now mandatory for import of new commodities into India. The import permit will not be issued for the commodities not covered under the ScheduleV, VI and VII under the PQ Order. Hence, for import of new commodities in bulk for sowing/ planting, the importer should apply to the Plant Protection Adviser to the Government of India for conducting PRA. In case of germplasm, Import Permit shall be issued by the Director, NBPGR, after conducting PRA based on international standards (http://agricoop.nic.in/Gazette/Psss2007.pdf).

5. Perspectives Detection and diagnosis of pests are crucial for seed trade and for exchange of germplasm. But, the level of confidence, knowledge and accuracy on the part of the workers need to be improved for precise detection and diagnosis. Training is

The ISPM-2, ISPM-11 and ISPM-21 deals with the guidelines for conducting PRA for quarantine pests and

Seed Times April - June 2012

required for quarantine officials, germplasm curators and scientists who are involved in assessing the conformity to the international standards especially in developing and least developed countries. There is also a need to seek technical assistance of international agencies in the area of human resource development. Compared to the other seed quality tests, seed health testing requires technically more advanced equipment, reagents etc. Accreditation of few wellestablished laboratories would offer a reasonable solution for reduction of costs. In our country we do have few laboratories, which are well equipped and have trained experts to deal with diagnostic aspects of seed health management. Such laboratories need to be accredited on priority to enhance their credibility at international level.

made available for its use as a ready reckoner by the quarantine personnel. There is a need to have antisera for all the seed-transmitted viruses in the quarantine laboratories to facilitate the interception of exotic viruses and their strains. Information access and exchange on seed health certification and quarantine are crucial for effective working. Establishment of a national database such as a Seed Health Information System (SHIS) linking the research laboratories with seed testing and quarantine stations would be the backbone for strengthening the programme on seed health certification (Khetarpal et al., 2006b). The SHIS, if established, can be a storehouse of information on biology of seed-borne diseases, seed health testing procedures and policies, international standards and related issues. Also regional working groups of experts for detection and diagnosis of pests thus need to be formed to explore future cooperation in terms of sharing of expertise and facilities, for example in South Asia where the borders are contiguous. This would help in avoiding the introduction of pests not known in the region and also the movement of pests within the region. The importance of quarantine has increased manifold in the WTO regime and adopting not only the appropriate technique but also the right strategy for pest detection and diagnosis would go a long way in ensuring pest-free exchange of germplasm and trade, and is considered the best strategy for preventing transboundary movement of pests.

On the other hand, the declarations mentioned on Phytosanitary Certificate should not deviate, as it is often found at NBPGR, that the consignment is infected by pests although the consignment is certified by the exporting countries as pest-free in case of germplasm. At NBPGR, the legume germplasm was found to be infected by 20 viruses when tested by ELISA and in some cases by electron microscopy. Jones (1987) emphasizes the need for diseasefree seed stocks in germplasm collections to enable countries with less sophisticated quarantine systems to import diseasefree seeds, intended for improving crop production and not for introducing new pathological problems. However, this is not a problem in case of bulk consignments with the trade being under the gamut of Agreement on Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures of WTO, where in the consignments can be justifiably rejected, if the exporting country does not follow the importing country's requirements.

References Agarwal VK and JB Sinclair (1997) Principles of Seed Pathology. CRC Press Inc., Lewis Publishers, USA, 539 p. Central Seed Certification Board (1988) Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards, Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, New Delhi, 388 p.

Strict regulatory measures together with growing new introductions under containment or isolation and collection of seeds from only disease-free plants must be followed to eliminate the risk of introducing seed-transmitted pathogens/ their strains if any. Conservation of pest-free seeds of a crop in Genebanks will minimize the spread of "germplasm-borne" pests as these materials are multiplied and exchanged worldwide. The countries should take note of a series of technical guidelines for the safe movement of germplasm prepared by FAO/ Bioversity International (formerly IPGRI), Rome (Frison and Diekmann, 1998) and Bioversity International needs to support an effective quarantine networking on PGR under exchange and conservation (Dhillon et al., 2000).

CAB International. 2007. Crop Protection Compendium, Wallingford, UK: CAB International. Chalam VC and RK Khetarpal (2007) Detection of GMOs by immunoassays. pp 128-136 In: GJ Randhawa, S Bhalla, VC Chalam and SK Sharma (eds) Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety: Decisions to Diagnostics. National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi, India, 179 p. Chalam VC and RK Khetarpal (2008) A critical appraisal of challenges in exclusion of plant viruses during transboundary movement of seeds. Indian Journal of Virology 19 (2): 139-149.

Methods also need to be developed to detect the presence of genetically modified (GM) organisms (deliberate or inadvertent mixing of GM seed with non-GM seed) in unknown sample during quarantine processing. Techniques for detection of GMOs in seed has been reviewed (Chalam and Khetarpal, 2007; Randhawa et al., 2007) and is being exploited for the purpose.

Chalam VC, S Bhalla, K Gupta, B Singh, Rajan, S Goswami, R Chhabra, AK Maurya, GJ Randhawa, ML Kapur and RK Khetarpal (2009) Methodology for processing transgenic germplasm in quarantine. pp 320-321 In: RK Tyagi, Bhag Mal, SK Sharma, RK Khetarpal, P Brahmi, N Singh, V Tyagi, S Archak, K Gupta and A Agarwal (eds) National Symposium on Recent Developments in the Management of

Database on all seed-borne pests, including information on host range, geographical distribution, strains, etc. should be

Seed Times April - June 2012

Plant Genetic Resources, December 17-18, 2009. Souvenir and Abstracts, Indian Society of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi, India, 370 p.

Khetarpal RK and K Gupta (2002) Implications of sanitary and phytosanitary agreement of WTO on plant protection in India. Annual Review of Plant Pathology Vol I, pp. 1-26.

Chalam VC, RK Khetarpal, DB Parakh, AK Maurya, A Jain and S Singh (2005) Interception of seed-transmitted viruses in French bean germplasm imported during 2002-03. Indian Journal of Plant Protection 33 (1): 134-138.

Khetarpal RK and K Gupta (2008) Plant quarantine in India in the wake of international agreements: A review. Review of Plant Pathology Vol. 4, pp 367-391. Khetarpal RK and CA Kumar (1995) ELISA methodology. In: pp 329-341. RP Singh and US Singh (eds.) Molecular Methods in Plant Pathology, CRC Press, Inc., USA.

Chalam VC, DB Parakh, RK Khetarpal, AK Maurya, A Jain and S Singh (2008) Interception of seed-transmitted viruses in cowpea and mungbean germplasm imported during 2003. Indian Journal of Virology 19 (1): 12-16.

Khetarpal RK, V Sankaran, VC Chalam and K Gupta (2006b) Seed health testing for certification and SPS/ WTO requirements. pp 239-258 In: G Kalloo, SK Jain, Alice K Vani and U Srivastava (eds.) Seed: A Global Perspective, Indian Society of Seed Technology, New Delhi, India, 312 p.

Dev U, RK Khetarpal, PC Agarwal, A Lal, ML Kapur, K Gupta and DB Parakh (eds.) (2005) Pests of Quarantine Significance in Cereals. National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi, India, p 142.

Kumar CA, RK Khetarpal, DB Parakh, S Singh and Ram Nath.1994. Check list on seed-transmitted viruses: leguminous hosts. Technical Bulletin, New Delhi, India, National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, 14 p.

Dhillon BS, RK Khetarpal and S Saxena (2000) Strengthening PGR collaboration in South Asian region: germplasm exchange, quarantine and conservation, In: Fifth Meeting of South Asia Network on Plant Genetic Resources (SANPGR), October 9-11, 2000, New Delhi, India.

Maury Y and RK Khetarpal (1989) Testing seeds for viruses using ELISA. pp 31-49. In: VP Agnihotri, N Singh, HS Chaube, US Singh and TS Dwivedi (eds.) Perspectives in Phytopathology, Today and Tomorrows Printers and Publishers, New Delhi, India.

Frison E and M Diekmann (1998) IPGRI's role in controlling viral diseases in plant germplasm. pp 230-236. In: A Hadidi, RK Khetarpal and H Koganezawa (eds.) Plant Virus Disease Control, American Phytopathological Society Press, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.

Maury Y, C Duby and RK Khetarpal (1998). Seed certification for viruses. pp 237-248 In: A Hadidi., RK Khetarpal and H Koganezawa (eds.) Plant Virus Disease Control, American Phytopathological Society (APS) Press, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, 684 p.

Gaur YD and RK Khetarpal (1994) Diagnostic tests for seed borne microbes with special emphasis on immunological and molecular approaches. pp 337â&#x20AC;&#x201C;356. In: TB Singh and PC Trivedi (eds.) Vistas in Seed Biology, Vol. II, Printwell Publishers, Jaipur, India.

Maury Y, C Duby, JM Bossennec and G Boudazin (1985) Group analysis using ELISA: Determination of the level of transmission of soybean mosaic virus in soybean seed: Seed group size and seed decortication. Agronomie 7: 225-230.

Gupta K and S Khetarpal (2006) Regulatory measures dealing with invasive alien species: Global and national scenario. pp 169-185. In: LC Rai and JP Gaur (eds.) Invasive Alien Species and Biodiversity in India, Banaras Hindu University, Department of Botany, Centre of Advanced Study, Varanasi, India.

Neergaard P (1977) Seed Pathology Volume I and II. Macmillian, London, 1187 p. Randhawa GJ, M Singh, R Chhabra and R Sharma (2007) PCR-based characterization of living modified organisms. pp 128-136 In: GJ Randhawa, S Bhalla, VC Chalam and SK Sharma (eds) Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety: Decisions to Diagnostics. National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi, India, 179 p.

Kahn RP (1989) Plant Protection and Quarantine: Selected Pests and Pathogens of Quarantine Significance. Vol II. CRC Press Inc. Florida, 265 p. Khetarpal RK (2004) A critical appraisal of seed health certification and transboundary movement of seeds under WTO regime. Indian Phytopathology. 57(4): 408-421.

Singh B, Rajan, S Bhalla, VC Chalam, BM Pandey, SK Singh, N Kumar and RK Khetarpal (2003) Quarantine processing of imported transgenic planting material. Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 73 (2): 97-100.

Khetarpal RK, A Lal, KS Varaprasad, PC Agarwal, S Bhalla, VC Chalam and K Gupta (2006a) Quarantine for safe exchange of plant genetic resources. pp 83-108 In: AK Singh, Kalyani Srinivasan, Sanjeev Saxena and BS Dhillon (eds.) Hundred Years of Plant Genetic Resources Management in India, National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi, India.

Seed Times April - June 2012

Quality Seed for Improved Livelihood and Profitability, Souvenir of National Seed Congress held on January 18-20, 2010, National Seed Research and Training Centre, Varanasi and Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India, 172 p.

Seed Quality Control System in India R.K.Trivedi Deputy Commissioner (QC), Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, New Delhi

The legal instruments which cover seed quality are Seeds Act, 1966, Seed Rules, 1968 and Seed (Control) Order, 1983 THE SEEDS ACT, 1966 & Seed Rules, 1968

Seed Inspector

The Indian Parliament passed the Seeds Act on the 29th December 1966. The object of the Seeds Act is to regulate the quality of seeds of notified kind/varieties for sale. The Seeds Act was designed to create a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Climateâ&#x20AC;? in which the seedsman could operate effectively and to make good quality seed available to the cultivators. Seed Rules under the Act were notified in September 1968 and the Act was implemented for the entire country in October 1969. Implementation of the Seeds Act and Rules are vested with State Governments. Quality regulation is to be achieved through compulsory labeling and voluntary certification of seeds of notified kind/varieties. The Seeds Act, 1966 contains 25 Sections and its salient features are given as under:

The State Government, under Section 13 of the Act may appoint such person as it thinks fit, having prescribed qualification through notification, as a Seed Inspector and define the area within which he shall exercise jurisdiction for enforcing the Seed Law. He will be treated as a public servant within the meaning of Section 21 of the I.P.C. (45 of 1860).

Duties and Powers of Seed Inspector Seed Inspectors appointed under Section 13 of the Seeds Act have adequate power under Section 14 of the Seeds Act to draw the sample of notified kind/varieties of seeds from the source where the seeds are being sold or in course of conveying, delivering or preparing to deliver such seed to purchaser etc. He can enter and search, with such assistance if any, as he considers necessary.

Power to notify the kind/varieties New Varieties evolved by the State Agricultural Universities, ICAR and other Research Institutes are released by sub-committees constituted under Section 3 and 3(5) of the Seeds Act, 1966 and notified under Section 5 of the Seeds Act by Central Government in consultation with the Central Seed Committee. As on date more than 4300 varieties have been notified.

Seed Inspector can seize the stock of the seed in case the seed under reference is contravened to Act and Rules. In such circumstances, the fact of the case may be informed to Magistrate and take his order for taking custody of the stock. Seed Inspector can issue stop sale order in case the seed in question contravene the provision of relevant Act and Rules.

Labeling Provision Minimum limits for germination, physical and genetic purity of varieties/hybrids for crops have been prescribed and notified for labeling of seeds of notified kind/varieties under Section 6(a) of the Seeds Act. Size, colour and content of the label were also notified under sub clause (b) of Section 6 of Seeds Act. Colour of the label is Opeline Green and size is 15 cm. length and 10.0 cm. breadth or proportionate thereof.

Seed Testing There is a provision to set up a Central Seed Testing Laboratory and State Seed Testing Laboratory to discharge functions assigned under Section 4(1) and 4(2) of the Seeds Act. As on date, 105 Seed Testing Labs are functioning in the country and more than 6 lakh samples were tested.

Section 7 of the Act regulates the sale of notified kind or varieties. Accordingly, no person shall keep for sale, offer to sell, barter or otherwise supply any seed of any notified kind or variety, after the validity date recorded on the container or mark or label. The seed is expected to retain the germination, which is not less than that prescribed under clause (a) of Section 6 of the Seeds Act upto the validity date. Seed Times April - June 2012

Seed Analyst State Government could appoint the Seed Analyst through notification in the Official Gazette under Section 12 of the Seeds Act, defining his area and his jurisdiction. Seed Analyst should possess certain minimum qualification.

achieve these objectives seeds were declared as an essential commodity under Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and the Seed (Control) Order was issued in 1983.

Penalty If any person, contravenes any provision of the Act or any Rules, or prevents a Seed Inspector from taking sample under Seeds Act or prevents a Seed Inspector from exercising any other power conferred on him could be punished under Section 19 of the Act with a fine of five hundred rupees for the first offense. In the event of such person having been previously convicted of an offense under this Section with imprisonment for a term, which may extend to six months or with fine, which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both.

Seed Controller Joint Secretary (Seeds), Government of India, Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Agriculture & Cooperation has been appointed as Seed Controller for implementation of the Seeds (Control) Order, 1983. Issue of License to Dealers All persons carrying on the business of selling, exporting and importing Seeds will be required to carry on the business in accordance with terms and conditions of licence granted to him.

Seed Certification ? Seed Certification is a regulated process designed to

secure, maintain and make available certain prescribed levels of genetic purity, physical purity, physiological quality and health in seeds including vegetative propagating materials of varieties.

Based on such enquiry, as it thinks fit the licensing authority may grant or refuse the license as per the provisions of the Seeds (Control) Order, 1983. The refusal to grant license should be accompanied by a clear recording of reasons for such refusal.

? The Seed Certification Agencies are established

under section 8 of the Seeds Act.

Renewal of Licence

? Varieties notified under section 5 of Seeds Act are

A holder of licence shall be eligible for renewal of licence.

eligible for certification.

Appointment of Licensing Authority ? Source of seed is necessary for certification – known

pedigree – limited generation system.

(I)

The State Government may appoint such number of persons as it thinks necessary to be Licensing Authority and define the area within which such licensing authority shall exercise their jurisdiction.

(ii)

The State Government may appoint such number of persons, as it thinks necessary to be Inspector and define the areas of such Inspector's jurisdiction.

(iii)

Seed Inspectors notified under clause 12 of the Seeds (Control) Order, 1983 are eligible to draw any samples of seeds meant for sale or export/import etc. and to ensure that the sample confirm to the standard of quality claimed by the seed dealer under clause 13 of the Order.

(iv)

Seed Inspectors have sufficient provisions for seizure of the seeds and materials on account of violation.

