Comprehensive technical presentation on male sterility mechanisms (CMS, GMS, CGMS) and their applications in commercial hybrid seed production across maize, rice, bajra, sunflower, and cotton. Covers cytoplasmic and genetic male sterility systems, transgenic approaches, chemical hybridizing agents, and practical implementation in crop breeding programs with case studies from Indian agricultural systems.
Covers seed drying methods (sun drying, forced air drying, heated air drying, moisture equilibrium), seed processing plant layout, cleaning equipment (air-screen cleaner, gravity separator), upgrading machines, seed treatment (fungicides/insecticides), packaging (jute/polythene bags), storage conditions (orthodox/recalcitrant seeds, 8-10% moisture, controlled temperature/humidity), marketing, and seed testing (ISTA standards, germination, purity, vigor tests).
Comprehensive coverage of seed certification history (Sweden 1886, AOSCA 1919), objectives, classes of certified seed, certification procedure (application, field inspection 2-3 stages, seed sampling and testing, certification tags/labels), field standards (isolation, off-types, diseases), seed standards (purity 98%, germination 85%), grow-out tests, and certification tag color codes.
Seed production for onion (bulb-to-bulb/seed-to-seed methods, vernalization, isolation 1000m, umbel harvesting), bottle gourd (isolation 400-1000m, monoecious/dioecious types, hand pollination), ridge gourd (isolation 400m, bagging, fruit maturity indices, seed extraction 25-30 days after pollination), drying methods, and quality standards for allium and cucurbit vegetables.
Vegetable seed production covering tomato varieties/hybrids (isolation 25-50m, hand crossing, fruit harvesting, seed extraction, fermentation), brinjal (isolation 50-200m, emasculation, bagging), chillies/hot peppers (isolation 100-400m), quality standards, field inspection stages, seed extraction methods, drying (8-10% moisture), and certification procedures for solanaceous vegetables.