eChapters

I. FILL UPS

1. _____ is the official measure for controlling the genetic purity of the seed lot.
2. _____ serves as ‘pre-control’ as well as ‘post-control’ for avoiding genetic contaminations.
3. _____ can also be used as a measure to judge the efficacy of the certification agency or the inspector.
4. The minimum population requirement for taking the observations shall be _____ plants.

I. FILL UPS

1. Rapid and uniform production of healthy seedling and stand establishment under a wide range of field condition is considered as _____.
2. The sum of those properties of seed which determine the potential level of activity and performance of the seed lot is called _____.
3. Vigour index = _____.

I. FILL UPS

1. The seed colour of cv COH₂ is _____.
2. The special appendage present in castor is called _____.
3. Modified phenol test was identified by _____ for pearl millet hybrids.
4. _____ test is for the varietal identification of sorghum.

I. FILL UPS

1. ISTA was founded in _____.
2. ISTA secretariat is located at _____.
3. _____ was founded with the aim to develop and publish standard procedures in the field of seed testing.
4. _____ is one of the leading international journals featuring papers and articles on seed quality and physiology published by ISTA.
5. The technical committees are made up of _____ number of members.

1. VARIETAL SEED PRODUCTION

3 m : Rice, soybean

5 m : Blackgram, greengram, cowpea, field lab lab lab lab

5-10 m : Groundnut

25 m : Tomato

60% - Bottlegourd, pumpkin, bittergourd, watermelon

65% - Cotton varieties, bhendi

I. FILL UPS

1. _____ is the maintenance of high seed germination and vigour from harvest until planting.
2. _____ is important to get adequate plant stand in addition to healthy and vigours plants.
3. _____ seeds can be dried to 6-10% moisture depending upon the species.
4. _____ seeds cannot be dried below 30-35% moisture and should be maintained at this temperature.

I. FILL UPS

1. _____ is defined as deteriorative mechanism occurring with time that increase the seeds vulnerability and decrease ability to survive.
2. Lettuce seeds develop red necrotic lesions in cotyledons known as _____.
3. _____ morphological changes occur in ground nut due to deterioration.

I. FILL UPS

1. _____ refers to the application of pesticides to seeds before sowing or storage to protect the seeds.
2. The chemical gases as fumes are used to control the pests in seed lots is called as _____.
3. The treatments given to the seeds prior to or during storage to protect the seed are called _____ treatment.

I. FILL UPS

1. _____ are capable of reducing the age induced damages and restoring the seed vigour by controlling free radical reactions.
2. _____ is the process of soaking the low and medium vigour seeds in water with or without adding chemicals to raise seed moisture and drying back for safe storage of seeds.
3. _____ treatment is similar to the moisture equilibration treatment.

I. FILL UPS

1. _____ is a collection of genetic resources for an organism.
2. The conservation of species in their natural habitats is called _____.
3. _____ is the preservation of components of biological diversity outside their natural habitats.
4. _____ is a type of gene bank that stores seeds as a source for planting in case seed reserves elsewhere are destroyed.

I. FILL UPS

1. The area of science that studies the relationship between pathogens and seeds is _____.
2. The diseases that are caused by fungal pathogens in residues and on the soil surface are defined as _____.
3. The establishment of a pathogens in any part of the seed is referred as _____.

I. FILL UPS

1. _____ refers to the health status of a seed.
2. A group of fungi that infects developing seeds on the plant in the field, but before it is threshed is called as _____.
3. _____ fungi invade seeds at (or) after harvest.
4. _____ method is used particularly for smut and bunt fungi in gramineous host.
5. _____ method is used for detection of karnal bunt of wheat.

I. FILL UPS

1. _____ is the most important primary pests of cereals.
2. _____ causes serious damage in maize cob.
3. _____ is the field pest of pulses.
4. _____ feeds on already damaged.

I. FILL UPS

1. _____ are also called ed-worms.
2. _____ nematode causes discolouration in groundnut.
3. _____ in rice is caused by Aphelenchoides besseyi.
4. The ear cockle disease is caused _____.

