CLASSES OF SEED

The four generally recognized classes of seeds are: Breeder's seed,

Foundation seed, Registered seed and Certified seed. The Association of Official
Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA) has defined these seed classes as follows:

Breeder seed

The seed or vegetatively propagated material directly controlled by the

originating or the sponsoring breeder or institution which is the basic seed for
recurring increase of foundation seed.

Foundation seed

It is the progeny of breeder seed. The seed stock handled to maintain specific
identity and genetic purity, which may be designated or distributed and produced
under careful supervision of an agricultural experiment station. This seed is the
source of all other certified seed classes either directly or through registered seed.

Registered seed

The progeny of the foundation seed so handled as to maintain its genetic

identity and purity and approved and certified by a certifying agency. It should be
of quality suitable to produce certified seed.

Certified seed

It is the progeny of the foundation seed. Its production is so handled to maintain

genetical identity and physical purity according to standards specified for the crop
being certified. It should have the minimum genetical purity of 99%. Certified seed
may be the progeny of certified seed , provided this reproduction does not exceed
two generations beyond foundation seed and provided that if certification agency
determines the genetic and physical purity, if not be significantly altered. In case
of highly self pollinated crops certification of one further generation may be
permitted. Certified seed produced from certified seed shall be eligible for further
seed increase under certification, except in case of highly self-pollinated crops,
where certification of one further generation may be permitted. Certification tags
issued once for certified seed not eligible for further seed increase under
certification.

 For paddy and wheat , certified seed produced from certified seed is eligible
for certification by NSC up to two generations from foundation seed

Foundation seed - Certified seed (I) - Certified seed (II)

 For barley, garden pea ,ground nut, soyabean, certified seed produced from
certified seed is eligible for certification up to 3 generations from foundation
seed

Foundation seed - Certified seed (I) - Certified seed (II) - Certified seed (III)

Certification of certified seed produced from certified seed is not permitted for crops
other than those listed above.

Differences between certified seed and truthful labelled seed

Certified seed Truthful labelled seed

Certification is voluntary Truthful labelling is compulsory for

notified kind of varieties

Applicable to notified kinds only Applicable to both notified and

released varieties

It should satisfy both minimum field Tested for physical purity and
and seed standards germination

Seed certification officer ,seed Seed inspectors alone can take

inspectors can take samples for samples for checking the seed
inspection quality.
 GENERATION SYSTEM OF SEED MULTIPLICATION

Generation system of seed multiplication

Generation system of seed multiplication is nothing but the production of a

particular class of seed from specific class of seed up to certified seed stage. The
choice of a proper seed multiplication model is the key to further success of a seed
programme. This basically depends upon

 The rate of genetic deterioration

 Seed multiplication ratio and

 Total seed demand

Based on these factors different seed multiplication models may be derived

for each crop and the seed multiplication agency should decide how quickly the
farmers can be supplied with the seed of newly released varieties, after the nucleus
seed stock has been handed over to the concerned agency, so that it may replace
the old varieties. In view of the basic factors, the chain of seed multiplication
models could be.,

a. Three - Generation model

Breeder seed - Foundation seed - Certified seed

b. Four - Generation model

Breeder seed - Foundation seed (I) Foundation seed (II) - Certified seed

c. Five - Generation model

Breeder seed - Foundation seed (I)- Foundation seed (II) -Certified seed (I) -
Certified seed (II)

For most of the often cross pollinated and cross pollinated crops 3 & 4
generation models is usually suggested for seed multiplication. Ex: Castor,
Redgram, Jute, Greengram, Rape, Mustard, Sesame, Sunflower and most of the
vegetable crops.
GENERATION SYSTEM OF SEED MULTIPLICATION AND QUALITY CONTROL
(NOTIFIED VARIETIES AND HYBRIDS)

Agency Class of seed Quality control

system

Concerned NUCLEUS SEED Maintenance

breeder or (no specified tag) breeding
Sponsoring
institution
or Breeder
himself

Breeder seed
Concerned BREEDER SEED
breeder or monitoring team-
(Golden yellow
Sponsoring field inspection
tag)
institution or tocheck genetic
Seed purity -(Grow out
Technologist test)

State FOUNDATION
State Seed
Department of SEED Stage I & II
Certification
Agrl., National (White tag)
Agency- Field
seeds
inspection and
Corporation
testing to check
Cooperative
agencies, Central minimum required
and State Seed physical purity
Corporations, and other quality
Private sectors stds

CERTIFIED SEED
(Azure blue tag)

Truthful labeled FARMER

seed
(Opel green)
 Nucleus and Breeders seed production

The initial handful of seeds obtained from selected individual plants of a

particular variety, for the purposes purifying and maintaining that variety by the
originating plant breeder and its further multiplication under his own supervision, or
the supervision of a qualified plant breeder, to provide Breeder’s Seed constitutes
the basis for all further seed production. The varietal purity of subsequently
multiplied foundation, registered and certified seed largely depend upon the quality
of the nucleus/breeder’s seed. Unless the nucleus/ breeder’s seed is of highest
purity and quality the seed multiplied from it cannot be regarded as of satisfactory
genetic purity. Unsatisfactory genetic purity, especially in cross pollinated crops,
could ultimately severely affect the performance of a variety. It is therefore, of
utmost importance that the nucleus/breeder’s seed is produced in such a manner
that satisfactory genetic purity, identity and the other good qualities of seed are
maintained.

