Quality seed of PAU Attraction of Kisan Melas

摘要

Quality seed plays a pivotal role in sustainable agriculture. It is the actual carrier of technology for agricultural prosperity and growth, and is the basic and most critical input for agriculture. The response of all other inputs depends upon the quality of seeds to a large extent. It is estimated that the direct contribution of quality seed alone to the total production is about 15- 20 per cent depending upon the crop and it can be further increased with the efficient management of other inputs. To serve the farming community with good quality seeds, the Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, isengaged in quality seed production of various field and vegetable crops besides research, teaching and extension. Technical knowledge is required for seed production as it is different from commercial crop production. Many precautions and operations areessential to produce good quality seed. For quality seed production, PAU invariably follows field and seed standards as per Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards (IMSCS). The seed produced after harvesting is cleaned and graded to get uniform sizeseeds, which afterwards is tested for germination and purity by the State Government Seed Testing Laboratory. Ifthe seed meets the IMSCS, then it is packed into properly labelled seed bags and offered for sale to the farmers. These quality seeds are provided to the farmers during the Kisan Melas of the University held in different districts of Punjab and also distributed at PAU Seed Shop, Seed Production Farms, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, Farmer Advisory Service Centres and Regional Research Stations of PAU.