Red Gram (Cajanus Cajan) Seed Production
Red gram (Cajanus Cajan) Seed Production
The seed material is an important item in any production of agricultural commodities. Farmers generally purchase seed from co farmers or from dealers in the market for raising crops. Production of crops by farmers is for their own use and what ever is extra over and above their own consumption will be sold to others or in the market.
1.0 Seed Production: Soil Requirement: Red sandy loam soils or well drained black soils are suitable. Saline, saline alkaline and soils prone for inundation during crop period are not suitable. Where ever commercial crop of red gram is possible to produce well, such areas are also suitable to produce seed, provided isolation is taken care of and land must be free from volunteer red gram plants. Isolation requirement: Red gram is classified as often cross pollinated
(self and cross pollinated) crop. Anthers
burst before flower opening. Cross fertilisation with insects like bees etc also take place. Isolation requirement for foundation seed: 250 metres Certified seed: 100 m is required from fields of other red gram varieties and of the same variety not confirming to varietal purity requirements of certification. In USA 180-360 metres is followed. At ICRISAT 300-400 m is followed for very safe production of hybrids and male sterile lines.
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Red Gram (Cajanus Cajan) Seed Production
Cultivation practices in brief: Land preparation: As red gram is a deep rooted crop, it requires at least one deep tilling up to 8 to 10 inches and one shallow tilling. Ploughing or preparation of field by bullock or tractor drawn cultivator (Gorru) followed by planking (Guntaka) to remove weeds is required before sowing.
Sowing time / season: For higher yield ideal time for sowing in kharif is early in June. Sowings can be continued till August, but yield will be gradually reduced. During rabi, red gram can be sown from 15 September till 15 October. In this also, September 15 sown crop give higher yield compared to October 15 sown crop. Pigeon pea produced during kharif will have better seed quality than summer.
Seed source: Obtain higher grade seed (to produce certified seed, foundation seed is to be obtained) from source approved by the concerned state seed certification agency. If seed production is for private company then that company will supply seed.
Pre-sowing treatment: Soak seed before sowing for 3 hrs in aqueous solution of SnSO4 100 ppm (1 g/10 litre water) at 1/3 volume of seed and quickly air dry in shade to their original weight.
Seed treatment: Treat seed with Pseudomonas fluorescence @ 10 g/kg seed. Bio control agents are compatible with bio fertilizers. First treat seed with bio control agents and then with Rhizobium. Treat with Rhizobial culture CC1. For red lateritic soil Rhizobial culture VPR 1 is effective. One packet of 200 g Rhizobial culture is sufficient for treating seed required for one acre. During rabi 200 g culture/8 kg seed is needed. The bacterial culture slurry may be prepared with rice gruel (ganji) or jaggery solution. Dry bacterial culture treated seed in shade for 15 minutes before sowing.
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Red Gram (Cajanus Cajan) Seed Production
Method of sowing: Sowing is done at a depth about 5 cm, either with seed cum fertiliser drill or dropped in plough furrow.
Spacing & Seed rate: Spacing & Seed rate for different situations are given here. Situation Kharif black soils kharif light/red soils rabi irrigated rabi rain fed
Spacing, cm 150 x 20 or 180 x 20 90 x 20 75-90 x 10 45-60 x 10
Seed rate, kg/Ac 3-4 6-7 10-12 12-15
Manuring & Fertilisation: Application of 2.0 tonnes of well decomposed FYM/compost/Ac or 0.8 to 1.2 tonnes of vermi compost mixed with 2 kg PSB (phosphate solubulizing bacteria)/Ac is needed during last tilling Addition of 5-10 quintal neem leaf manure is beneficial not only in terms of increased nutrient supply, but also in terms of reduced problem of soil borne pathogens and nematodes In kharif apply 8 kg N + 20 kg P205 (50 kg DAP or 20 kg urea + 125 kg SSP)/Ac as basal application and incorporated before sowing seed. Otherwise use seed cum fertiliser drill at sowing. In rabi apply 16 kg N + 20 kg P205 (50 kg DAP + 15 kg urea) or (35 kg urea + 125 kg SSP)/Ac as basal application and incorporated before sowing seed. Otherwise use seed cum fertiliser drill at sowing. Apply 200 litres of Sanjeevak or Jeevamrut/Ac at the time of sowing or immediately after, for ready availability of micro-organisms to improve soil fertility. Spraying 10 to 15 g urea/litre of water at initial reproductive stage of crop is beneficial for increasing yield in rain fed drought conditions. At any time concentration should not exceed 20 g/litre of water Application of phosphate solubulizing bacteria (PSB) for release of fixed P205 in the soil is an effective bio fertilizer.