I. FILL UPS

1. RCA stands for _____.
2. Expert standing committee was set up in _____.
3. In _____year, All India Co-ordinated maize improvement programme was started.
4. First maize hybrid was released in the year _____.
5. All India co-ordinated bajra and sorghum improvement programme was started in _____.
6. First sorghum hybrid was released in the year _____.

I. FILL UPS

1. _____ refers to the actual acquisition and selling packed seeds, intermediate storage delivery and sales promotional activities.
2. _____ entails using marketing information for the purpose of planning.
3. _____ is one of the major channel through which bulk of paddy seeds, pulses seeds and oil seeds are marketed in the state.

1. The Fraction of incident radiation which is reflected back is called as.................

   a) Short wave radiation

   b) Long wave radiation

   c) Albedo

   d) U.V radiation

2. Hulling percent in Rice crop.........

   a) 60-70%

   b) 40-50%

   c) 80-90%

   d) 20-25%

1. The example of trisaccharide is—————————.

   a) Raffinose

   b) Maltose

   c) Glucose

   d) Sucrose

2. Betaoxidation of fatty acid was proposed by ———————.

   a) Rose

   b) Knoop

   c) J.B Sumner

   d) Bloor

1. Length of Gunter’s chain is……..ft

   a) 15

   b) 25

   c) 66

   d) 30

2. Chain is made up of thick galvanized iron wire of…..... mm in diameter

   a) 2

   b) 4

   c) 3.5

   d) 5

1. The initiator of a food web is

   a) Carnivores

   b) Herbivores

   c) Plants

   d) Decomposers

2. Fauna is term for

   a) Plant kingdom

   c) Animals

   b) Both (plant and animals)

   d) None of the above

1. Important objective of biotechnology in agriculture sector is

   a) To increase the nitrogen content

   b) To decrease the seed number

   c) To produce pest resistant varieties of plants

   d) To increase the plant weight

2. The main technology involved in agriculture biotechnology is called

   a) Tissue culture

   b) Plant breeding

   c) Transformation

   d) DNA replication

1. Mendel presented his results in the form of

   a) Two paper in French langua

   b) Two paper in German language

   c) One paper in German language

   d) None of the above

2. The alternative forms of a gene are called

   a) Allelomorph

   b) Gene

   c) Alleles

   d) None of these

1. The rice plant belongs to

   a) Short day plant

   b) Long day plant.

   c) Day neutral plant

   d) Etiolated

2. Cycoceal is a growth

   a) Growth inhibitor

   b) Growth hormone

   c) Growth regulator

   d) Growth stimulant

1. A man supplied excess fertilizer and water the grass well. After sometime the leaves turn brown because

   a) Due to water logging

   b) It decreases photosynthesis

   c) Fertilizer is drained in lower layer of soil

   d) Osmosis occurs in root and root dies

2. If roots of plant are removed and plant is placed in water, then what will be happen?

   a) Passive absorption will continue

   b) Imbibition will continue

   c) Active absorption will continue

   d) None of these

1. ………… is the father of plant pathology.

   a) T J Burril

   c) Anton De Barry

   b) Needham

   d) E J Butler

2. ……… first time reported that plant diseases are caused by bacterium.

   a) Robert Koch

   c) Kuhn

   b) E F Smith

   d) T J Burril

1. International Rice Research Institute is located at

   a) Mexico

   b) Philippines

   c) Nigeria

   d) Columbia

2. Use of combining ability as a measure of gene action was first suggested by

   a) Wright (1921)

   b) Griffing (1956)

   c) Sprague and Tatum (1942)

   d) Hayman (1954)

1. Genetic principles of seed production were given by

   a) Feistritzer (1975)

   b) Kadam (1942)

   c) Kadam (1936)

   d) Swaminathan (1970)