(v)

Every person if so required by an Inspector shall bound to offer necessary facilities to him for the purpose of enabling him to exercise his power under this Order.

? Seed has to meet prescribed minimum seed

certification standards. ? Specification for Certification Tag – Length: 15 cm.,

Breadth: 7.5 cm., Colour: White for foundation class & Blue (Azure Blue) for certified class.

Restriction of Export & Import of Seeds There is a provision to restrict export and import of seeds of notified kinds or varieties. The Section 17 defines as under: “No person shall for the purpose of sowing or planting by any person (including himself) export or import or cause to be exported or imported any seed of any notified kind or variety unless. (a) It conforms to the minimum limits of germination and purity specified for that seed under clause (a) of Section 6 and (b) Its container bears in the prescribed manner the mark or label with the correct particular thereof specified for that seed under clause (b) of Section 6”.

Seed (Control) Order, 1983

Time limit of analysis of samples by Seed Testing Lab

The Seeds Act, 1966 does not have provisions such as compulsory licensing of the seed dealers, price control, seed movement control, and submission of the information about the procurement and sale of seed. To

The Seed Testing Lab to which the sample is sent by the Inspector for analysis shall analyse the seed sample and send the analysis report to the concerned Inspector within 60 days.

Seed Times April - June 2012

Suspension/Cancellation of Licence

date of Order appeal to the designated authority in the manner prescribed in the Order.

The Licensing Authority may after giving an opportunity of being heard to the holder of licence suspends or cancel the licence on grounds of mis-representation of a material particular or contravention in provision of the order.

Seed Quality Regulation for GM Crops Seeds quality of GM Crops is regulated under Seeds Act, 1966, Seed (Control) Order, 1983 and Environment Protection Act, 1986.

Appeal (I)

(ii)

? Seed Inspector notified under Seeds Act has also

The State Government may specify authority for hearing the appeals against suspension /cancellation under this order and the decision of such authority shall be final.

power under EPA, 1986 to draw sample of seeds of GM Crops for regulation of their quality. ? STLs have also been notified to test quality of Bt.

Cotton seed.

Any person aggrieved by an order of refusal to grant or amend or renew the licence for sale, export/import of seed may within 60 days from the

Seed Times April - June 2012

? Seed testing laboratory of CICR Nagpur has been

notified as CSTL for testing seeds of Bt. Cotton.

Use Lancergold from First Spray onwards in controlling Sucking Pests & Ensuring high yield of cotton

Faster action, Longer protection

Greenish Plant

Strong Plant

Controls sucking pests

DNA-Based Diagnostics for Genetically Modified Seeds Gurinder Jit Randhawa, Principal Scientist, National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi. E-mail id: gurinder.randhawa@rediffmail.com, gjr1608@gmail.com

Global area under cultivation of Genetically Modified (GM) crops has dramatically increased in last decade and has already touched 160 million hectares (mha) in 2011. More than 10 mha area is under commercial cultivation of different Bt cotton events in India, whereas a range of GM crops with an array of transgenes being developed by public/private sectors are under different stages of development under contained conditions. With the development of GM crops at this escalating rate, it is necessary to allay public concerns about their safety and their impact on the environment. In this context, DNAbased diagnostics can be employed for effective risk assessment and risk management strategies specifically pertaining to the gene flow studies, for monitoring adventitious presence of transgenes, to ensure post-release monitoring and to solve legal disputes. Among the different analytical approaches for GM detection, the most widely applied approach targets the genetic modification, the modified DNA, using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The PCR-based diagnostics are broadly classified as qualitative and quantitative, based upon the screening of genetic elements viz. promoters, markers and terminator genes, gene-, construct- or event-specific PCR, multiplex PCR and quantitative Real-Time PCR.

GM ANALYSISFLOW CHART Seeds/Planting Material (Transgenic/Non-Transgenic)

DNA Extraction and Quantification

PCR Amplification

Electrophoresis

Strategy for Detection of GM Seeds

Interpretation & Documentation

The procedure involved in PCR-based GM detection has been summarised in Figure 1. PCR-based GM diagnosis is undertaken in a sequential manner (Figure 2). Seed Times April - June 2012

Fig. 1. PCR-based GM Analysis 55

MOLECULAR DIAGNOSIS OF GM CROPS PCR with endogenous reference gene to check for any PCR inhibitors present or not in the DNA sample

Step 1

-ve

DNA is contaminated with PCR inhibitors

+ve

-ve Intial screening for control elements viz., 35S promoter, terminator, marker genes etc., by simplex PCR

Step 2

Given sample is non-GM

+ve

Sample is GM

Identification of specific transgene by simplex/multiplex PCR

Step 3

Construct-specific and event-specific PCR for more specificity of the particular event

Quantification using Real-time PCR to ascertain the copy number of the transgene and the amount of GM content in the given sample Fig. 2. Steps Involved in DNA-based Diagnostics of GM Seeds

(i) Testing with endogenous reference gene

(iii) Identification of GM crop

The first step is amplification of endogenous reference gene to check for any PCR inhibitors present in the DNA sample and to avoid any false negative results. The endogenous reference gene is specific for a particular crop or family, e.g., LAT52 for tomato, Sad1, fs-ACP, Sah7 for cotton, SPS for rice, SRK for Brassicaceae family, exon 7 of 창-fructosidase for Solanaceae family, HMG1/찾 for rapeseed, zein for maize, lectin for soybean etc. An ideal endogenous reference gene should not exhibit allelic variation among varieties of the same species, while it should present a consistently low copy number in the different cultivars.

Qualitative Detection: Targeting the specific transgenes, construct- or event-specific regions as shown in Figure 3. Gene-specific PCR: After screening of the sample, if the results are positive, detection for the presence of specific transgenes, for particular trait in GM crop, is undertaken. It can be done by simplex or multiplex PCR. In multiplex PCR several target DNA sequences can be screened and detected in a single reaction (Fig. 4). Therefore, it has the potential to produce considerable savings of time and effort in the laboratory.

(ii) Initial screening

Construct-specific PCR: Construct-specific PCR has more specificity than gene-specific PCR. It targets the junction sequences between two adjoining DNA segments of the transgene construct.

The purpose of general screening is to determine the transgenic nature of a sample, i.e., whether the sample is GM or not. To achieve this, a screening method targeting commonly used control elements, viz., promoters (CaMV 35S, nos, ocs, FMV, actin), terminators (nos, E9, CaMV 35S) and marker genes (nptII, aadA, pat, bar, hpt, uidA) is carried out using simplex PCR.

Seed Times April - June 2012

Event-specific PCR: Event-specific PCR has the highest specificity. It targets the junction sequences at the integration site (plant genome-construct junction) to detect a specific transformation event. 56

Gene coding for the desired trait Genomic DNA (left flanking sequence

Event-specific primers

Transgene-specific Primers

Prototer

Construct-specific primers

Terminator

Genomic DNA (right flanking sequence)

Construct-specific primers

Transgene construct Fig. 3. Transgenic Construct Showing Primer's Target Positions (Event-specific, Construct-specific and Gene-specific) independently for different events in range of crops. Ascertaining the presence of possibly several GMOs in transgenic material, food chain and to check for unauthorized events, may be time-consuming and expensive. The real-time PCR based ready-to-use multi target analytical assay for the detection of GMOs can be a rapid and ready-touse system for the simultaneous detection of multiple GM events in a single experiment, reducing laboratory handling steps to a minimum. The system consists of 96-well prespotted plates containing lyophilized primers and probes for the individual detection of targets allowing the simultaneous identification of all GM events by the use of event-specific primers and probe combinations. The readyto-use format allows the operators to perform the complete identification analysis in a rapid way requiring only few simple steps.

Multiplex PCR-capillary gel electrophoresis: This approach involves the simultaneous detection of multiple targets by multiplex PCR-capillary gel electrophoresis with identification of amplified targets with respect to size and colour. Multiplex PCRs are performed by forward and reverse primers corresponding to primers of validated realtime PCR assays. Forward primers are fluorescently labelled with different fluorescent dyes to allow identification of each amplicon by capillary gel electrophoresis. The most-similarsized amplicons are being labelled with different dyes.

Fig. 4. Decaplex PCR for the Identification Two Commercialized Bt Cotton Events, i.e., MON531 (Bollgard速I) and MON15985 (Bollgard速II) Quantitative Detection: PCR is considered as quantitative if an internal DNA strand is co-amplified with target DNA (competitor DNA). For quantitative determination of the amount of GM in the given sample, real-time PCR based on the fluorometric determination of the amplification process is being widely used. The main advantage of real-time PCR assays is that the amplification of target sequences can be measured directly during the reaction by measuring a fluorescence signal that develops in the course of the reaction. The amount of fluorescent will be proportional to the number of amplification cycles.

Microarrays: Microarray (DNA chip-technology) has been developed in recent years for automated rapid screening of gene expression and sequence variation of large number of samples. Microarrays, consisting of glass supports containing specific oligonucleotide capture probes immobilized on their surface, allow the analysis of multiple sequence targets in one single assay. The main advantages of DNA microarray technology are miniaturization, high sensitivity and screening throughput. For GM detection, different DNA microarray approaches in combination with multiplex PCRs have been developed. NASBA Implemented Microarray Analysis (NAIMA) is a recently developed novel

Recent advancements in DNA-based diagnostics Real-time PCR based ready-to-use multi target analytical system: Mostly, event-specific methods are performed

Seed Times April - June 2012

multiplex quantitative DNA-based target amplification method for sensitive, specific and quantitative on-chip detection of GMOs.

uidA and regulatory elements viz., CaMV 35S, nos promoters and nos terminator, has also been developed. 2.

Decaplex and triplex PCR assays have been developed to differentiate between two major commercialized Bt cotton events (covering more than 80 percent of the total cultivated area for GM cotton ) in India, viz., MON531 and MON15985 alongwith simplex PCRs for each transgene element present in these two Bt cotton events.

Real-time PCR based quantitative analysis of cry1Ac gene in Bt cotton events, MON531 and MON15985; cry2Ab gene in MON15985 has also been developed.

Rapid and cost-effective diagnostic kits for GM cotton events viz. Bollgard®I (MON531) and Bollgard®II (MON15985), have also been developed.

Capacity Building in GM Detection at NBPGR National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), New Delhi, is the nodal agency for issuance of import permit and undertaking quarantine processing of imported transgenic planting material for research purposes. In the recent years, NBPGR has issued 145 import permits on the technical clearance from the Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM) pertaining to imported transgenic planting material for research purposes, in twelve crops with an array of transgenes. The expertise and capacity for PCRbased GM detection systems have been significantly strengthened and upgraded at NBPGR in the recent past. NBPGR has participated in three rounds of successful cross validation studies for PCR-based detection with the Central Food and Technology Research Institute, Mysore and the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad in 2007. Internationally, the institute successfully participated in four proficiency testings organized during 2010-12 by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Italy, for testing unknown GM contents in the powdered samples of different GM events using Real Time PCR assays. Molecular testing of imported transgenic lines of three thousand five hundred fifty two (3552) has been undertaken to date. Three hands-on training sessions on living modified organism (LMO) detection and a brainstorming session on GM Chip Technology: Development and Applications were organized at NBPGR in 2007. World Bank Funded National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) two weeks National training programme on “Molecular Diagnostics for Risk Assessment and Management of Genetically Modified Crops” was organized in November 2011.

NK603 MON810

46.223 41.723

Robust and reliable DNA-based diagnostics employing conventional multiplex and Real-Time PCRs for more than ten GM crops, have been developed in GM detection laboratory at NBPGR. Robust DNA based GM diagnostics for initial screening and for identification and quantification of GM content have also been developed: 1.

Fluorescence (465-510)

37.223

Hexaplex PCR assay has been developed for simultaneous amplification of commonly used six marker genes i.e., aadA, bar, hpt, nptII, pat and uidA

(b)

Heptaplex PCR assay simultaneously amplifying a combination of marker genes; nptII, aadA, pat,

Seed Times April - June 2012

28.223 GA21 TC1507

23.723 19.223 14.723 10.223 5.723

Blank Non-GM maize water control

1.223

For initial screening of GM crops for checking the GM status of a sample irrespective of crop and trait, PCR assays have been developed targeting commonly used markers, promoter and terminator genes in simplex and multiplex formats. (a)

MON89034

32.723

Event-specific SYBR Green-1-based Real-time PCR for the Detection of Five GM Maize Events, i.e., NK603, MON810, MON89034, GA21 and TC1507

These diagnostics are being employed for monitoring of (i) adventitious presence of transgenes in ex-situ collections (ii) imported transgenic material/germplasm being routed through NBPGR. As a step toward commercialization and widespread adoption of GM diagnostic technologies, NBPGR has signed a Memorandum of Understanding, on

behalf of ICAR, with M/s Amar Immunodiagnostics, Hyderabad for transfer of PCR-based technology for ten GM crops on a non-exclusive basis. To further harness international experience and expertise to strengthen national capabilities in this priority area, NBPGR is also executing a joint project on Novel Cost Effective Methods for GMO Detection: Applications to the Indian-Slovenian Context with the Department of Science and Technology, India and the Government of Slovenia, which involves exchange visits by scientists working on GM diagnostics at NBPGR with the National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia.

herbicide tolerance, SmartStax maize with eight different genes coding for several pest resistance for below and above ground insects and herbicide tolerance of more than one available chemical herbicides in the market. Given that the area under GM crops is expanding rapidly with 155 events representing 24 crops have already been commercialized globally further multiply the GM diagnostic challenge.

The Way Forward In this background, the future diagnostics need to be multidetection systems which enable a search for a high number of possible modifications in a single step. In order to achieve a speedy diagnostics for an event-specific product, the information of flanking sequences has to be a necessary requirement from the developer of the GM crops.

Challenges Ahead The detection systems for GM crops have evolved at a fairly faster pace in the recent years. Developing DNA-based diagnostic methods has become a challenging task, as the new generation products involve a set of different genes/promoters/markers and more complex GM events with stacked/pyramided/multiple genes which are also being developed in recent past for example MON15985 event of cotton (Bollgard速II) with cry1Ac and cry2Ab genes, MON88913 with stacking of Bollgard II with herbicide tolerance, Golden Rice with psy, crt1 and lcy genes, triple stacked maize conferring resistance to two insect pests and

Seed Times April - June 2012

To minimize the time required as well as the costs, testing laboratories need to build up a sound decision tree to identify and quantify GMOs with the smallest number of PCRs possible. Therefore, there is an urgent need to evolve a close collaboration among various diagnostic laboratories and technology developers to work in tandem with the regulatory agencies in order to achieve the challenge of GM diagnostics for speedy commercialisation and ensuring public confidence in GM crops for the benefits of society.

Seed Quality Control Technology – 'Easiest, Efficient, Economical and Reliable Replacement of GOT System Dr. Manish Patel

Executive Director, Incotec India Pvt. Ltd.

Mrs. Manami Roy Gupta

Lab Head, Analytical Services, Incotec India Pvt. Ltd.

arker technology (IEF Protein Markers) in the seed industry is being thought about for the past 2 decades consistently. Various seed companies around the world, in Europe, US, Africa and Asia have been using this technology successfully to replace their traditional system of QC by GOT in controlling F1 genetic purity. This system is highly reliable and speedy with reasonable cost as compared to other methods of molecular assisted quality control. It is also ISTA accredited and we are the pioneers in developing superfine Isoelectric Focusing (IEF) systems where minor difference of 1Kbp can be detected. Protein, Isoenzymes and DNA are used as tools to develop such quality control system as well other breeding support Programme. Here in this article we have tried our best to highlight usefulness and competitiveness of Protein molecule in performing routine Hybrid Genetic Purity test in various crops. Such Protein based technology has been already commercially exploited in many crops worldwide (cotton, corn, rice, sunflower and all kind of vegetables etc) for the last 25 years.

Multiphore; 1unit can run 200 sample at a time in 2.5 hours time

The Principle Behind the IEF Technology Isoelectric focusing (IEF), is a technique for separating different molecules by their electric charge differences. It is usually performed on proteins in a gel, that takes advantage of the fact that overall charge on the molecule of interest is a function of the pH of its surroundings.

Gels Analysis Focusing) Electrophoretic techniques to resolve seed proteins on an Ultra Thin Gel which gives a superfine resolution (1bp) and analyze the banding patterns. IAS gels are very thin (46 µm) in comparison to other commercially available gels of 1.25 mm thickness.

