Republic of the Philippines

MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
Tanza, Boac, Marinduque

BACHELOR OF SECONDARY EDUCATION

MAJOR IN TECHNOLOGY AND LIVELIHOOD EDUCATION
AGRICULTURAL ARTS

SEED and PLANT SELECTION

Learning Outcomes:
LO1. Identify and select good seeds for planting;
LO2. Test the viability of seeds using ragdoll method;
LO3. Compute for the percentage germination; and
LO4. Appreciate the importance of testing seeds before planting

This lesson deals with the principle of selecting good quality seeds to grow. It includes the
characteristics of good seeds, sources of good seeds, seed testing, and computing the percentage of
germination.
Using high quality seeds of a recommendation rice variety will result in a considerable increase in
the yield.
The characteristic of certified seeds are the following:
1. Pure
2. Clean
3. With the same size and shape
4. 85%or higher percentage of germination
5. Free from seed borne diseases
Seeds of improved variety should be certified by the national seed quality control services(NSQCS).
It could be proven through a blue card attached to the sack. Good quality seeds could be availed
from agencies such as the PhilRice and other accredited seeds producers enumerated below.
Source of Good Seeds
1. PhilRice
2. Bureau of Plant industry(BPI)
3. Agricultural Productivity Commision( APC)
4. Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB)
5. Seed Grower- cooperators in your locality
6. Reliable dealers of farm supplies
How to avail good seeds
1. Buy seeds from accredited seed growers stated above.
2. If there are no accredited seed growers in the locality,then buy seed from reliable
sources(i.e farmers whose fields have uniform crop growth) or produce your own high
quality seeds. However, make sure to perform a seed germination test to ensure quality.
There should be at least 85% germination.
 Republic of the Philippines
MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
Tanza, Boac, Marinduque

BACHELOR OF SECONDARY EDUCATION

MAJOR IN TECHNOLOGY AND LIVELIHOOD EDUCATION
AGRICULTURAL ARTS

3. If the variety has not yet been tested in the area, make initial selection based on
recommendmed environnent and cropping season. Then conduct, at least two season of
trial in the locality.
4. During wet season, consider the prevalen pest in the area and the shattering and
logdhing characteristics of avariety. In the dry season, considee palanting hybrid
varieaties because these varaties tend to perform better during dry season.
5. In rained areas,, farmers tend to use varieties fo irrigated lowland area owing probably
to lack of access to rained varities.it is recommneded to first choose varieties intended
for rainfed environment. Consider also traditional regionally varities for rainfed
environment knowing that crops can develop adaptabiliy.
6. Farmers also often prefer new varieties,believing that they yield better. However,a
variety may be released base on reason other than yield. Thus it is important to know
the characteristic of the varieties but, more important,to conduct adaptability trials.
To select seeds the following characteristics should be observed:
1.Damage Free: The seeds must be free from damage or plant may not be enough to keep
the seed alive.
2.Good Germinating Ability: If seeds germinate and produce healthy, strong plants, thy have
greater percentage of viability: hence, they are capable of producing good crop yield.
3.Disease Free Seeds: which are free from diseases will naturally produce better quality
crops and greater yield
4.True-to-Type: Seeds should be as strong and healthy as the plant variety from which they
come. Always make a point that the seeds , are harvested from the best fruits of your plants.
There are other factors to consider in the selection of good seeds aside from desirable
characteristics,and these are:
1. Genetic purity. The seed should not be mixed with other rice variety.
2. Physical purity of composition. Seeds should be free from inert matter,chaff,and weed seeds.
They must be clean.
3. Moisture content. The ideal moisture content of rice seeds for sowing is 14%.
4. Capacity of the seed to germinate or viability. The international standards for viability
 Republic of the Philippines
MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
Tanza, Boac, Marinduque