2. Objectionable weed seed in wheat seed production is

   a) Chandvel

   b) Johnsoon grass

   c) Sudan grass

   d) Wild rice

1. The nucleus seed in cereals is produced by

   a) Ear to Row method

   b) Plant selection

   c) Progeny selection

   d) Head selection

2. Foundation seed is the progeny of

   a) Truthfully Labeled seed

   b) Foundation seed stage I

   c) Nucleus seed

   d) Breeder seed

1. Decorticator is used for shelling pods in

   a) Bhendi

   b) Maize

   c) Groundnut

   d) Sunflower

2. Debearders are used in processing of

   a) Barley

   b) Oats

   c) Wheat

   d) Rice

1. Hallow heart in pea occurs due to

   a) Calcium deficiency

   b) Molybdenum deficiency

   c) Boron deficiency

   d) Zinc deficiency

2. Presence of pathogen on the surface of the seed is termed as

   a) Admixture

   b) Infestation

   c) Infection

   d) Contamination

1. In bhendi field, the permissible limits for wild bhendi for Foundation and certified seed production is

   a) 0.10, 1.00

   b) 0.05, 0.10

   c) 0.1, 1.5

   d) None

2. Weed seed, other crop seed and inert matter are the fractions of

   a) Purity analysis

   b) Germination

   c) Seed viability test

   d) All

1. ______ an application of the accounting principles to the business of farming.

   a) Farm planning

   b) Farm budgeting

   c) Farm accounting

   d) Marketing

2. ‘Beef’ and ‘hides’ are examples of:

   a) Independent enterprise

   b) Joint enterprise

   c) Supplementary enterprise

   d) Compitative enterprise

1. “Statistics is a science of calculations and averages”, the definition was given by :

   a) R.A. Fisher

   b) Boddington

   c) Bowley

   d) Anderson

2. “Statistics is a study of population, variation and methods of data reduction” is the definition of statistics according to:

   a) A.L. Bowley

   b) R.A. Fisher

   c) Boddington

   d) None of these

1. ……….. is the study of human relationship in rural environment.

   a) Sociology

   b) Rural sociology

   c) Indian sociology

   d) None of the above

2. Journal of Extension is published from ………….

   a) UK

   b) USA

   c) Germany

   d) Holland

1. Pomology word is derived from a—————————

   a) Greek word

   b) Latin word

   c) English word

   d) None of these

2. Deficiency of ————————vitamin causes scurvy.

   a) A

   b) B

   c) C

   d) D

1. _________________ work for grape fruit setting.

   a) Alar

   b) IAA

   c) Cytokinin

   d) Abscissic acid

2. A fruits that develops from a hollow pear-shaped fleshy receptacle (hypanthodium) which encloses a number of minute male and female flowers in known as :

   a) Aggregate fruit

   b) Hesperidium

   c) Pome fruit

   d) Syconus fruit

1. Onion belongs to the family ...........................

   a) Alliaceae

   b) Brussicaceac

   c) Crucifereae

   d) Chno podoceae

2. Pungency in onion is due to ...........................

   a) Dially / disulphide

   b) Carbonates

   c) Sulphonates

   d) Allypropyl Disulfide

1. Formal garden has a ———— layout.

   a) Odd

   b) Natural

   c) Symmetric

   d) Irregular

2. Foutain is located in —— of building.

   a) Backside

   b) Front

   c) Lateral side

   d) None of these

1. This is fragrant rose variety

   a) Blue Moon

   b) First Red

   c) Gladiator

   d) None

2. Rose belong to family

   a) Amaryllidaceae

   b) Compositae

   c) Rosaceae

   d) None

1. Botanical name of All spice is__________ _________.

   a) Piper nigrum

   b) Zinziber officinale

   c) Curcuma longa

   d) Pimenta dioica

2. Saffron belongs to family _________

   a) Piperaceae

   b) Myrtaceae

   c) Iridaceae

   d) Orchidaceae

1. The goal of —————— is to gather commodity from the field at proper stage of maturity With minimum damage.

   a) Harvesting

   b) Grading

   c) Sorting

   d) Handling

2. Harvesting in rose is done at —————— stage

   a) Loose bud

   b) Tight bud

   c) Fully open

   d) Partially open

1. The normal gestation period of buffalo is

   a) 280 days

   b) 290 days

   c) 300 days

   d) 310 days

2. The best crop of silage making is

   a) Maize

   b) Jowar

   c) Bajra

   d) Lucerne

Institutes under ICAR

1. Deemed Universities - 4
2. Institutions - 64
3. National Research Centres - 15
4. National Bureaus - 6
5. Directorates/Project Directorates - 13 State Agricultural Universities