A protein that is in a pH region below its isoelectric point (pI) will be positively charged and so will migrate towards the CATHODE (negative). As it migrates through a gradient of increasing pH, however, the protein's overall charge will decrease until the protein reaches the pH region that corresponds to its pI. At this point it has no net charge and so migration ceases (as there is no electrical attraction towards either electrode). As a result, the proteins become focused into sharp stationary bands with each protein positioned at a point in the pH gradient corresponding to its pI. The technique is capable of extremely high resolution with proteins differing by a single charge being fractionated into separate bands.

Ø Since proteins are the final products of gene

translation, so this molecule has been targeted for this diagnostic technique. In a field GOT also the breeder observes the phenotype which is again the final translation product. So irrespective of errors in gene expression, protein diagnostic techniques are very reliable in Agriculture. Ø It has a fine tune with their field correlation, which

The Uniqueness of IEF Technology Ø In Incotec Analytical Services the speciality lies in

has been proved in many of the cases, making our technique the most reliable.

using UTLIEF (Ultra Thin Layer Iso Eletric

Ø Also the Protein marker technology produces a huge

Seed Times April - June 2012

number of Data Points (50-60 bands or even more per gel) in comparison to DNA markers (1-15 data points maximum), and that's why this technology is unique and unbeatable.

applicable) and help you to select individual plants that show similar/identical molecular patterns. In this way we can determine the level of homogeneity or heterogeneity (if at all you have) in your valuable parental lines. So that your breeding programmes can go on smoothly.

Ø Protein extraction methods are very easy and fast

involving very few steps making this UTLIEF easy to adopt.

This test is suggested to run on 96 seeds per lot always when it's meant for quality control. If it's for purification or screening purpose then number of samples may go up high as per need per plant basis.

Ø The incorporation of high throughput technologies in

the process makes it is cost effective and faster.

Comparison Test ( Identification Test)

Ø In the same day the protein can be extracted, run,

stained and analysed . There is no time lapse or waiting for the overnight steps.

This test is useful to compare one known sample with unknown samples which are in question. Normally here various system of total protein analysis is used to try to compare profiles of known and unknown variety. If they don't match at all in any of the systems then it's not the similar type but when they look alike in all systems then it can be said that they are similar.

Ø We have Modern, High-tech, ISO accredited

Laboratories in Netherlands, India and SouthAfrica. Ø We choose a smart and cost efficient tools as DNA or

Protein for given problem to resolve & to get reliable results with competitive advantage.

If the purpose is to identify any genotype in relation to some limited no. of other genotypes, then accordingly a system can be developed which differentiates the particular genotype and other genotype.

Applications of UTLIEF Technique in Seed Quality Control

This test is frequently being used in knowing unlabeled seed lying in warehouse, to make sure that imported seed lot is representing the reference samples sent for trials, to cross check duplication of any genotypes available in market, to know 'me too' type products are true to types or not.

There are many applications for IEF protein based marker in agriculture industry specially for the seed quality control . a. Hybrid Genetic Purity control: Fast, Accurate, Economical. Can easily replace field GOT b. Homogeneity test of parental lines or Pure lines ie. Foundation and Breeder Seed

Genetic Purity Testing of F1 (Inbred Test )

c. Comparison test for “me-too” cases in Agriforensics. ie. to check unknown and known genetics

Low level of polymorphism which cannot be differentiated at field level in regular grow out test can be identified during this test. This test analyzes the given F1 samples for presence of female, male, off types and out cross seed.

d. Breeding assistance for backcrossing populations.

If you are interested to develop genetic purity control system for any of your F1 to replace your traditional GOT, then the following steps need to be followed.

e. Genetic distance evaluation for heterosis prediction. f.

Plant variety protection with Protein fingerprints.

A. Finding Hybrid Purity marker for any chosen F1. For this you need about 500 seed of F1 seed lot and the corresponding male & female parent of the hybrid. The objective is to find marker which represents F1 and differentiate female, male and off types patterns from each other. It's basic research to find polymorphic markers and once such marker is founded need to be validated using your pre-known results of F1 seed lots ( 1 pass and 1 fail seed lot with pre-known results is advisable to have sound marker search). After revalidation the marker is ready for going ahead towards commercial Quality Control of that F1 seed lot.

Some of the Technologies are Being Summarized as Below: Homogeneity Test for Parental Line and OP Variety This test is often used as tool for cleaning up lines, testing genetic quality of OP variety, Purifying and maintaining existing parental line and OP variety etc. There are many applications for this test based on breeder's choice and as per the requirement of the company. Basically what we do here is, first identify systems with which molecular markers demonstrate heterogeneity in your lines (if

Seed Times April - June 2012

Once above hybridity marker is founded, commercial Quality Control for Hybrid Genetic Purity in your F1 seed lot is possible to run at own

lab with IEF lab set up and ready to operate standardized process and protocols of marker search.

Present in female and Hybrid Absent in male Present in male and Hybrid Absent in female

Note: One female pattern (admixture) is found in the male patterns

Seed Times April - June 2012

Legislations for Seed Quality Regulation in India

V. Shanthy; P.R. Vijaya Kumari; Anshu Vishwanathan and R.K. Deshmukh

sorghum. This was followed by various seed legislations enacted by Government of India details of which have been enumerated in followed pages. Further, AICRP-National Seed Project during 1979 (NSP) was undertaken by the Indian Government. The project resulted in achieving breeder seed production surpassing the indents in all major crops. Recently, Governments' decision to embrace biotechnology as a means of achieving food security has made seed quality an important aspect in R & D and business sector in India such as "approval for commercial cultivation of Bt cotton" in the year 2002. Several leading multinational seed companies have entered the seed market and at present the composition of the seed industry by volume of turnover, has reportedly reached a ratio of 60:40 between the private and public sectors (Govindan, 2003). Since most of the farming community is iliterate or semi- literate, it is the responsibility of the Government to frame rules that govern the production and distribution of quality seeds to the farming community. Though seed act had been implemented in European countries at the fag end of eighteenth century, India did have an act to designate seed quality parameters. This void was fulfilled during 1966, when the Seed Act was formed and followed by Seed Rules in 1968. Both were adopted during 1969 for the whole of India except Sikkim and Kashmir. Amendments were made subsequently for the Seeds Act during the years 1972, 1973, 1974 & 1981. With newer varieties coming into the agricultural scenario, the seeds control order was formed insisting on compulsory licensing of the dealer. This was made even more stringent by bringing the seeds under the Essential Commodity Act, 1955. To help Multinational Corporation in utilizing the manpower and knowledge base of our country, the Plants, Varieties and Fruits Order was passed during 1989 and amended subsequently during 1998, 2000 and 2001. Finally the order was revised by another order, Plant Quarantine (Regulation of import into India) Order in 2003. Signing of WTO in 1995 paved the way for private research and development of varieties. In order to regulate such varieties, the protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Right Act was passed in 2001 which was followed by National Seed Policy, 2002 and Seeds Bill, 2004.

Introduction

evelopment of improved crop varieties is vital for sustained increase in agriculture production and productivity. Timely supply of quality seed is equally significant since the contribution of quality seed alone is estimated to be 15- 20 percent to total crop production (MSP Annual Report 2006-07). India with a population of more than 1 billion and an arable area of 168 million hectares has one of the largest potential seed market in the world. The total Indian seed market valued around $500 million dollars 5 years back (Gadwal, 2003), but it values $ 1 billion dollars presently with large portion of seed trade involving local exchanges of established varieties or farmer bred seeds. The total amount of certified seeds produced is only 8 percent (Gadwal, 2003) of total seed sown each year. Therefore it is imperative to increase the production and distribution of quality seeds. Seed quality attains more significance in view of emerging biotic and abiotic stresses, issues related to quality and phytosanitary measures, competition in domestic and international markets and emerging food needs. Measures of seed legislation with respect to quantity and quality were initiated in the country by establishment of National Seed Corporation during 1963 under Ministry of Agriculture. The seed sector in India during the period was dominated by the Public sector. The NSC was the Central Body to produce seeds of superior dwarf varieties in rice, wheat and, superior hybrids in maize, pearl millet and Seed Times April - June 2012

Central Institute of Cotton Research (CICR), Nagpur

sending samples to a seed analyst in the seed testing laboratory.

Seed Legislations by Governmentof India 1. Seeds Act (1966)

15. Laying-out of procedure for seed sample collection and other rules. The clause also entrust inspector with the power to break open any seed container or door of any premises where such seed may be kept for sale, under those circumstances when owner refuses to cooperate. The whole operation has to be done in presence of two witnesses with their signatures on a memorandum.

The major legislative measures involved under the Act are Seeds rules framed in 1968, Seeds (Control) order, formulated in 1983 after including seeds as an essential commodity. A total of twenty five clauses have been mentioned in the act and they are: 1.

Enacted by Parliament for the whole of India to regulate seeds.

Seeds of food crops, oil crops, cotton seeds, seeds of cattle fodder and all types of vegetative propagating material are included.

Constitution of a Central Seed Committee (comprising eight members) to advise the Central and State Governments on matters arising out of the administration of this act and carry out other functions assigned to it by the Act.

Establishing a Central Seed Laboratory as well as State Seed Laboratory to carry out seed analysis of notified variety.

Empowerment of the Central Seed Committee to notify any variety found suitable as per the Act after notification in the Official Gazette.

16. Responsibility of Seed analyst to report the results in a specified format after analysis of the seed samples to Seed Inspector as well as the seller/ purchaser. Complainant if dissatisfied with the result can apply to the court for sending samples to Central Seed Testing Laboratory. Central seed laboratory shall thereupon send its report to the court in the prescribed format within one month from the date of receipt of the sample. 17. Restriction on import and export of seeds of notified varieties. Any variety imported or exported should meet the minimum limits of seed germination and purity marked or labeled on the container truly. 18. Recognition of seed certification agencies of foreign countries for the purpose of this act. 19. Penalty or punishment or both for those who do not comply with the provisions of the act and also prevent seed inspectors from executing his power.

Empowerment of the committee to fix the minimum limits of germination and purity of seed for a variety to be notified as well as for marking or labeling a seed lot to be sold commercially.

20. Forfeiture of property (seeds) belonging to any person convicted under this act due to contravention of the procedures under this act.

Regulation of sale of seeds of notified varieties by compulsory truthful labeling revealing the true identity of the variety, germination as well as purity.

Constituting a certification agency for undertaking the process of certification.

21. Punishment for offences committed by companies or any body corporate. All who was incharge of, when the time the offence was committed and was responsible to the company shall be deemed to be guilty of the offence and punished accordingly.

Power of certification agency to recommend notification of suitable variety and grant of notification certificate provided the seed meets minimum limits of germination and purity.

22. Protection of Government action taken in good faith that is no prosecution or legal proceeding will lie against Government or any Government Officer for anything that is done in good faith.

10. Empowerment to the agency for revocation of certificate if the agency is convinced that holder has obtained certificate by misrepresentation or not complied with the conditions.

23. Power for Government to give directions for smooth conduct of the act. 24. Non-application of the act to the seed exchange by the farmers without any brand name.

11. Provision for an appeal by the holder on payment basis to express before an appellate authority, his limitations for not complying with the conditions.

25. Power of Government to make rules to carry out various functions of Central Seed Committee, Central Seed Laboratory, Certification Agency and Seed Inspectors.

12. Appointment of a seed analyst to undertake seed testing.

Seed Rules, 1968 The rules have been framed to implement various legislations given under Seed Act, 1966 and contain 11 sections.

13. Appointment of seed inspector who is deemed to be a public servant within the meaning or section 21 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860).

I. Preliminary

14. Empowerment of seed inspector to draw samples from any seller or a purchaser and verify the quality by

This section provides definitions of various terminology used under the seed rule.

Seed Times April - June 2012

II. Central Seed Committee This section describes the specific functions entrusted to the committee by the act such as recommendation for Seed Testing fee, advice on the suitability of seed testing laboratory, recommendation for the procedure and standards for seed certification and testing. Also the rules provide details of traveling and daily allowances payable to the members of the committee.

certification tag containing information such as name and address of the certification agency, name of variety, lot number, name and address of the producer, date of issue of its certificate and its validity, an appropriate sign, to designate certified seed. The color of the tag shall be white for foundation, purple for registered and blue for certified seed. The holder of certificate shall allow any seed inspector to enter and inspect the seeds kept for sale, registers or other documents.

III. Central Seed Laboratory

VIII. Appeal

In this section it describes the specific functions entrusted to the Central Seed Laboratory such as coordinating with State Seed Laboratories for uniformity in test results, collecting data on quality of seeds available in the market and any other function assigned to it by the Central Government.

Provision for appeal has been provided by submitting a memorandum accompanied by a treasury receipt for Rs. 100. The appellate authority shall exercise all the powers which a court has, while deciding appeal under the code of civil procedure, 1908.

IV. Seed Certification Agency

IX. Seed Analyst and Seed Inspectors

This section deals with the specific functions entrusted to the Certification Agency such as outlining the procedure for submission of applications, growing, harvesting and processing and storage of seeds indented for certification, maintaining a list of recognized nucleus seed breeders, inspections of seed production fields, seed processing plant and seed stores, grant of certificates.

The specific qualifications and duties of seed analyst and seed inspectors have been provided in this section. Seed analyst should possess a Master Degree in Agriculture/ Agronomy/ Botany/Horticulture from a recognized University with at least one year experience in Seed Technolog y or possess a Bachelors deg ree in Agriculture/Botany from a recognized university with a minimum of three years experience in Seed Technology for this purpose. Seed analyst shall analyze the seed samples according to the provisions of the Act. Seed Inspector shall be a graduate in agriculture with at least one year experience in Seed Technology.

V. Marketing or Labeling Rules for marking or labeling of seed lots indented for certification have been provided in this section. The label should contain name of the person or agency that produced the seed and shall be responsible for the accuracy of information given in the unopened original container. The label should contain the name, the address of the person offering the sale of the seed, name of the variety, germination and purity level of the seed, net weight of the seed, date of seed testing and a statement if the seed is treated. Any transparent cover used solely for the purpose of packing during transport or delivery need not be marked or labeled.

X. Sealing, Dispatch and Analysis of Samples The details of sampling, labeling, manner of packing and sealing the samples as well as its dispatch to the seed analyst has been provided.

XI. Miscellaneous The need to maintain stock record of seeds and record of the sale of seed have been provided in this section.

VI. Requirements for Certification Three classes of certified seed have been specified in this section, viz.Foundation (progeny of breeder seed), Registered (progeny of foundation seed) and Certified (progeny of registered / foundation seed) and each class shall meet the specific standards. Certification agency has the discretion of producing certified seed from certified seed provided that it does not exceed three generation and the genetic purity is not significantly altered.

Amendments to the Seed Act / Seed Rules

The Seeds (amendment) Rules, 1972 Inclusion of "jute seeds" to the Seeds Act, Establishment of a Seed Certification Board, and empowerment of the Board to fix minimum standards

Certification Board Establishing Central Seed Certification Board to advise Government on all matters relating to the certification and co- ordinate the functioning of certification agencies. Details of the Board members to be included with a Chairman and employees nominated by the Central Government, Directors of Agriculture and Directors of Research. Membership period has been given for two years. The board can make by-laws for regulating its own procedure. The Central Government shall appoint a Secretary for the board

VII. Certification of Seeds The detailed procedure of seed certification starting from applying for certification till the grant of certificate has been provided in this section. Application has been outlined by the certification agency containing the name and details of the applicant, the name of the seed to be certified, class & source of the seed, germination and purity and mark or label. A fee of Rs. 25 is levied for certification. Once certified, the

Seed Times April - June 2012

The rule says seed should not just meet a minimum limit of germination and purity as given in SEED ACT, 1966, but should meet a prescribed standard provided that the standard is not lower than the minimum limits of germination and purity specified for the seed.

Seeds (Control) Order, 1983 The inclusion of seeds as an essential commodity item under the Essential Commodity Act, 1955 brought the Seeds (Control) Order. A person carrying on the business of selling, exporting and importing of seeds needs to obtain a license

Clause for "Power to fix standards for which seeds should confirm" was added under the power to make rules in the Seeds Act, 1966.

The Essential Commodity Act, 1955 gives powers to State governments to regulate various aspects of trading in essential commodities under the supervision of Central Government.