Methods of maintenance of nucleus and breeder’s seed in self fertilized

crops

Methods of maintaining nucleus seed/breeder’s can be conveniently divided into the

following two groups:

1. Maintenance of newly released varieties

2. Maintenance of established varieties

Maintenance of Nucleus Seed of Pre-released or Newly Released Varieties

The procedure outlined by Harrington (1952) for the maintenance of nucleus seed
of pre-released or newly released varieties is described below:

a. Sampling of the variety to obtain nucleus seed. New numbers, lines or

selection which are highly promising, on the basis of performance in breeding
nurseries and yield trials, should be sampled for seed purification. These
samples provide a beginning for purifying new varieties and for possible
 increase and distribution to farmers. Not more than fifteen new varieties in
any one crop at a station should be sampled in one year.
b. Table examination of samples: The two hundred plants of each sample
should be threshed separately and the seed should be examined in piles on
the table. Discard any pile appearing obviously off type, diseased or
otherwise unacceptable. The seeds of each two hundred plant samples or
less is now ready to be sown in a variety purification nursery called as
nucleus.
c. Locating and seeding of nucleus: Each nucleus seed should be grown on
clean fertile land at an experiment station in the region or in area in which
this new variety could be grown, in the event of its release. The land must
not have had a crop of the same kind in the previous year.
d. Inspection of nucleus two-row plots and removal of off types: Throughout the
season of growth, from the seedling stage until maturity, the nucleus plot
should be examined critically. Differences in the habit of early plant growth,
leaf colour, rate of growth, time of heading, height head characteristics and
diseases reactions should be looked for. If a plot differs distinctly from the
average in the preheading stages of growth, it should be removed before
heading.
e. Harvesting and threshing of nucleus; each remaining plot, of which there
should be at least 180 out of the original 200. Should be harvested
individually with a sickle and tied in a bundle. The total bundles of each
nucleus should be labelled and stored until the current years yield rests for
trials are obtained. The nucleus bundles of any new variety should be
discarded, if it is found unworthy of being continued.

Later the seed should be cleaned in a fanning mill or by hand methods, the
grain from each nucleus plot being placed in a pile on the seed table. The 180 or
more piles of seed of one nucleus must be examined for approximate uniformity of
seed appearance, and any pile, which appears to be off type discarded. All the
remaining piles of the seed should be masked together in one lot. This should
treated with fungicide and insecticide, bagged, labelled and stored as "Breeder’s
Stock Seed" for use in the next year. Breeder’s stock seed is the original purified
seed stock of a new variety in the hands of the plant breeders.

Maintenance of Breeder’s Seed of Pre-released or Newly Released Varieties

The following steps are involved in the maintenance of breeder’s seed.

a. Breeder’s stock seed from the nucleus should be sown on the clean, fertile
land, which did not grow a crop of the same kind in the previous year. The
space required for the seeding the breeder’s stock is about 1.2 ha in the case
of wheat and as much as 3 ha in the case of transplanted rice.
b. The field should properly isolated.
c. The best farm procedures should be used in the sowing, raising and
harvesting of breeder’s stock.
d. It should be produced at the experiment station in the area in which the new
variety has been bred.
e. The seeding should be done in such a way as to make the best use of the
limited amount of seed available and to facilitate roguing. The row spacing
should be sufficient to permit examination of plants in rows for possible
mixture or off types.
f. Roguing: All plants not typical of the variety should be pulled and removed.
There should be very few plants to rogue out if the previous years nucleus
breeder’s stock seed was well protected from natural crossing and careful
roguing was done and there were no impurities during cleaning etc. The
rouging should be done before flowering, as was done for the
nucleus/breeder’s stock seed.
g. Harvesting the breeder’s stock: In the breeder’s stock is harvested and
threshed, the equipment used must be scrupulously clean and free from
seeds of any other varieties. This cleanliness should be extended to cards
and bags as well as threshing machine it self. The seed should now be about
99.9 per cent pure as to variety. These breeder’s seed is ready now for
increase of foundation seed. A portion of this breeder’s seed should be
retained by the breeders to sown a continuation breeders seed of the variety.
Maintenance of breeder’s seed of established varieties

The breeder’s seed of established varieties could be maintained satisfactorily by any

one of the following methods

a) By raising the crop in isolation: The breeder’s seed of local varieties could be
maintained by growing them in isolated plots and by very rigorous roguing during
various stages of crop growth, where the various plant characters are observable.
The method of handling the breeder seed crop is the same as described earlier for
breeder’s seed of newly released varieties.

b) By bulk selection: The genetic purity of established varieties could be

satisfactorily improved by bulk selection. In this method 2,000 to 2,500 plants
typical of the variety are selected, harvested ,and threshed separately. The seeds
from each plant are examined and any pile which shows any obvious off-types, or
otherwise appears dissimilar, are discarded. The remaining piles of seed are bulked
to constitute the breeder’s seed. The other practices of handling remains the same.

Carry-over Seed

The breeder must carry-over at least enough seed to safeguard against, the loss of
variety if there is a complete failure during the foundation seed multiplication
phase. In addition, the breeder should further safeguard variety by arranging to
have a portion of the seed originally released stored under the ideal conditions.