1.1 Introducution

Growing of vegetables is one of the most profitable allied activities of agriculture especially in small-medium land holdings and with limited water resources. Use of improved varieties and hybrids is very critical to make smaller land holdings profitable. Seeds of improved varieties and hybrids not only increase income to the tune of more than 30% but also reduce the use of plant protection chemicals. India being the second largest producer of vegetables in the world with 6.2 m ha of land and 85m MT production-use of improved seed is very important. The annual requirement of vegetables is estimated to be over 135m MT which can be only achieved through use of quality seed. India is predominantly vegetarian country and depends upon vegetables for their nutrients and minerals.

Vegetable cultivation is labour intensive, gives high returns and ensures nutritional security. To ensure these the supply of quality seed is very vital. Apart from seed production, its processing for seed quality to give the end user is of high importance. Unlike seed processing of field crops, vegetable seed processing is very technology driven since the volume is less and involve costly material. Improved processing efficiency brings more income for the grower and seller. The vegetable seed being low volume needs better technology for upgrading, size grading, blending, conditioning, processing, treatment and packaging. Vegetable seed processing is set of activities as mentioned here each of having a special focus on the quality.

The vegetable seed production in India work on the principle of buy back or contract farming where the production agent or organizer distribute the plots of seed production to growers. The grower is responsible for the rising of seed crop till harvesting or pre-conditioning. The organizerguides the growers regarding the plant protection, roguing and pre-conditioning. The harvesting is entirely a responsibility of the grower but facility for pre-conditioning may be established by the seed organizer. The seed pre-conditioning includes activities like acid treatment on wet seed bases or operations which make seed ready for procurement. After the harvesting or pre-conditioning the seed will be procured by the organizer and head for the processing yard for grading & packaging.

2.1 Harvesting and Pre-conditioning

The methods of harvesting and pre-conditioning various with crop to crop. There are mainly two types of vegetables in terms of type of harvesting.

Vegetable seed cleaning and processing are two important aspects of seed post-harvest management. These steps are very essential to maintain the quality of the seed till its next sowing season. The quality of seed produced is dependent on the moisture content and various admixtures. To provide quality seed to farmers, it is very essential to clean seed to its maximum quality. The seed quality attributes like moisture, free water activity, to be controlled in germination, vigor and viability are upgraded during seed cleaning.

Seed cleaning is the term used as a part of processing means separation of admixtures from a particular seed lot. The physical characters like bigger clods, sand, soil, chaffy material, inert matter etc. will be removed during seed cleaning. Seed processing on the other hand is relatively broad term referring to the process of removal of dockage in a seed lot and preparation of seed for marketing is called seed processing. The price and quality of seed is inversely related to dockage, which should not exceed a maximum level permitted for different crops for seed certification. Due to the operation of processing the level of heterogeneity of seed lot gets narrowed down. The heterogeneity occurs in a seed lot due to following reasons:

The processing of the seed refers to mainly pre-cleaning and sizing. The sizing is up gradation of seed lots based on size, shape or length. In this chapter processing with main reference to sizing or upgrading is given. Sizing or upgrading is done by using different screens in an air screen cleaner, gravity separator, seed blower, indent disc cylinder, belt grader or some time colour sorter. Here specific tasks like use of screens in an air screen cleaner, rubber belt angles when using a belt grader, disc type when using indent disc cylinder or special arrangements in a gravity separator are given. The details of the machines or equipments with the principles of working were already covered in Chapter-3.

Seed processing is specialized activity and also a tool to improve seed quality further to an acceptable standard. Seed quality parameters like germination, vigour or genetic purity can be improved using processing. Say a seed lot having a minimum standard of 90% germination, but the competition in the market offering seed quality 92 or 95 % then to meet the market demand we can process the seed lots using re-milling or re-conditioning techniques. Also sometimes simple techniques like liquid density separation which uses specific density of the seed to separate good seed from inferior quality can be considered. Various case studies on processing to improve seed quality are given here.