The Seeds (amendment) Rules, 1973 Powers of appellate authority and duty of seed analyst have been slightly modified. Seed Testing Manual published by ICAR has been mentioned to be referred by the seed analysts

The act again passed with amendments in the year 1980 clearly states that detaining of persons whose activities are unethical in the supply of essential commodities. This help in prevention of black marketing of the supplies.

Judicial powers of authority provided in Seed Rules under Appeal, has been omitted.

The license provided to a seed dealer remains valid only for 3 years from the date of its issue which can be later renewed.

Seed analyst shall analyze samples in accordance with the procedures laid down in the Seed Testing Manual published by the ICAR.

The seed dealer has to essentially display the stock position (opening and closing) on daily basis along with a list indicating prices or rates of different seeds.

Amendment has been made by specifying the time period (maximum 30 days after receipt of the sample) within which the seed analyst should report the result.

A cash or credit memorandum has to be given by the dealer to purchaser of seeds, compulsorily.

Amendment by empowering the State Government to assign any duty to Seed Inspector has been made.

The State Government is empowered with appointing a licensing authority, inspectors and mode of action for supply regulation.

The Seeds (amendment) Rules, 1974 More powers conferred on seed inspector during crop failure

Under this order the time period for completion of seed analysis in case of any doubt about quality is 60 days compared to 30 days under Seed Rules.

Modified the seed rules by adding a clause on action to be taken by the seed inspector if a complaint is lodged with him as a result of crop failure.

Cancellation of license if obtained through misrepresentation.

The amendment says that in cases of crop failure, the inspector shall investigate causes of failure by sending seed samples for detailed analysis.

Provision for appeal and an appellate has also been provided Provision for amendment of license and need for maintenance of records and submission of monthly returns by the dealer.

He shall also submit the report to the competent authority. If the inspector comes to conclusion that failure of performance is due to low quality seed not meeting the minimum standards notified by the Central government he shall take proceedings against supplier.

The National Seed Project undertook various measures and had set up huge processing plants in order to provide processing of certified seeds of self pollinated food crops to farmers. However it did not result in complete fulfillment of the mission since private sectors were able to take forward their quality seeds in both self and cross pollinated crops of varieties/ hybrids respectively. In the year, 1971, National Commission on Agriculture recommended breaking of Public sector hold and entry of private sector into the Indian Seed market. Subsequently, the National Seed Policy in 1988 was formulated to help privatize the Indian seed industry at that time the import of seeds were restricted.

The Seeds (amendment) Rules, 1981 A new rule added under the seed certification and has mentioned Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards published by the Central Seed Committee to be referred for certification The amendment says certification agency shall ensure that the seed standards confirm to the minimum seed certification standards laid down in the manual known as Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards published by the Central Seed Committee which is commonly called as Blue Book.

Seed Times April - June 2012

New Policy on Seed Development, 1988 The policy was formulated to provide Indian farmers with access to the best available seeds and planting materials of domestic as well as imported

The policy permits the import of selected seeds under Open General License (OGL), to make available to farmers high quality seeds to maximize yield, increase productivity thereby farm income. The policy allow import under OGL of items such as seeds of oilseed crops, pulses, coarse grains, vegetables, flowers, ornamental plants, tubers, bulbs, cuttings and saplings of flowers.

The order prohibits import of commodities contaminated with weeds, alien species, and packaging material of plant origin unless the material has been treated. Agricultural imports are thus classified as: prohibited plant species, restricted species where import permitted only by authorized institutions and declarations and plant material imported for consumption or industrial processing permitted with phytosanitary certificate.

While the import of horticultural crops including flowers need recommendation from Directors of Horticulture, import of crop seeds require permission from ICAR. ICAR will direct multi -locational trials in various agro-climatic conditions at least for one season.

Phytosanitary certificate according to Plant Quarantine requirements has to be provided so as to prevent spread of noxious pests. Pest risk analysis during post entry quarantine is compulsory.

Evaluation of important traits such as yield, pest resistance etc. needs to be done within 3 months of harvest after which importer shall apply to the DAC for permit. Within a month, DAC will process it and thereafter controller of Imports and Exports will issue a license.

Import of germplasm has to be permitted by NBPGR and any other biological materials such as soil, microbes, moss etc. has to be permitted by Plant Protection Advisor.

Private seed producing firms should compulsorily register with NSC before importing the seeds.

A list of 590 quarantine pests and 61 weed species have been declared under the Order.

The policy was immediately followed by an order by Government of India (Plants, Fruits and Seeds Order) for the purpose to regulate the import of agricultural items into India.

Notified entry points for import have been increased compared to PFS Order, 1989. Strengthening Plant Quarantine facilities, opening new quarantine stations, establishing advanced molecular diagnostic facilities for rapid pathogen detection, setting up of National Pest Risk Analysis unit are other important features of the Order Global realization on the role of plant genetic resources in development of superior crop varieties and use of many traditionally grown plants in development of medicines and various industrial applications raised concerns for Conservation of Biological Diversity (CBD) which came into force in the year 1993. Government of India felt the need to provide protection to plant varieties which have tremendous commercial value after India became signatory to the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement (TRIPS) in the year 1994. The TRIPS agreement required the member countries to provide for protection of plant varieties either by a patent or by an effective sui generis system or by any combination there of. The sui generis system for protection of plant varieties was developed by India integrating the rights of breeders, farmers, and village communities. The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Right Act was thus formulated in the year 2001.

Plants, Fruits and Seeds Order (Regulation of Import into India order) 1989 The order was made suppressing the Plants, Fruits and Seeds Order (Regulation of Import into India) 1984 and provides regulations during import based on post entry quarantine checks. Post entry quarantine facilities shall be established which shall be permitted to be released by Designated Inspection Authority. Import of any form of seed for consumption or sowing should carry a permit issued by the competent authority, and the import should be only through specified customs stations. The consignment shall be inspected by the Plant Protection Advisor. Amendments have been made for the above order during 1998, 2000 and 2001. With the liberalized trade in agriculture, as consequence to WTO agreements, Government thought of providing new legislative provisions under the new order, Plant Quarantine (Regulation of import into India) Order, 2003. The Order has now replaced the Plants, Fruits and Seeds order, 1989.

Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Right Act, 2001 The Act covers all categories of plants except microorganisms.

The order has widened the scope of plant quarantine activities and has made pest risk analysis compulsory for imports

The variety being claimed for protection needs to be notified. The food crops including major cereals, pulses, oilseeds, vegetables and fruit crops are selected on first priority.

The order includes provision for regulating the import of soil, moss, germplasm and GMO's for research, insects, microbial cultures and bio-control agents, timber and wooden logs.

Seed Times April - June 2012

Crops important for India in the world trade, species of Indian origin, crops where India could benefit from

introduction of new germplasm are other priorities.

protected variety.

The act is unique in the world with inclusion of rights of farmers, breeders, researchers and equity concerns.

? The breeder of essentially derived varieties so developed

using the protected varieties shall have the same rights as the breeder of other new varieties.

The Central Government shall establish a PPV & FR Authority with a Chairman and 15 members to implement the various functions of the Act.

? Farmers have been provided right to avail protection of

varieties conserved or developed by them.

A variety can be registered for protection if it satisfies the criteria of Novelty, Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability (NDUS).

? Farmers can save, re-sow, exchange, share and sell farm

Novel means the variety was not sold or disposed by the breeder for commercial exploitation in India earlier than one year or outside India, earlier than four years before the date of filing of application for registration.

? Farmers have the right for innocent infringement when,

produce of any protected variety except its commercial marketing with brand name. at the time of infringement he is not aware of the existence of breeder rights. ? A National Gene Fund has been constituted which will

be utilized for payment as rewards to farmers who has preserved a variety and which has been used as donor of genes in development of a new variety by any breeder.

Distinct means the variety is clearly distinguishable by at least one essential characteristic from any other variety whose existence is known in any country at the time of filing of application.

? The gene fund is also utilized for providing

compensation to farmers if the variety does not perform to the expected performance of the variety. The expected performance of a protected variety under specific condition needs to be compulsorily provided to the farmers during sale.

Uniformity means the variety is sufficiently uniform for essential characteristics other than the variation that may be expected within the variety due to its mode of reproduction. Stability means the variety remain unchanged for its essential characteristics even after repeated propagation.

? Under situations of unavailability of seeds of protected

? The DUS test guidelines have been laid for - many crops

varieties, the authority can grant compulsory license to any person for producing and distributing the seeds to public at a reasonable price, provided the expiry period of 3 years of registration of variety is completed.

and registration for many crops for protection has already been initiated. In cotton, 37characters for tetraploid and 31 for diploid cotton have been identified. A manual is available giving the description of such traits in various crops published by Directorate of Seed Research, MAU.

? Breeder needs to share the benefits accrued from a

registered variety with the necessary claimers who shall be heard and if convinced, his share may be given as per the nature and extent of the benefit.

? The detailed contents to be provided in the application

form for registration has been given.

? National Gene fund is credited with the benefit sharing

? Complete passport data of the variety, clear pedigree

from the breeder, the annual fees payable by the breeder through royalties and contribution from any national and international organization and other sources.

and source of origin of the variety, statement declaring no terminator gene is present, specification on novel and distinct character of the variety etc. are some of the major features in the form.

? Fund will be utilized for disbursing shares to benefit

claimers, compensation to seekers, supporting conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources, and for strengthening the capabilities of the Panchayat in carrying out such conservation measures.

? It shall not apply for registration of farmers' varieties. ? Period of protection is six years in case of crops and may

be renewed on condition that the total period of validity does not exceed 15 years.

? Constitution of Plant Variety Protection Appellate

Tribunal to exercise jurisdiction and powers consisting of Judicial as well as Technical members.

? Breeder has to pay an annual fee based on the royalty

gained by the variety for retention of registration of the same.

? The authority provide measures to Institutions for

registration of extant (already known to exist) and new varieties, characterization, documentation and developing a data base of all existing varieties, cataloguing of farmers' varieties, ensuring availability of seeds of registered varieties, maintenance of register of plant varieties etc. taking advantage of any institution including ICAR.

? Registration certificate issued to a breeder confer

him/her exclusive right to produce, sell, market, distribute, import or export the variety. ? Researchers are not prevented for conducting research

using the registered variety or using the same for creating newer varieties provided an authorization is given by the breeder indicating the necessity of use of

Seed Times April - June 2012

? ? Identification of

possible reference varieties is a requirement under DDS testing which has to be for all crop species. Their storage is an important component of the act for which appropriate storage facilities need to be created at selected locations.

? Establishment of seed banks for ensuring supply in

times of calamity and storage facility at village level. ? Establishment of a National Seed Board in place of

Central Seed Committee and Central. ? Seed Certification Board to undertake seed certification

The Indian PPV & FR Act thus appears to be an effective sui generis system providing a balance between plant breeders' rights along with farmers' rights and researchers' rights. Theimpact will be felt only after its effective implementation.

and advising Government on all matters related to seed planning and development. NSB will serve as the apex body in the seed sector. ? Setting up of National Seed Research and Training

Protection of Plant Varieties Rules, 2003

Centre to impart training in seed technology.

The rules have been enforced for the smooth implementation of the Act, 2001. The rules provide detailed procedures while applying for protection, ways of administering the national gene fund, procedure on application for compensation, procedure to alter the denomination of a registered variety, procedure for cancellation of certificate and all other procedures to be implemented as per the provisions given in the PPV & FR Act, 2001.

? Development of a National Seed Grid to provide

information on availability of different varieties of seeds with production details. Both public and private sector will be encouraged to join the grid for a clear assessment of demand and supply of seeds Few of Policy's other recommendations have been addressed in PPV &FR, Act, 2001 also. Major ones are maintenance of a National Register on seeds of varieties, establishing a national gene fund, disclosure of the variety's expected performance and provision for farmer to claim compensation in case of crop failure. Further, aims of National Seed Policy such as development of infrastructure, ensuring supply of good quality seeds and facilitating the International seed trade are sought to be addressed through the proposed Seeds Bill, 2004.

Seed industry was promoted and regulated through Seeds Act, 1966, Seeds (Control) Order, 1983 and the New policy on Seed development, 1988. However, far reaching changes have been taken place in the national economic and agricultural scenario and in the international environment since the enactment of the existing seed legislation. Biotechnology sector came up with promises of extremely productive GM crops. It was believed that the new technology has the potential to improve living standards. Various organizations such as ICAR, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, Federation of Indian Industries (FICCI) support commercialization of such crops. National seeds policy was thus formulated in the year, 2002 to provide an appropriate climate for the seed industry to utilize available and prospective opportunities, safeguarding the interest of farmers and conservation of the biodiversity. Liberalization has been targeted towards certain components of the policy retaining regulation to some components to safeguard national interest.

Seed Bill (2004) The Seed Bill is proposed to replace the Seed Act, 1966 ? Compulsory registration of seeds that are to be offered

for sale through test for Value for Cultivation and Use (VCU). ? Seed certification will continue to be voluntary ? VCU will be tested by multilocational trials over three

seasons. Samples of materials for registration will also be sent to NBPGR for retention in the National Gene Bank.

National Seed Policy, 2002 National Seed Policy was formulated in 2002 to raise Indias' share in the global seed trade by facilitating advanced scientific aspects such as biotechnology to farmers and in March 2002, first transgenic Bt cotton was approved for commercial cultivation in India.

? Enable provisional registration based on the

information filed by the applicant relating to trials over one season to tide over the stipulation of testing over three seasons before the grant of registration. The provisional registration will be for a period not exceeding two years.

? The policy encourages private sector participation in

research and development of new plant varieties.

? Accreditation of any organization or individual or any

seed producing organization to carry out selfcertification subject to the control of the seed committee and State Government.

? The rights empowered to various bodies for regulating

the quality of seeds produced, distributed and for providing variety protection as per the Seeds Act, 1966 and PPV & FR Act, 2001 have been retained in the policy.

? Registration of seed processing units will be required. ? Varieties already in the market at the onset of policy

? Promotion of seed village scheme to increase the

implementation will have to be registered within a fixed time period.

production and make available the seeds in time as well as upgrading the quality of farmers' saved seeds.

Seed Times April - June 2012

? Compulsory disclosure on the expected performance of

? During import to the country all seeds are required to be

a variety sold to a farmer. During failure the farmer may claim compensation under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.

accompanied by a certificate from competent authority regarding their transgenic character. ? Compulsory testing of transgenic crop varieties under

? All registered seeds should meet the minimum limits of

AICCIP to determine their agronomic value in coordinance with the tests for environment and bio-safety clearance as per the EPA before its commercial release.

germination, purity and seed health and the seed lots on sale should be compulsorily labeled. In transgenic varieties, the label should carry the name of transgene.

? Post release monitoring of transgenic for performance

? Compulsory registration of seed producer or any seed

for 3 - 5 years by the Ministry of Agriculture and State Departments of Agriculture.

production organization, horticultural nurseries engaged in business.

? Provision of protection of transgenic as per PPV & FR

? Any registered varieties offered for sale can also be

provisions.

certified by the State Certification Agency if the dealer intents to.

? Appointing Seed inspectors with more powers unlike

that mentioned in Seed Act, 1966. No warrant or procedural safeguards shall be applicable.

? A Central Seed Committee in line with National Seed

Board provided in the Seed Policy, 2002 will be the apex body to fix or set the minimum standards for the seeds and decide which seeds are harmful or dangerous to the environment and public health.

? Plant quarantine procedure need to be strictly followed

during import of seed material with a permit from Plant Protection Adviser to the G.O.I. ? Creation of data base on availability of seeds of

? Empowerment of Central Government to declare any

different crops to assess the impact of exports on domestic availability of seeds.

Seed testing laboratory as the Central Seed Testing laboratories which will also serve as referral lab in case of disputes. Empowerment of State Government in establishing one or more State Seed testing laboratories.

? Strengthening of testing and certification facility with

international standards.

? Seed testing labs will be established in conformity with

? Encouraging seed production in non-traditional areas

ISTA to meet the quality requirements of seeds during export.

and subsidy to take up seed production in marginal lands. ? Revocation of certificate under misrepresentation.

? Special provision for registration of

transgenic provided the applicant has obtained clearance from GEAC.

? Recognition of Seed Certification Agencies in foreign

countries.