BACHELOR OF SECONDARY EDUCATION

MAJOR IN TECHNOLOGY AND LIVELIHOOD EDUCATION
AGRICULTURAL ARTS

Testing the Viability of Seeds

Before sowing it is recommended that a test be conducted to determine the viability of the
seeds. Many seeds fail to getminate bacause they have been kept too long under bad conditions.
That renders them too weak when grown or too immature when harvested. Every plant grower
should determine the germinating power of seeds by testing them to ensure high percentage of
germination, less expenses, time and effort.
Methods of Seed Testing
There are two methods of testing the viability of seeds, the rag doll and the seedbed. This should be
done before sowing in the seedbed or before directly seeding in paddy.
1. Rag Doll Method
The following are the steps in the rag doll method:
a. Prepare a clean rag measuring 20.32cm X 30.48cm and a
stick 25.4cm long.
b. Prepare at least 100 seeds for testing. Do not select.
c. Lay the rag on any flat surface and distribute the seeds evenly in rows on the rag.
d. Roll the rag around the stick for support. Moisten the cloth and place it in a warm
–moist place.
e. Unroll the rag after 5 days. Determine the germination rate following the formula.

% germination = No. of seeds germinated x 100

No. of seeds sown
Examples:
Regina Mae wants to test the viability of her palay seeds. She sow 100 seeds and after 7 days only 86
seeds germinated. What is the percentage germination of the seeds?
Solution: % germination = 86 X 100 = 86%
100
If the percentage of germination is 80% or above,use the seeds at the required quantity. If it is
below 80% germination, adjust the seed bulk to the seeding rate. To adjust use the formula:

Adjusted Amount of Seeds = 100% x rate of seeding

% germination

You will now compute the adjusted seeding rate of the given.
Seed bulk = 60 kg
Germination = 78%
Seeding rate = 50 kg
 Republic of the Philippines
MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
Tanza, Boac, Marinduque

BACHELOR OF SECONDARY EDUCATION

MAJOR IN TECHNOLOGY AND LIVELIHOOD EDUCATION
AGRICULTURAL ARTS

6. How much adjusted amount of seeds will you sow per hectare using the given bulk, germination
percentage and seeding rate. Substitute the values:
Adjusted amount of seeds = 100 X 50 kg
78
= 1.28 x 50 kg.
= 64.10 kg/ha.
2. Seed Box Method
If you decide to use the seed box method, do the following steps:
a. Prepare a small seed box and fill it with sterilized soil.
b. Get 100-150 seeds (depending on your choice) at random. Sow the seeds in rows in the
seed box. Cover the seeds lightly with soil. Water the seeds occasionally.
c. When seeds have germinated, determine the percentage germination as in the rag doll
method.
3. Dish method
a. Line the dish with moistened, tissue paper, and then place a number of seeds.
b. Cover with another sheets of moist tissue paper.
c. Allow the seeds to germinate for several days. Count the number of seeds that
germinated.
IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER
To ensure high crop yield and good quality, viable seeds should be selected. Desireable
characteristic such as early maturing, resitance to lodging and nitrogen responsiveness are not the
only factors to consider when buying rice seeds. Other factors such as purity, physical composition,
moisture content and capacity of the seed to germinate should be included.
Seed viability is a characteristic of rice essential to profitable rice production because good
quality seeds bring about a maximum yield with minimum expenditure of time,money and effort.
Seed viability test should be done before the seed is sown in seed beds or directly seeding in
paddies following the rag doll or seed box methods.
PLANT SELECTION

Due to varied conditions in different localities, crops do not exhibit the same pattern of
growth. It is of prime importance that the variety of crops are adapted to the conditions of the
locality where it will be planted. It is possible that a variety which thrives well in one region may
not necessarily yield the same result if grown in another region. However, a variety may also
produce a good yield in separate regions

To determine which variety of crops are best adapted to your respective localities, there is a
need to study the yielding capacity of crops based on the results of researches done by the Bureau
of Plant Industry and Agricultural Schools. It is worth mentioning that results of studies in nearby
 Republic of the Philippines
MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
Tanza, Boac, Marinduque

BACHELOR OF SECONDARY EDUCATION

MAJOR IN TECHNOLOGY AND LIVELIHOOD EDUCATION
AGRICULTURAL ARTS

areas will provide a better basis than results gathered from other places or institutions wherein
conditions may not be similar to your places