? The seeds imported can be subject to registration

? Provision of appeals and establishment of an appellate

granted based on the results of multilocational trials.

authority A public opinion has emerged on the fact that Seed Bill provisions are contradictory to the PPV & FR legislations and that the Seed Bill has been drafted to suppress the merits of PPV & FR Act, 2001.

? The import of transgenic seeds to be done only through

NBPGR after approval from GEAC as per the EPA, 1986.

Comparison of Seed Bill, 2004 and PPV & FR act, 2001 S.No.

Seed Bill, 2004

PPV & FR act, 2001

"Farmer has to claim compensation from a consumer court and redressal under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986"

Farmer get compensation from the PPV authority which is all the more simpler

Does not require the declaration of oriqin of variety along with pedigree details

Requires the declaration of origin of variety along with pedigree details

Does not grant any recognition to the contribution of farmers

provides rewards for farmers contribution and also the benefit sharing

Seed dealers are not under any obligation

Provides compulsory licensing which safeguards the interests of farming community to ensure adequate seed supply at reasonable price on the Government.

to provide reasonable seed supply to farmers 5.

Grant of provisional registration is considered a major draw back

Seed Times April - June 2012

No such provisions have been given

Government as a standard test for Bt. detection in GM seeds. As per the rule all seed testing laboratories are to perform Bt. purity testing along with genetic purity testing and the following standards have been specified for the same: Submitted sample size: 25g Working sample size: 10 seeds

Regulatory Measures Specific to Transgenic Seeds Recognizing the potential of Genetic Engineering and its relevance to India, Ministry of Science and Technology gave sufficient impetus for research and monitoring of transgenic seed development. The measures of transgenic regulation fall under the Environment and Protection Act, 1986 and EPA rules, 1989.

Minimum level of Bt. toxin to be present: 450 nanog/sq.cm. or /gm seed

? Establishment of Department of Biotechnology in 1986

exclusively to apply biotechnological approaches in agriculture and human health.

The purity in terms of quantum of gene expression of Bt. Protein should be 90% for labeling of Bt. cotton seed.

? Establishment of

Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM) in 1989 for effective monitoring and evaluation which lay guide lines for assessment of GM crops.

Bt Detection Methods: Three Bt detection methods, viz: (i) Bt express (ii) Bt detect (iii) Bt quant are in common use.

? Establishment of Institute Bio-safety Committee at the

Conclusion

organization level, to monitor r-DNA technology work.

Agriculture production is purely based on the basic input, seed. Until and unless the purity, quality and seed standards are maintained, production programme cannot be successful. To maintain these quality standards, legislations are equally important. Therefore Government of India had taken steps in framing Seed Act, Seed Rules, Seed (control) order, National Seed Policy, Plant quarantine order, PPV & FR Act to not only to protect breeders, researchers but also a common farmer. These legislations have taken care of the quality of the seeds at production, processing, marketing and labeling and marketing levels to ensure the farmer gets the best quality seed. Therefore it is necessary that the information regarding seed legislations must reach farmers also to make them aware of their rights.

? Establishment of Special Monitoring cum Evaluation

Committee under RCGM to monitor the impact of transgenic plants on the environment with following members: ? Establishment of

Genetic Engineering Approval Committee which will recommend the Government for approval of a transgenic variety for commercial cultivation.

Under Seeds Rules, 1968, Central Government has declared CICR laboratory of ICAR as Referral Laboratory for Bt. cotton seeds in 2003. The detection kits developed at CICR has been recognized by the

Reproduced from CICR Technical Bulletin No. 38, with kind permission of the Director, CICR, Nagpur

Seed Times April - June 2012

Guidelines on Seed Health Testing in the Vegetable Seed Industry (Adopted by the ISF Vegetable and Ornamental Crops Section in Calgary, June 2010)

eed health testing is an integral tool for all seed companies in disease risk management. The vegetable seed industry considers a collaborative development of seed health test methods to be of mutual benefit for the whole seed-supply chain and, therefore, a noncompetitive subject. The International Seed Health Initiative for Vegetable Crops (ISHIVeg) was conceived by the vegetable seed industry as a means to develop and disseminate reference methods for seed health testing in order to minimize differences in methods used by countries and seed companies. A measure of ISHI-Veg's success lies in the acceptance it has received internationally of its seed health test methods. These methods are regularly reviewed, updated and posted on the ISF website, worldseed.org. The ISF Vegetable and Ornamental Crop Section strongly recommends the use of ISHIVeg methods by the vegetable seed industry preferably as the standard method or, at least, as a reference for comparison to the company's standard method. If a company claims to have used an ISHI-Veg method, it must ensure the method has been used in its entirety and without any modification. It is also recommended that company seed health testing laboratories seek accreditation by an internationally recognised body for their laboratory management practices. If a disease complaint implicates a particular seed lot and it is to be evaluated, the ISHIVeg method should be used in one of two ways: ? As the reference method along with the standard method used by the company, or ? As the standard method itself.

As ISHI-Veg methods are regularly reviewed and updated, the version used in the evaluation will be the one that was on the ISF website at the time the disputed seed lot was tested.

Reproduced with kind permission of ISF

Seed Times April - June 2012

EVENTS

NSAI Stakeholders Workshop on Hybrid Rice Production in Punjab

National Seed Association of India (NSAI) organised a 'Stakeholders Workshop on Hybrid Rice Production in Punjab' on 12 May 2012 at Chandigarh. The Workshop was convened to discuss the issues which are impeding the growth of adoption of hybrid rice technology in Punjab, which has always been a state which has readily accepted any new farm technology. The main concern for the industry was the informal directives / advisory from the state government last year discouraging sale of hybrid rice seeds in the state. The informal ban continues this year too. The workshop, the first of its kind, was attended by nearly fifty participants (Annexure 1) representing all the stakeholders including, scientific community (ICAR / PAU / CIMMYT- CSISA); state government officials; Food Corporation of India; miller association; seed Seed Times April - June 2012

industry (both public and private sector) and the farmers. Prof. Swapan K. Datta, Deputy Director General (Crop Sciences), ICAR was the Chief Guest at the meeting, which was presided by Dr. B.S. Dhillon, Vice Chancellor, Punjab Agricultural University. Mr. Gurinderjit Singh Sandhu, Financial Commissioner Development, Govt. of Punjab; Dr. B.C. Viraktamath, Director, DRR, Hyderabad; Dr. M.S. Sandhu, Director of Agriculture, Govt. of Punjab; Mr. S.K. Roongta, CMD, National Seeds Corporation, were among the other prominent participants at the meeting. The workshop began with a formal welcome of the participants by Mr. M. Harish Reddy, General Secretary, NSAI. Mr. Reddy regretted that the state which had

adopted the hybrid rice technology well and the area under these hybrids almost doubled during the two years period of 2008 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2010, exhibiting 3.8% rice area coverage (more than the national average of 3.6%) has now fallen behind due to the informal restrictions. Mr. Gurinderjit Singh Sandhu, FCD, Govt. of Punjab, in his opening remarks stressed that any technology to be promoted in the state must ensure gains for the farmers. The farmers in Punjab find rice, in the recent years, to be facing problems in procurement by the government due to not meeting the specifications in milling. He stressed that grain quality was as important as the yields and the farmers should have access to technologies meeting these needs.

These presentations were followed by the open house discussions among various stakeholders on developing a strategy for better adoption of hybrid rice in the state. Representatives of the development agencies, researchers, millers, procurement agencies (FCI), farmers and the seed industry, participated actively in the discussions, which were coordinated and guided by Dr. B.S. Dhillon. He thanked NSAI for their efforts in getting together all the stakeholders, which helped in understanding the requirements of the value chain and develop end to end solutions. Dr. Dhillon stressed that all good technologies, including hybrid rice should be available to the farmers of Punjab. He suggested that incorporating drought tolerance in hybrids would be useful for Punjab conditions. With regard to milling, he agreed that there are problems, both of protocol and process. Milling quality would depend on the variety, weather and storage (conditions and duration). While the farmers focus on yields, the millers are concerned about profits, which can come from good produce which is procured by Government. He advised upscaling of the machinery used by millers.

Dr. B.C. Viraktamath, Director, Directorate of Rice Research (ICAR), Hyderabad in his presentation on 'Hybrid Rice in India', outlined the growth of hybrid rice technology, its benefits, etc. Dr. Viraktamath stressed that in view of a plateau in yields of high yielding varieties, hybrid use has gained popularity. He complimented the private seed industry, which produces nearly 97% of the seed requirement for the country (of their own varieties or that of public institutions bred products under PPP mode) for ably partnering the Government of India's programmes for promotion of hybrid rice. He informed that the new generation hybrids, being bred by both the public and private sectors, combine in them better milling characteristics and resistance to biotic and abiotic (drought, salinity, alkanity) conditions, with the higher yield potential.

In his concluding remarks, Prof. Swapan Datta complimented NSAI for organising the meeting of all stakeholders to understand the requirements for growth of the sector. He emphasised that while both high yielding varieties and hybrids in rice are available to farmers and contribute to their profitability, the value of hybrid rice is not available in the varieties of today. It is necessary to choose the appropriate hybrids for the Punjab region and the farmers and other stakeholders should understand the parameters set by the Government for their procurement of the produce. He suggested that the protocol for processing (milling) needs to be standardized and adopted. Joint milling efforts by Department of Agriculture; farmers; millers; PAU; seed industry and FCI will help in bringing clarity and identify gaps which could be addressed with use of modern technology. He also advised revisiting of the BIS standards for aligning them for present day requirements.

Dr. M.L. Jat of CIMMYT â&#x20AC;&#x201C; CSISA, in his presentation on 'Hybrid Rice in Intensive Cereal Systems of Western Indo Gangetic Plains â&#x20AC;&#x201C; CSISA Experience' also highlighted the superiority of hybrid rice in rice cropping systems. He stressed that these hybrids responded well to the direct seeded rice (DSR) technology and based on the evaluation of various hybrids (in different maturity groups) concluded that these are better performing in terms of irrigation water use efficiency and productivity in different cropping systems.

Seed Times April - June 2012

Upcoming Events Date

Event

Place

Weblink

26-28 Jun 2012

ISF: World Seed Congress

Rio de Janeiro (BR)

http://www.worldseed.org/isf/congress.html

4-7 Jul. 2012

5th Indonesia Biotechnology Conference

Lombok Indonesia

http://www.ibc-2012.org/

9-13 Jul. 2012

OECD: Seed Schemes, Annual Meeting

11 Jul. 2012

Summit cum Exhibition New Delhi 2nd Green Revolution Agriculture to Agribusiness-2nd Green Revolution

http://www.assocham.org/agriculture /index.php?page=2nd-green revolution&section=forthcoming

2-6 Sep. 2012

Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference 2012

Rotorua, New Zealand

http://www.abic.ca/abic2012.html.

3-7 Sep. 2012

Commercialization of Biotech Crops: Learning from Asia

Laguna, Philippines

http://www.asiabiobusiness.com/?page_id=335

10-12 Sep. 2012

Biotechnology and Plant Breeding. Perspectives Towards Food Security and Sustainability (Poland)

Radzikow, Poland

http://www.ihar.edu.pl.en/

16-20 Sep. 2012

Symposium on Biosafety of GMOs

Missouri, USA

http://www.isbgmo.com/

21-26 Oct. 2012

International Congress on Plant Molecular Biology

Jeju, Korea

http://www.ipmb2012.org/.

02 Nov. 2012

UPOV: Symposium on the benefits of plant variety protection for farmers and growers

Geneva (CH)

http://www.upov.int/about/en/upov_system.html

5-9 Nov. 2012

Asian Seed Congress 2012

Bali, Indonesia

http://www.apsaseed.org

7-8 Jan. 2013

ISF: Tree and Shrub Seed Group Meeting

Valdivia (CL)

http://www.worldseed.org

29-30 Jan. 2013

BIO Asia International Conference

Tokyo, Japan

http://www.bio.org/events/conferences/ 9th-annual-bio-asia-international-conference

8-14 Sept. 2013

12th International Wheat Genetics Symposium

Yokohama, Japan

http://www2.convention.co.jp/iwgs12/index.html

Seed Times April - June 2012

Helsinki (FI)

http://www.mmm.fi/en/index/frontpage /Agriculture/upcomingevents.html

HONOURS & AWARDS

Krishidhan Seeds emerges as winner at the Asia's biggest 3rd Annual Leadership Conclave Awards 2012 Krishidhan Seeds bags - 'India's Most Promising Agricultural Biotech Company' of the year 2012. ? Mr Sushil Karwa awarded The Dynamic Entrepreneur of The Year 2012 ? Pune based Krishidhan Seeds emerged as a dual winner at Asia's Biggest & India's much awaited 3rd Annual India Leadership Conclave & Indian Affairs Business Leadership awards 2012, held in Bangalore. Krishidhan Seeds won the prestigious 'India's Most Promising Agricultural Biotech Company of the year 2012 ' award against several leading biotech companies. Mr Sushil Karwa, MD, Krishidhan Seeds was also recognized for his contribution and achievements in the Agri Sector where he was awarded the 'Dynamic Entrepreneur of The Year 2012 '. The 3rd Annual India Leadership Conclave saw participation from more than 200 Industry stalwarts that represented who's & who's of India's diverse sectors such as Agriculture, Automobiles, Auto Components, Aviation, Education and Training, Engineering, Financial Services, Food Industry, Insurance, IT & ITeS, Manufacturing, Media and Entertainment, Retail, Science and Technology, Banking, Biotechnology, Cement, Consumer Markets, Healthcare, Infrastructure, Oil and Gas, Pharmaceuticals, Real Estate & Infrastructure, Steel, Textiles, Telecommunications, Tourism and Hospitality.

With this win, Krishidhan Seeds has made a mark amongst companies in the agri sector, as a strong dynamic agricultural biotech company delivering high quality seeds for India, through its state-of-the art R&D facility that helps in growing the wealth of the farmers through innovation in Agri Biotechnology space. Speaking on the occasion of this win, Mr. Sushil Karwa, MD, Krishidhan Seeds Pvt Ltd said, "We are proud of our achievements and thank the jury members for recognizing our efforts in the agriculture sector. As the theme of the event suggested 'EMERGING SUPER POWER, LIMITLESS LEADERSHIP, LIMITLESS POSSIBILITIES" we at Krishidhan Seeds are motivated to work harder in our endeavor to become the most preferred Agricultural seed company and benefit the farmers of India."

Ajeet Seeds Ltd. Felicitated for the Maharashtra's Agriculture Growth 13th April 2012 was a day for Ajeet Seeds Ltd. Aurangabad to remember as they were felicitated for partnering in Maharashtra's Agriculture Growth. Progressive cotton farmers, and two agro-based companies were facilitated, for the outstanding contribution in the growth of cotton production in Maharashtra, in a largely attended event "AgriVision 2020 Sustainable Agriculture: Farmer-led Inclusive Growth" organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Mumbai. Dr. Sudhir Kumar Goel, Principal Secretary - Agriculture & Marketing, Government of Maharashtra felicitated Mr. Ramesh Wattamwar, Vice President-Marketing, Ajeet Seeds Ltd. The company is always very much involved in meeting the rising needs of cotton by adopting new technologies, better seeds and improved agriculture practices. Seed Times April - June 2012

SEED & AGRICULTURE STATISTICS

PRODUCTION NORMS CROP

SEED RATE. KG./HA.

SEED YIELD KG./HA.

MULTIPLICATION RATIO (1:......)

a) Seed Parent

2200(1100)

200 (100)

b) Male Parent

N.A.

100

c) Composite

1800

100

a) Female Line

1000

100

b) Male Line

N.A

200

c) Line Increase

500

a) Seed Parent

7.5

750

100

b) Male Parent

N.A.

150

c) Varieties

1000

100

7.5

750

100

b) Male Line (B)

N.A.

150

c) Restorer Line

1000

100

d) Varieties

1000

100

a) Seed Parent

2.5

500

200

b) Male Parent

1.25

N.A

400

a) Female Line

2.5

500

200

b) Male Line (B)maintenance

1.25

N.A.

400

c) Restorer Line

3.75

750

200

d) Flinc increase

3.75

750

200

MAIZE Foundation II to Certified

Foundation I toFoundation II

SORGHUM 1. Foundation II to Certified

2. Foundation I to Foundation II a) Female Line

BAJRA 1. Foundation II to Certified

2. Foundation Seed Production

Source : Seed Net Portal Seed Times April - June 2012

MULTIPLICATION RATIO CROP

JUTE MESTA SUNHEMP COTTON MCU-5 ARHAR MOONG URD COWPEA CASTOR SOYBEAN GROUNDNUT TIL GUAR COWPEA FODDER FORAGE SORGHUM M.P. CHARI PC-6 PC-23 BERSEEM LUCERN OAT LENTIL PEAS GRAM L-550 L-144 MUSTARD/TORIA LATHURUS PADDY WHEAT MAIZE BAJRA SORGHUM POTATO SAFFLOWER MOTH HORSE GRAM FRENCH BEAN LINSEED SUNFLOWER

Seed Times April - June 2012

SEED RATE KG./HA.

SEED YIELD QTL./HA.

MULTIPLICATION RATIO (1:......)

5 12.5 25 12.5 10 15 12.5 15 12.5 62.5 100-150 5 12.5 12.5

5 5 7.5 6 10 6 5 6 7.5 10 8 12.5 5 5

100 40 30 50 100 40 40 40 60 16 8 250 40 40

5 10 5 20 7.5 62.5 25 100 58 75 5 25 30 100 20 5 12 3000 12 15 12.5 60 25 20

5 10 5 2 2 9 8 10 7.5 7.5 5 5 25 20 16 10 12 125 7 6 5 5 -

100 100 100 10 25 15 30 10 15 10 100 20 80 20 80 200 100 4 60 40 40 8 50 50

Seed Times April - June 2012

KERALA

TAMILNADi:

KARNATAKA

20 20 19.49 26.66

2002

2003

2004

2005

65 67

2007

2008

2001

55 56

2005

2006

14 12

2003

2004

2002

33 17

2008

30.3

2001

2006

2007

2004

2005

2003

73 82

2007

2008

2006

2001

52/94

2004

2005

2002

62 49

2002

2003

2001

PADDY

A.PRADESH

WHEAT

YEAR

STATE

62/100

1 /-

21-

2.0/-

l.O/-

2.0/ -

8.0/ -

-/1 00

- /100

0/100

- /100

-/1 00

0.00/100

87/100

84/100

11/100

25/100

6/-

8.0/-

l.O/-

6.0 / -

4.0 / -

6.0 / -

25/100

26/100

21.5/100

20 /1 00

17 /100

13 /1 00

49/100

54/100

63/100

60/100

14/100

11 /100

53 /1 00

91 /100

V Hyd

48/100

JOWAR

MAIZE Hyd

85 /-

16/100

26.0/100

6.0/ -

29/100

28/100

29/100

27.0/100

23.0/100

22.0/ 100

21.0/100

26.0/ 100

46/100

85/100

67/100

62/100

44.0/100

32.0/ 100

87.0/ 100

44.0/ 100

BAJRA

9.5

5.5

3.5

20.6

12.5

0.46

14.3

CRAM

9.5

11.9

12.11

18.5

12.5

17.5

LRD

9.5

8.4

14.1

12.5

13.7

22.7

MOONC

9.5

2.7

3.7

1.5

12.5

ARHAR

6.07

3.18

3.2

2.36

5.8

2.5

C.NIT

26.5

100

BEAN

SOYA-

8.25

14.10/-

12.51/-

50.0/ -

25/100

26/100

25/100

23.0/100

20.0/100

15.0/100

14.0/100

18.0/100

-/1 00

0/100

67.0/100

16.0/100

97.0/100

81.0/100

V Hyd

OWER

SUNFL

100

15.00/-

15/-

13.8/-

10.85/-

12.0/ -

15.0/ -

21/100

22/100

14.5/100

13.5/100

9.0/100

10.0/100

6.0/100

-/1 00

0/100

0/1100

46.0/100

28.0/100

18.0/100

13.0/100

V Hyd

COTTON

FIGURES IN PERCENTAGE (%)

STATE- WISE SEED REPLACEMENT RATE INCREASE OF IMPORTANT CROPS JUTE

Seed Times April - June 2012

MADHYA PRA.

RAJASTHAN

MAHARASHTRA

CUJARAT

STATE

5.64

6.51

6.28

2003

25.98

32.62

2007

2008

2001

19.12

2006

2002

15.86

19.42

2004

14.5

2005

21.84

2002

2003

2008

11.16

2007

2001

2005

2006

2003

2004

23.88

25.68

2007

2008

2001

24.84

2006

2002

25.38

27.42

2004

2005

19.49

22.07

2002

2003

3.9

3.91

3.3

15.54

6.23

7.61

5.18

2.63

3.03

6.77

4.41

22.76

20.28

21.59

21.31

19.92

19.73

19.25

18.21

32.27

2008

2001

34.8

2007

PADDY

31.24

WHEAT

2006

YEAR

-/ 100

8.95 /-

7.06 /-

8.05 /-

42.49

25.20/-

19.86/-

17.88/-

10.46/-

12.49 /-

12.54 /-

1.70 /-

60/-

75/100

60.00/-

61.00/-

60.00/-

59.00/-

53.00/-

100

0/100

-/1 00

-/ 100

10.23/-

8.91/-

5.99/-

8.72

S.22/-

7.50/-

5.38/-

2.79/-

4.48/-

3.8.V-

1.43/-

13/100

10/100

14.0/100

15.0/100

100

- /100

- /1 00

- /100

- /1 00

33.0/ -

V Hyd

- /100

JOWAR

MAIZE Hyd

48. 15/-

3 1. JO/-

35. 1 11-

56.53

42.09

46.22A

44.6S/-

31.10/-

34.7.V-

5S.79/-

32.91/-

92/100

74/100

75/100

74.0/100

75.0/100

74.0/100

72.0/100

-/1 00

- /1 00

BAJRA

1.88

2.26

1.29

4.44

5.19

3.91

3.96

3.13

3.09

7.28

6.64

22.37

15.31

16.18

2.09

2.8

2.01

4.05

3.42

CRAM

6.26

4.13

1.39

11.66

2.41

5.16

5.07

4.33

5.39

5.15

3.08

29.01

27.4

34.2

23.44

12.24

17.4

16.8

14.4

LRD

7.19

4.65

2.47

21.36

12.18

9.12

7.59

5.06

9.01

7.58

8.67

24.1

22.2

18.84

27.76

23.84

23.8

25.6

22.2

MOONC

5.56

3.85

2.78

22.41

27.81

8.8

8.95

14.18

9.93

7.03

14.3

18.12

16.78

21.89

14.76

9.65

10.41

10.13

10.45

ARHAR

0.21

0.35

0.03

4.49

11.21

2.15

1.17

0.61

0.49

0.75

2.26

1.9

1.88

1.28

1.22

1.25

1.78

1.16

C.NIT

9.56

10.8

7.15

77.94

78.31

60.01

47.81

44.56

55.52

90.78

68.95

70.38

60.39

100

94.04

68.82

71.44

10.43

6.04

6.35

13.3

10.99

7.02

6.61

5.56

6.72

4.37

BEAN

SOYA-

15.0/-

30/-

29.0/-

30.0/-

28.0/-

V Hyd

OWER

SUNFL

6.80/100

7.2/0/100

3.40/100

61.19

7.38

3.75

50.84/-

37.64A

5S.27/-

99.32A

61.61/-

42/100

85/100

82.0/100

83.0/100

82.0/100

85.0/100

80.0/100

25.53/100

23.50/100

23.47/100

21.93/100

20.2/100

20.0/100

21.0/100

31.0/100

V Hyd

COTTON

FIGURES IN PERCENTAGE (%)

STATE- WISE SEED REPLACEMENT RATE INCREASE OF IMPORTANT CROPS JUTE

Seed Times April - June 2012

HIMACHAL PRA

PUNJAB

HARYANA

UTTAR PRADESH

STATE

20.2

21.78

23.25

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

16.74

2007

2008

2001

2005

2004

2006

2002

2003

2001

17.85

2001

26.84

32.36

2007

2008

2002

21.4

24.14

18.97

2004

2005

2006

16.42

2002

2003

18.54

15.26

2008

2001

13.09

18.36

15.06

2005

2006

8.77

2004

2007

WHEAT

YEAR

11.59

16.25

17.5

14.05

14.49

14.12

11.25

28.57

22.67

20.29

17.9

17.25

15.9

14.28

10.06

8.85

3.96

6.41

3.39

PADDY

0.3/100

69.0/-

57.0/-

32.0 / -

44.0 / -

42.0 / -

56.75 1-

4.12 / -

5.00 / -

21.44

I9.5/-

19.85/-

12.28/-

I4.03/-

10.9 / -

7.80 /-

6.57 /-

19.13

10.94

12.94

16.96/-

21.11

I7.3I/-

II.69/-

I0.57/-

S.28/-

5.6 /-

4.90 /-

5.35 /-

13.27

13.28

14.28

19.97/-

10.63/-

V Hyd

V Hyd 13.77/-

JOWAR

MAIZE Hyd

57.51

59.26

64.34

77.95

57.30/-

5I.89/-

50.54

41.78

35.9

17.7

13.85

50.25

48.22

55.37

43.9S/-

55.05/-

BAJRA

3.47

10.51

10.5

10.27

7.09

11.59

11.56

6.27

19.06

14.89

14.31

11.5

11.07

8.16

4.13

4.51

3.21

2.15

1.85

2.33

CRAM

18.3

35*

70«

56.29«

52.00'

50.69

40.51

46.6

21.23

16.21

12.23

11.2

11.45

10.9

8.8

7.24

7.93

4.56

1.17

3.85

3.11

LRD

94.24

56.53

20.73

23.06

18.99

15.3

16.2

13.89

27.4

15.98

7.58

9.21

7.54

MOONC

54.35

50.3

48.64

18.8

19.2

18.86

18.23

15.6

13.5

13.2

12.05

8.86

3.72

4.33

2.79

ARHAR

3.41

4.36

4.41

3.96

3.5

2.6

1.5

1.04

0.54

0.16

0.33

0.08

0.03

C.NIT

69.69

55.76

49.89

46.41

59.16

61.24

58.38

52.87

38.25

38.18

26.83

21.19

18.8

21.49

21.29

14.56

34.63

41.39

31.68

32.27

23.9

13.1

7.11

19.43

14.77

15.84

15.68

12.48

BEAN

SOYA-

77.7

71.8

6I.93/-

I4.I3/-

59.73/-

72.60 /-

100.0 /-

36.05 /-

0.47

2.82

I3/-

42.24

48.57

46.20/-

67.04

70.71

66. 16/-

64/100

39.36/

60.60/-

73.80/-

70.80/-

0.84/100

0.33/100

0.35/100

3.88/100

0.31/100

V Hyd 3.3.V-

V Hyd

COTTON

OWER

SUNFL

FIGURES IN PERCENTAGE (%)

STATE- WISE SEED REPLACEMENT RATE INCREASE OF IMPORTANT CROPS JUTE

Seed Times April - June 2012

WEST BENGAL

ORISSA

J & KASHMIR

STATE

10.7

12.38

10.79

2007

2008

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

28.41

2008

24.8

2001

17.35

2006

2007

2002

19.57

20.85

2004

2005

40.05

34.22

2002

2003

40.38

10.68

2005

2006

2001

8.62

9.36

2003

2004

10.92

2008

2002

10.01

13.68

2006

2007

2001

13.95

2003

2004

17.9

2002

2005

WHEAT

YEAR

26.5

25.5

25.3

14.8

12.04

6.4

6.83

4.73

6.13

5.57

9.59

15.28

4.49

6.81

5.46

3.35

2.31

5.13

3.53

14.5

14.33

14.02

12.8

12.2

PADDY V Hyd

V Hyd

237-

20.0/-

19.0/-

18.0 / -

16.0 / -

15.0 /-

1.81

2.07/-

1.37

0.98/-

0.771-

0.99 / -

0.87 / -

8.04 / -

13.41

7.51

5.66

3.34/-

3.64/-

3.02 / -

3.83 / -

2.03 / -

0.05/100

0.07/100

0.20/100

0.25/100

0.26/100

JOWAR

MAIZE V

Hyd

BAJRA

15.11

24.54

12.02

21.7

26.42

23.67

15.62

7.72

1.63

7.25

3.07

4.75

6.72

11.74

3.07

19.13

3.5

3.47

3.99

3.23

3.82

CRAM

28.5

4.13

1.61

2.35

0.62

1.05

1.65

1.36

2.3

16.66

21.66

20.67

LRD

1.17

1.28

2.16

0.9

0.69

0.84

0.49

1.52

9.63

8.29

0.07

5.34'

5.87'

11.74

6.88

15.6

MOONC

2.4

1.98

2.68

1.39

0.64

1.13

1.29

ARHAR

22.86

23.57

21.98

16.98

6.18

16.45

16.17

20.27

C.NIT

13.13

12.77

11.38

13.27

27.86

19.01

28.76

18.57

12.16

8.32

40.8

8.33

5.51

3.3

26.67

BEAN

SOYA-

4.85

42.34/-

69.3

30.80/-

30.28/-

33.06 /-

I5.25/-

54.23 /-

V Hyd

OWER

SUNFL

0.6

I.75/-

3.85

16.72

6.32

29.40 /-

33.30 /-

42.20 /-

V Hyd

COTTON

FIGURES IN PERCENTAGE (%)

STATE- WISE SEED REPLACEMENT RATE INCREASE OF IMPORTANT CROPS

45.84

46.47

42.86

40.7

43.48

44.76

33.29

97.7

JUTE

Seed Times April - June 2012

JHARKHAND

UTTRANKHAND

ASSAM

CHATTISGARH

BfflAR

STATE

2006

2007

2008

2004

23.5

2008

2005

2006

2007

11.71

15.58

46.5

2007

2008

2004

34.81

2006

2005

18.4

9.5

26.42

2007

2008

37.25

2004

7.65

2005

2006

2005

6.54

6.82

2003

2008

2004

2006

2004

2005

2007

8.7

2002

2003

8.43

38.5

2008

2001

WHEAT

YEAR

14.25

14.7

9.28

17.3

10.72

6.82

3.01

13.81

7.65

8.5

7.15

5.89

2.49

6.8

6.87

6.33

PADDY V Hyd

V Hyd

10.8

5.06/-

3.35

2.33/-

I.36/-

0.06

0.62/-

2.0/-

I8.37/-

12.07

11.5

8.83 /-

6.63 /-

5.06 /-

40.0/-

30.0/-

30.0 /-

29.30 /-

21.16 /-

JOWAR

MAIZE V

Hyd

BAJRA

11.88

7.8

5.6

2.38

1.18

1.2

N.A.

CRAM

I2«

3.27

1.36

3.5

2.25

1.72

LRD

12.21

20.13

6.75

4.5

2.8

2.45

MOONC

6.87

1.85

9.8

8.2

7.15

ARHAR

3.07

1.7

0.38

0.31

0.3

C.NIT

39.7

15.72

15.06

25.85

9.8

7.75

7.58

6.62

29.4

29.41

N.A.

17.2

9.7

11.64

21.68

46.9

37.62

22.55

18.08

17.62

BEAN

SOYA-

18.48

35.00/-

31.06/-

28.50/-

V Hyd

OWER

SUNFL V Hyd

COTTON

FIGURES IN PERCENTAGE (%)

STATE- WISE SEED REPLACEMENT RATE INCREASE OF IMPORTANT CROPS

JUTE

Seed Times April - June 2012

17.64

21.76

25.23

2005

2006

2007

16.48

2003

2002

2004

13.04

2001

ALL INDIA

WHEAT

YEAR

STATE

25.87

22.41

21.33

16.27

19.16

19.31

19.22

PADDY

44.24

43.78

35.39

31.5

24.41

21.35

19.87

19.37

19.03

19.28

26.71

18.78

18.36

V Hyd

V Hyd 20.98

JOWAR

MAIZE V

48.47

55.1

55.36

44.9

51.02

48.47

45.92

Hyd

BAJRA

11.9

9.04

9.41

9.87

7.09

4.23

4.17

CRAM

23.89

13.65

15.7

17.24

20.48

17.06

16.55

LRD

21.75

19.97

12.5

12.34

19.48

13.8

13.47

MOONC

16.05

11.56

10.48

9.8

13.6

8.84

8.71

ARHAR

14.29

9.79

6.89

7.11

5.5

5.2

C.NIT

58.62

60.71

55.36

58.48

66.96

44.64

38.39

33.39

28.4

28.88

15.58

12.45

12.44

BEAN

SOYA-

19.61

19.84

15.3

19.84

21.78

20.73

32.88

35.62

26.03

27.4

30.14

28.77

JUTE

Source : Seed Net Portal

62.88

66.92

67.67

60.15

21.86

21.21

V 13.73 Hyd 15.69

V Hyd

COTTON

OWER

SUNFL

FIGURES IN PERCENTAGE (%)

STATE- WISE SEED REPLACEMENT RATE INCREASE OF IMPORTANT CROPS

Seed Times April - June 2012

Lakh Tonnes

Kg.

Potassic(K)

Total (N+P+K)

Per Hectare **

Pesticides (Technical

(Cumulative)

Soil Conservation

4. Area Covered Under

Grade Material)

Lakh Hactares

Thousand Tonnes

Lakh Tonnes

Phosphatic(P)

3. Consumption of

Lakh Tonnes

Lakh Qtls.

Qtls.

Thousand

Unit

Nitrogenous (N)

Chemical Fertilisers

2. Consumption of

Seeds

Certified/Quality

(iii) Distribution of

Foundation Seeds

(ii) Production of

Breeder Seeds

(i) Production of

1. Seeds

Programme

49.16

69.84

127.28

13.61

33.21

80.46

57.50

3.75

34.90

1991-92

4.36

43.58

89.63

167.02

15.67

42.15

109.20

86.27

5.91

42.69

2000-01

4.70

47.02

91.13

173.60

16.67

43.82

113.10

91.80

5.44

45.54

2001-02

4.30

48.30

91.45

160.94

16.01

40.19

104.74

98.03

6.14

48.42

2002-03

5.55

41.00

88.05

167.99

15.98

41.24

110.77

108.59

6.50

61.82

2003-04

7.37

40.67

94.52

183.98

20.61

46.24

117.13

120.26

6.90

66.46

2004-05

8.67

39.77

105.50

203.40

24.13

52.04

127.23

126.75

7.40

68.64

2005-06

11.41

41.51

111.76

216.51

23.35

55.43

137.73

155.01

7.96

73.83

2006-07

7.34

43.63

115.27

225.70

26.36

55.15

144.19

179.05

8.22

91.96

2007-08

Production and Use of Agricultural Inputs in India

6.82

43.86

127.67

249.09

33.12

65.06

150.91

215.81

9.69

94.41

2008-09

5.28

41.82

135.76

264.86

36.32

72.74

155.8

257.11

10.50

105.00

2009-10

7.49

55.54

144.14

281.22

35.14

80.5

165.58

277.34

17.53

119.21

2010-11

Seed Times April - June 2012

0.85 0.06 0.19 0.38 0.39 0.14 0.08 2.09

Pulses Gram Lentil Peas Urad Moong Arhar Cowpea Others Sub-Total (Pulses)

6.17 0.28 6.45

62.20

Other Miscellaneous Potato 8.74* Others 0.07 Sub-Total (Other Miscs.) 8.81

Grand Total

44.97

2.01

1.78 0.12 0.01 1.91

1.81 0.20

6.49

Fibres Cotton Jute Mesta/Others Sub-Total (Fibers)

6.73 0.79 0.14 0.73 2.57 0.01 0.22 0.19 11.38

1.11 0.08 0.23 0.79 0.77 0.49 0.15 3.62

Oilseeds Groundnut Rapeseed & Mustard Til Sunflower Soyabean Linseed Castorseed Safflower Others Sub-Total (Oilseeds)

5.16 0.29 0.03 0.25 0.60 0.01 0.10 0.05

10.94 8.86 1.44 2.59 1.65 0.12 0.07 25.67

Cereals Wheat Paddy Maize Jowar Bajra Ragi Barley Sub-Total (Cereals)

18.23 13.58 1.35 3.69 1.68 0.15 0.06 38.74

1983-84 1993-94

Crops

86.27

7.23 0.27 7.50

2.61 0.27 0.03 2.91

5.40 0.69 0.10 0.42 5.46 0.01 0.39 0.06 0.01 12.54

1.09 0.13 0.26 0.88 0.78 0.58 0.06 0.07 3.85

27.04 24.41 3.11 2.39 1.94 0.19 0.39 59.47

2000-01

91.80

6.33 0.23 6.56

2.62 0.21 0.06 2.89

5.25 0.86 0.16 0.48 4.99 0.02 0.26 0.07 0.01 12.10

1.53 0.29 0.31 0.97 0.83 0.64 0.05 0.07 4.69

32.59 25.58 2.75 2.20 1.80 0.14 0.50 65.56

2001-02

97.04

7.16 0.21 7.37

2.31 0.19 0.24 2.74

5.42 0.82 0.13 0.61 6.88 0.01 0.37 0.07 0.04 13.36

2.64 0.26 0.37 1.43 0.81 0.64 0.33 0.12 6.60

33.00 25.79 3.42 2.15 1.79 0.24 0.58 66.97

2002-03

108.40

7.01 0.23 7.24

2.45 0.20 0.13 2.78

7.00 0.91 0.14 0.56 10.20 0.01 0.39 0.04 0.14 19.39

3.90 0.35 0.60 1.32 1.21 0.64 0.05 0.10 8.17

35.97 26.51 3.38 2.37 1.76 0.21 0.62 70.82

120.26

5.05 0.22 5.27

2.56 0.19 0.01 2.76

7.18 1.31 0.12 0.80 13.36 0.01 0.41 0.08 0.15 23.42

3.62 0.52 0.61 1.01 0.76 0.72 0.08 0.08 7.40

41.31 30.98 4.13 2.31 1.76 0.25 0.67 81.41

(Lakh Quintals) 2003-04 2004-05

126.75

5.08 0.33 5.41

2.69 0.19 0.01 2.89

6.96 1.24 0.14 0.90 14.29 0.01 0.50 0.08 0.23 24.35

3.45 0.45 0.82 0.92 0.77 0.77 0.11 0.08 7.37

44.21 32.41 4.64 2.28 2.17 0.22 0.80 86.73

2005-06

155.01

5.12 0.34 5.46

2.45 0.26 0.34 3.05

9.89 1.36 0.16 0.89 14.05 0.02 0.36 0.07 0.20 27.00

5.08 0.54 0.93 0.8 0.23 0.85 0.09 0.11 9.63

54.55 43.51 5.74 2.32 2.16 0.21 1.08 109.87

2006-07

179.05

5.35 0.37 5.72

1.89 0.24 0.50 2.63

14.43 1.71 0.22 0.92 16.52 0.02 0.42 0.08 0.01 34.33

6.73 0.56 1.10 1.40 1.34 1.18 0.10 0.16 12.57

63.25 48.93 5.80 2.38 1.90 0.27 1.27 123.80

2007-08

Crop-wise Distribution of Certified/ Quality Seeds

215.81

10.55 0.85 11.40

2.27 0.28 0.03 2.58

39.92

15.90 1.63 0.18 0.80 20.89 0.01 0.42 0.09

8.6 0.59 1.29 1.37 1.23 1.09 0.16 0.15 14.48

74.83 58.18 7.94 2.41 2.20 0.25 1.62 147.43

2008-09

257.11

18.68 0.23 18.91

2.36 0.27 0.02 2.65

18.86 2.09 0.18 0.76 28.44 0.01 0.29 0.07 0.01 50.71

12.32 0.55 2.07 1.61 1.29 1.37 0.20 0.28 19.69

90.66 60.95 7.74 2.24 1.74 0.05 1.77 165.15

2009-10

* Estimated

277.34

20.08 0.55 20.63

2.33 0.27 0.04 2.64

21.79 2.07 0.20 0.55 25.55 0.04 0.31 0.08 0.01 50.61

12.50 0.74 1.47 1.96 1.76 1.52 0.33 0.56 20.83

97.83 69.34 8.94 2.16 2.31 0.26 1.79 182.62

2010-11

“I missed capitalising on the last season as I sold my produce at Rs 5,000 a quintal. My field is almost ready. If rain God is kind to me, I will buy a tractor like my neighbour,” says Saran.

Guar brightens Rajasthan farmers' life Sri Ganganagar (Rajasthan)

With guar farmers on cloud nine, traders are not far behind.

Seventy-year-old Birbal Ramji has locked in a safe a quintal of guarseed. He's kept it for sowing on his 10 acre land at Shree Ganganagar. The seeds are sown in July and the crop is harvested in November. He is elated that he sold 20 quintals for Rs 560,000 early this month.

Mr Radhashyam Krishan, a stockist, has been accumulating guar for last 10 years. In January, he offloaded 500 quintals at Rs 11,000 to Rs 12,000 a quintal. He wants to take his family on a holiday to Hong Kong and invest in real estate. “We have been leasing out our 25 acres for about Rs 1 lakh every year. This time around we want to cultivate on our own by employing a few farmers,” he said.

Another farmer Ramesh Beniwal, 73, could not stomach the dizzying price rise in guar. Now, he feels unsafe in his own village. “I have to take extra care of 10 quintals of guar left out of last year's harvest. If this price rise continues, robberies will increase,” he says.

Source: The Hindu Business Line

New procedure by DGFT to speed up cotton exports

Guar is the new gold in the Bikaner district of Rajasthan. A number of farmers have reaped a huge bonanza. It has led to a mix of emotions and reactions. There is elation. There is fear. There is ostentatious consumption and extravagant indulgences. A few are using the windfall to expand their land holdings.

To speed applications from interested cotton exporters, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), under the Ministry of Commerce, has modified the procedure for obtaining registration certifications (RCs).

Guar prices have skyrocketed from Rs 2,000-Rs 4,000 a quintal last season to Rs 30,000 a quintal on the back of strong demand from the oil and gas sector. The sharp increase in price has led to termination of futures trading in this commodity. The measure could hardly cool down the prices.

As against the earlier procedure of personal visits to the respective departments dealing in RCs, DGFT has mandated sending of all documents and associated papers through an e-mail. The purpose is to keep queries, if any, ready by the time an exporter sends hard copy of the applications and other relevant papers.

Guar prices in Jodhpur had jumped to Rs 30,300 a quintal on Wednesday from Rs 26,700 on March 27, when futures were banned.

According to the current practice, an exporter applies with all valid documents in physical form. After these papers are assessed by DGFT, queries are raised. An RC takes weeks and, sometimes, months to obtain. With the new format of application, the RC can be issued within a couple of days.

Capitalising on High Price Mr Gurbal Pal Singh from Takrawada village, who owns 48 acres, has bought a high breed Nukra stallion for Rs 5 lakh. His face lights up when his 12-year-old son saddles the horse with ease. Most of the farmers in this village have sold guarseed at Rs 6,500 a quintal, he said.

The procedure is required to be speeded, especially when DGFT issued revised guidelines early this month for cotton exporters. In fact, DGFT clarified through a notification on May 4, that an exporter would be issued a second RC only on filing proof for executing at least 50 per cent of the quantity of exports mentioned in the first RC.

Mr Dharmendra Rewar, who found employment with the Delhi Police recently, realised Rs 240,000 by selling eight quintals of guarseed two days back. His brother takes care of the field in his absence. Mr Rewars, who currently own 25 acres, plan to buy more agriculture land. Sale of latest model of Audi, BMW and Toyota-Fortuner has seen a steady rise among the young farmers in these villagers.

Generally, from the date of RC an exporter requires at least a month to physically ship the quantity of exports. The 50 per cent mandatory shipment clause, therefore, requires executing export orders fast to obtain another RC for the next consignment.

Having missed the opportunity to save enough money for buying a tractor, Mr Bagyarath Saran has already started preparing the field for sowing in July.

Seed Times April - June 2012

Welcoming the move, M B Lal, an industry veteran, said,

“With the revised procedure, only genuine traders would be able to execute export orders fast.” The price of the benchmark Shankar 6 variety remained stable at Rs 35,000 a candy (one candy = 356 kg) in the Ahmedabad spot market, despite exports being allowed by the government. So far, 16 million bales have been exported. By the end of this month, exporters expect this figure to move up to 20 million bales. Source: The Business Standard

India emerges as world's top rice exporter India, a leading exporter of rice before a slew of domestic curbs came in the way, returned with a bang in the global markets in 2011-12, toppling traditional leaders like Vietnam and Thailand to emerge as the biggest exporter. However, sustaining this performance might be difficult. For, exporters have started raising prices. Last year, they had huge stocks because of a ban imposed on non-basmati rice since 2007. Even then, India will continue to be a big player in global rice markets, albeit not as big as it was in 2011-12, say those in the trade. According to sector officials, aided by a much-awaited decision to open export of non-basmati rice in September 2011 (a ban was imposed in 2007 to ease domestic supply), India managed to export more rice in six-seven months than Vietnam and Thailand could do in all of 2011-12. India's total rice export in 2011-12 is expected to be 6.5-7 million tonnes (mt), which is around seven per cent of the country's total production. Vietnam and Thailand, too, exported 6-6.5 mt. The United States Department of Agriculture pegged export from India at seven mt in the year. Vietnam exported some 1.5 mt during October 2011 to January 2012, while India recorded 2.7 mt during the period. Between April 2011 and January 2012, India's rice exports were worth $3.78 billion, against $1.96 billion during the same period the year before. Of the total rice exported by India, around 4.5 mt was nonbasmati rice and 2.5 mt was basmati. Pricing, Markets “Indian rice is priced less than Vietnam, which has propelled it to capture traditional markets like Africa,” saidAshok Gulati, chairman of the Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices. He said when India began exporting in September, Vietnamese rice was priced higher than that of India. As India

Seed Times April - June 2012

started dropping its rates, Vietnam had to follow to stay in competition. Vijay Sethia, member of the All India Rice Exporters Association, said Indian rice was priced at $360450 a tonne (FOB), while that of Vietnam was priced at $450550 and Thailand at $575 a tonne. Pakistan sold at $480 a tonne. Vietnam was the undisputed leader of the world rice market, exporting eight to 10 mt yearly. It had to undercut after India entered the market in September-October, offering prices almost $100-150 per tonne less than the Southeast Asian nation. Thailand was also priced out of contention as its output dropped because of floods and a high floor price that made its rice costly. “Basmati rice export was not a problem, as it had its set buyers in West Asia and elsewhere, but it was non-basmati rice which changed the game in favour of India,” another major exporter said. “Some credit should also be given to Indian exporters, who adopted modern techniques to process rice and scouted for newer markets,” said Prem Garg, managing director of Sri Lal Mahal group and a leading rice exporter. He said Africa, particularly Nigeria, was one such market which Indian exporters managed to capture because of the quality of rice and the price differential. “Africa is largely a parboiled rice consuming region. We sold our parboiled rice at $400-500 per tonne, while Thailand could sell only at $580-650 per tonne,” Garg said, adding Indian rice was also of a much superior quality. Momentum Challenge However, there already were signs in April of the pace slackening. “It will be a big challenge to maintain the pace of export in 2012-13, as Nigeria is not expected to purchase at the same level as in 2011-2012,” Garg said. He said total rice exports (basmati and non-basmati) in 201213 could drop to around four to five mt, 29 per cent less than last year, as Indian exporters are slowly raising prices. “Most exporters till last year were liquidating stocks accumulated during the ban period, which allowed them to sell at lower rates. However, it is not the case this year, which could nullify the cost advantage that India enjoyed vis-à-vis Vietnam and Thailand,” Garg said. However, with a bumper harvest in excess of 100 mt in 201112 and record stocks of a little over 34 mt in state-run warehouses, India will continue to remain a major player in the global market till at least June 2013, even if on a lower scale than 2011-12. “We should focus more on exporting value-added rice like rice with just five per cent broken content, or else we will lose our advantage,” Sethia said. Source: Business Standard

In California's East Palo Alto, for instance, older inner-city residents, who are particularly vulnerable to high food prices, are learning growing techniques for the first time and producing food for themselves and a neighbourhood market.

Green bullet' innovations aim to feed world of 9 billion LONDON: In flood-hit fields in the Philippines, farmers are testing a hardy new variety of rice that can survive completely submerged for more than two weeks. In Kenya's Kibera slum, poor urban families are turning around their diets and incomes just by learning to grow vegetables in sack gardens outside their doors. And in India, a push to help marginalised rural communities gain title to their land is leading to a significant drop in hunger. These are just a few of the kinds of innovations and intitiatives that experts say will be critical if the world is to feed itself over coming decades as the population soars, cities sprawl and climate change takes its toll.

Gandhinagar to host 2nd edition of Agritech Asia AHMEDABAD: The second edition of the international exhibition on technology in agriculture sector - Agritech Asia-2012 - will be held in Gandhinagar from September 3. The show is likely to have more than 150 exhibitors from across the country apart from a large contingent from Israel. The event, being organized with the support of state government's business facilitation arm Industrial Extension Bureau (iNDEXt-B) is hoping to get over 1 lakh visitors. The first edition of the expo was held in Mumbai last year. This is also one of the first major events being organized ahead of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit - 2013.

By 2050, the planet will need at least 70 percent morefoodthan it does today to meet both an expected rise in population to 9 billion from 7 billion and changing appetites as many poor people grow richer, experts say. "Can we feed a world of 9 billion? I would say the answer is yes," said Robert Watson, chief scientific adviser to Britain's Department of Environment andRural Affairsand a former chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. But doing so will require fundamental changes to unsustainable but well-entrenched policies and practices, from eating so much meat to spending trillions on agriculture and fuel subsidies, he said.

"We have tried to provide a platform to all stakeholders in the agriculture sector to know what the latest technological developments across the globe are," managing director of MD iNDEXt-b Mukesh Kumar said. Dan Meiri, GM Agritech, which is the Israeli partner for expo, said it was looking to increase export of Israeli technology and India was an important destination for Israel.

In the meantime, manyhungerfighters say the answer lies in clever alterations to the way food is planted, watered, harvested, stored, transported, sold, owned and shared. Many of those changes are already being tested in the world's farms and fields, in laboratories and government offices, in factories and markets. Some are even speaking of the beginnings of a 21st century food revolution.

"The Israelis have worked under water stressed conditions and have developed these technologies. India has just begun to get into that mode and started adopting those technologies," joint secretary, National Committee on Plasticulture Application on Horticulture (NCPAH) Krish Iyengar said.

Myriad 'Green Bullets Unlike the last century's agricultural "Green Revolution", which dramatically boosted world food production with new high-yielding crop varieties and more irrigation, this revolution must rely on myriad "green bullets" to tackle hunger.

Source: Times of India

Global agri meet to discuss reshaping of farming

They range from persuading farmers in Africa's drought zones to switch from water-hungry rice to hardier crops like sorghum or millet, to helping them build pest-proof grain silos that allow food to be stored longer or sold when prices are higher.

HYDERABAD: The World Congress Forum (WAF) will host the World Agriculture Congress (WAS)-2013 in November 2013. Dr Kenneth M. Baker, Chairman of WAF and Ms Evie, WAF's Board Member, held discussions with officials of Andhra Pradesh Government on selection of theme, dates and venue.

With 70 percent of the world's people expected to live in cities by 2050, finding ways to help city dwellers grow food in small urban plots or roof gardens, or group together to buy food at cheaper prices, is a major focus.

Seed Times April - June 2012

Source: The Economic Times

The broad theme for the WAC-2013 would be 'Reshaping Agriculture for the benefit of small and marginal farmers.' It would discuss measures to make farming economically

viable and improve farmers' income in the WTO regime. “The WAC-2013 will provide a policy direction to developing countries on how to revamp agricultural policies,” a State Government statement said here on Wednesday. During the meetingthe Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, told WAC officials that the President of India would be invited to inaugurate the conference.

“Herbicide-tolerance is a key essential trait and dire need for sustaining agriculture production in India due to increasing urbanization that has resulted in shortage of farm labours,” said Anup Karwa, Director- Life Sciences of Krishidhan. “Development of novel indigenous Glufosinate tolerance combined with our proprietary marker free insect resistant & other herbicide tolerant technologies will help improve onfarm economics for small and marginal farmers of India and offer them more indigenous technology choices, thus, Hokko Page 2 of 2 Chemical's committed role in discovering the novel gene makes them ideal partner for us to incubate innovation driven indigenous research & development.”

Source: The Hindu Business Line

Krishidhan Seeds, Jalna (India) and Hokko Chemical Tokyo (Japan) inks exclusive deal to develop insect & herbicide resistant crops India-based Krishidhan Seeds, an agri-biotech and plant breeding company that develops commercial hybrid seeds for Indian agriculture market since three decades and Hokko Chemical Company of Tokyo, which is pioneer in crop protection and fine chemical product research & development today announced that they have signed an agreement to develop insect resistant and herbicide tolerant traits in major key crops. Under the terms of the agreement, Krishidhan receives exclusive rights from Hokko group to develop and sell multiple crop products that contain the novel patented glufosinate resistant gene. The novel gene has been found effective in both laboratory and green house environments. Krishidhan will stack its own indigenous insect resistant & other herbicide tolerant genes to develop biotic stress tolerant crops like corn, soybean, rice, wheat, eggplant, hot pepper, onion and tomato that will be resistant to both insects and herbicides and commercialise the leads by 2015-16. Krishidhan's insect resistant traits enable the crop to resist broad spectrum insect attacks and have durable protection under diverse agro-climatic conditions. Insect resistant genes have been tested in model systems and in-vitro bioassays and have been found to be effective against major insect pests of corn, rice, tomato and eggplant. Herbicide-tolerant (HT) crops will offer farmers a vital tool in fighting weeds and are compatible with no-till methods, which help preserve topsoil. This will give farmers the flexibility to apply herbicides only when needed, also control total input of herbicides and to use herbicides with preferred environmental characteristics.

“Integrating Krishidhan's insect resistant & other herbicide tolerant technologies and capabilities to develop and sell crops with improved traits aligns perfectly with our plans to bring innovative research leads to logical conclusion” said, Nagamatsu Shoji of Hokko Group. “Integrating technology and promoting preservation and environment protection is also our company's practice for ushering farmer's prosperity”. Source: Krishidhan Seeds

Develop hybrid rice to meet local demand: ICAR HYDERABAD: The Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) has called for development of hybrid rice varieties that meet local requirements. Dr Swapan Kumar Datta, Deputy Director-General of ICAR, said that productivity of rice has to increase in the country to meet food requirements in future. “We have done reasonably okay with regard to hybrid development. But it is not good enough. We need hybrids that are close to local user patterns. It is a difficult job and it is the real challenge,” he said. Dr Swapan Kumar Datta was addressing the 47th Annual Rice Research Group Meetings here at the Directorate of Rice Research (DRR). He said that hybrids would play a major role in achieving the targets for the coming decades. Though rice is grown in millions of acres, it was not all viable. “Farmers are moving to other crops. But consumers are increasing. If production does not improve, we can't meet the demand,” he said.

In 2011, India planted 10.48 million hectares of biotech crops and the global acreage increased substantially to 158

Seed Times April - June 2012

million hectares. Products that contain the novel glufosinateresistance gene stacked with other genes would be among first indigenous traits incubated for developing world especially India. In 2011 alone, herbicide tolerant crops occupied 93.9 million hectares or 59% of the 160 million hectares of biotech crops planted globally. The most common are the glyphosate and glufosinate tolerant varieties. Krishidhan envisages developing novel indigenous herbicide tolerant and insect resistant traits.

Though the country could import rice, it was not feasible and not possible to do it for 120 crore people. “For one or two difficult years, it is okay,” he said. Mr Nagireddy, Principal Secretary (Agriculture, Government of Andhra Pradesh), has said that the State Government intended to support System of Rice Intensification farming in five lakh hectares this year against 1.13 lakh ha last year. Source: The Hindu Business Line

Source: The Hindu Business Line

Monsanto opens Rs 28 cr seed conditioning facility at Shamirpet

INCOTEC and KeyGene join forces to develop and apply DNA-SNP technology for seed testing

HYDERABAD: Monsanto India has opened a hybrid seed vegetable conditioning unit at Shamirpet near here. The Rs 28-crore facility, built on 32 acres, deploys latest techniques in seed conditioning, treatment, drying and packaging.

INCOTEC, the world's largest independent seed processing company providing solutions and services to the global seed industry, and KeyGene, one of the world's leading Agro Biotechnology companies specialized in molecular plant genetics, announce their strategic collaboration on DNA based Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP)- technology. Together with INCOTEC, KeyGene will develop, identify and select SNPs from a number of crops and use them for testing hybrid purity and variety verification. For each crop a proprietary set of SNPs will be developed, that will be tested on broad germplasm collections originating from all over the world. This will ensure the widest possible utility. Both companies will make these unique SNP sets available for a broad range of seed companies. The development and commercialization of the SNP sets will be phased and they will be developed for vegetables as well as field crops such as corn, sunflower and cotton. INCOTEC will promote services using these SNP sets worldwide through its global affiliates, with the actual testing of varieties and determination of hybrid purity performed centrally by INCOTEC in the Netherlands.

The facility has a capacity to condition and package 15 million units of seeds a year. The facility can store up to 200 tonnes of packed seeds under controlled temperature. “It is important to equip farmers to produce more in order to meet the demands of a growing economy,” Ms Consuelo E. Madere, Vice-President (Global Vegetable and Asia Commercial) of Monsanto, said after the inauguration. “This will be an integrated unit for both vegetable and row crops, with 7 acres dedicated for vegetable plants and 25 acres for corn plants,” the Executive said. “This plant is aimed at making better quality seeds more easily accessible to farmers from the region. We will also be providing training on good agronomic practices and extension services to farmers,” said Mr Amitabh Jaipuria, Managing Director of Monsanto. Source: The Hindu Business Line

Pioneer Hi-Bred launches replant calculator

Managing Director of INCOTEC Analytical Lab Europe BV at Zwaagdijk, the Netherlands, Rob Pronk: “We are excited to have reached this agreement with KeyGene. This will broaden the INCOTEC Analytical Services portfolio and will position us at the high-end of DNA SNP technology. Our cooperation will create opportunities for many companies. Until now, the logistics of developing SNPs and the necessity of running a specialized molecular lab for DNA based seed testing has been the main reason for keeping this technology out of reach for many companies. With the new services we are offering, a broad range of companies can now increase their quality control and improve their product development.”

Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, now offers a replant calculator to help corn growers faced with that difficult decision. The tool helps producers decide whether to keep their current stand or replant where their crops have been impacted by weather, pests or other issues. The calculator is available on Mobile Pioneer.com via the tools section, which can be accessed through the main navigation menu. It takes into account the original date for planting, original stand target and resulting plant population, and the possible replanting date. Growers are asked to consider their own likely replanting seed and input costs. The calculator presents both scenarios, current stand and replant stand, and provides estimates associated with each choice.

“Teaming with INCOTEC generates a new outlet for the expertise and DNA-SNP technologies of KeyGene. The new

Seed Times April - June 2012

products provide fast and reliable assessment and testing of seed lots for worldwide seed industry customers”, adds Herco van Liere, VP Business Development from KeyGene. “We are very pleased to have this strategic collaboration with INCOTEC, the leading company on seed processing and seed testing.”

The timing of a replant decision means growers could evaluate different aspects of crop production. Early decisions often are based on plant stand and plant distribution. As the season moves on, the calendar becomes the key factor because yields decline with delayed planting. That said, replanting might not necessarily guarantee a grower will achieve the expected yield if the date is delayed enough. The replant calculator is based on a long-standing chart developed by Dr. Emerson Nafziger of the University of Illinois and widely used across the Corn Belt, which illustrates the effects of planting date and plant population of grain yield for the central Corn Belt. The new calculator also takes into account the current shift to higher populations, as suggested by Pioneer research and data.

These machines shall be available to the Indian Seed Industry at much cheaper rates because of reduction in the manufacturing cost & also saving on sea freight from Sweden to India. These machines are available in different versions like manual, semi-automatic and fully automatic. Fully automatic machines shall have control panel for recepie management. Troubles on these machines can also be diagnosed and rectified online. Agrosaw launched 2 models R-7-2 & R-534 seed treating machines on 23rd Nov, 2011 and given live demonstration about 100 deligates from various renowed seed companies participated on this occasion. They were fully satisfied with the performance of the machines and quality of seed treatment.Norogard Machines have been tested in Sweden in three seed testing labs using chemicals of Sygenta and in Germany at R & D facility lab of Bayer A.G. based on principle "SLAK" of Sygenta and the so called distribution factor of Bayer A.G., the accuracy of doses and also the efficiency of coverage of Norogard machines are extraordinary Capacity of

The calculator is part of a suite of tools available to growers on pioneer.com and Mobile pioneer.com. Pioneer also offers a Planting Rate Estimator and Plantability Tool that can help growers make additional planting decisions about which population to target and how to set the planter for the Pioneer速 brand product and the actual seed they have received. In addition, as the crop grows through the season, growers can access a Growing Degree Unit Calculator, PrecipEstimator, Growth Stage Estimator, Corn Yield Estimator and more. Source : Pioneer

Agrosaw Introduces State of the Art Seed Treatment Machines in India Osaw Agro Industries Pvt. Ltd.(Agrosaw), a post harvest equipment manufacturingcompany based in Ambala Cantt. (Haryana) India have entered into a technical collaboration

Seed Times April - June 2012

with M/s. Norogard AB Fabriksgatan, Sweden for marketing as well as manufacturing of seed treatment and seed coating machines. Initially Agrosaw will manufacture 4 models namely R-7-2, R-15-2, R-534 & R-800. R-7-2 & R-152 are continuous type seed treating machines working on the principle of mist formation. R-534 & R-800 are batch type coating machines working on the principle of Rotogard. These machines are used for applying chemicals like fungicides, insecticides, weedicides, micro nutrients, polymers etc. on seed for protecting them from soil born diseases, insects, fungus etc. If micro nutrients are applied on the outer surface of the seed with the help of these machines then germination will be quick & vigour.

1. R-534 (Batch Type for Batch Volume 1-20 ltrs), 1. R-7-2 (continuous Type Cap 2.5 to 7 TPH) Source: Gubba News

NEW MEMBERS ORDINARY MEMBERS Camson Bio Technologies Limited

Indus Seeds

C-7,7th Floor, Corporate Block, Golden Enclave, Old Airport Road, Bangalore-560017

No. 9/3, Pattangere, Noojibail Nursery Compound, Uttarahalli-Kengeri Main Road, Srinivasapura, Bangalore-560060

Nimbkar Seeds Pvt. Ltd.

Excel Genetics Ltd.

Near Jinti Bridge, Lonand Road, Phaltan-415523 (Maharashtra)

606, Sakar III, Opp. Old Gujarat High Court, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad-380014

Shubh Labh Agri Input Pvt. Ltd.

Balaji Agri Biotech Pvt. Ltd.

802, Mahakant Complex, 8th floor, Opp.V.S. Hospital, Ashram Road, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad-380006

At/ Po- Paikmal, Dist. Bargarh-768039 Orissa

Senthil Seeds Pvt. Ltd.

Shiva Agro Seeds Pvt. Ltd.

73, Karur Main Road, Kolathupalayam-638661 Dharapuram Tk. Tirupur Dt.(T.Nadu)

Nahana Chandi, The.Abhanpur-493661 Dist. Raipur (Chattisgarh

Super Seeds Pvt. Ltd.

R.K. Agarwal Agro Seeds Ltd.

32, NewAnaj Mandi, Hisar-125001 (Haryana)

R.K. Puram, Manpur Road, Kashipur-244713 Distt. Udham Singh

Seed Times April - June 2012

ADVERTISE WITH US MAGAZINE ADVERTISEMENT TARIFF Back Cover

Rs. 40,000

Inside Cover (Front)

Rs. 30,000

First Page (Full)

Rs. 30,000

Inside Cover (Back)

Rs. 30,000

Inside Page (Full)

Rs. 25,000

Inside Page (Half)

Rs. 15,000

Inside Page (Quarter)

Rs. 8,000

Full Year Booking 25% off on website advertisement of 6 months Full Year Booking (4 issues) - 15% discount on the total Amount

WEBSITE ADVERTISEMENT TARIFF 3 Months

6 Months

1 Year

Left Rectangle Space

21,600

40,800

75,800

Center Rectangle Space

21,600

40,800

75,800

Leader Board Banner

30,000

51,000

96,000

Bottom Rectangle Space

24,300

45,900

88,800

Horizontal Strips Space

8,100

15,300

28,800

1 year or 6 months booking entitles you to a single insertion full page or half page colour advertisement at a discount of 50% respectively on in the NSAI Magazine