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Red Gram (Cajanus Cajan) Seed Production
Photo 1 - Good Growth of Red Gram
Irrigation:
As red gram is mainly a rain fed crop, usually irrigations are not being given. However, in seed production, irrigating when moisture deficit occurs, will improve yield and profits greatly. Irrigation during dry spells in kharif and moisture deficit periods during rabi are essential to obtain good yields. If there is moisture deficit, irrigation before bud formation and during pod formation stage improves yield.
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Red Gram (Cajanus Cajan) Seed Production
Weed Management & Inter-culture: Weed management is required up to 60 days of crop growth, as this is the time when weeds compete with the crop for nutrients. Interculture operations should be done to keep the field weed free and to preserve soil moisture and to improve microbial activity. One or two hand weedings or hoeings are to be done at about 30 and 60 days after sowing depending on weed growth.
Spraying of chemical weedicides like Pendimethalin 30% @ 1 to 1.5 litres/Ac or Alachlor @ 1 litre/Ac immediately after sowing or within 24 hrs after sowing is recommended. Normally no weeding is required after 60 days of crop growth. If it is needed, manual weeding can be done.
Important pests and diseases: Gram pod borer (Helicoverpa armigera) is a major pest on red gram. It damages flower buds and pods. It keeps half of its body outside while feeding on pods. Deep ploughing is an effective measure for its control besides other IPM measures. To attract spiders and ants that predate on larvae of insects mix 4 kg Jaggery powder with 200 litres water and sprayed on one Ac soil surface, About 20 bird perches per Ac are to be installed to attract birds that predate on pests. Yellow rice (1 kg rice cooked with turmeric powder) can be kept on or near perches to attract predatory birds. Release of 5000 eggs of Chrysoperla 15 days after sowing and 50,000 eggs of Trichogramma (23 cards) 30 days after sowing can keep pest problem below ETL (1 to 2 caterpillars/m2 or 5 to 10% pod damaged). Four pheromone traps/Ac can be used for pest monitoring.
Control measures: If the pest exceeds ETL, following control measures can be adopted: 1. Immediately after observing eggs or early instar larvae spray 5% NSKE (50 g crushed neem seed in 50 litre water) or 5 ml/litre neem oil (azadirachtin) in initial stages for ovicidal action to kill eggs of Helicoverpa. 2. Biological control methods like spraying 200 LE of NPV or 400 g Bt or fungal parasite Beauveria bassiana/Ac should be done to control Helicoverpa pest and also to reduce poisonous pesticide usage which pollute environment. 3. Bigger larvae can be hand picked and destroyed. www.efreshindia.com
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Red Gram (Cajanus Cajan) Seed Production
If it is not possible to control the pest, take up chemical sprayings as detailed below: Spray @ 2.0 ml quinalphos 25 EC or 1 g Acephate/litre water. 200 litre spray fluid/Ac is required. Total 2-3 sprays during flowering and pod formation stages, at 10 day interval are required. Change chemical each time. For immediate control spray @ 1 ml indoxacarb or 0.3 ml spinosad 45 sc/litre water. 200 litre spray fluid/Ac is required.
Maruca: This pest attacks at bud formation, flowering and pod formation stages. For control, spray @ per litre water. Spray at an interval of 1 week. Every time change chemical shown on left side of the table. 200 litre spray fluid/Ac is required. 2.5 ml chlorpyriphos or
+ 1 ml dichlorvos
0.75 ml novoluron or 0.75 ml spinosad or 1 ml lambda cyhalothrin
Wild Boars: Controlling them by erecting solar fence around the plot is effective. Seed production plots must be well protected as the value of produce is more. Commitments will also be there to produce seed compulsorily.
Diseases: Fusarium wilt is an important disease that can also be a serious problem in some places. Seed treatment with 8 g Trichoderma viridae/kg seed is essential for prevention of wilt.
Sterility Mosaic: This virus disease spreads through eriophid mite. Preventing spread of this disease through control of eriophid mite is essential. Two chemical fungicidal sprays with 3 g wettable sulphur or 4 ml kelthane/litre of water alternatively at an interval of one week can be done for control of mites.
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Red Gram (Cajanus Cajan) Seed Production
Macrophomina wilt: Drying of total plant or few branches will be observed. Take up seed production of only tolerant varieties like Surya (MRG 1004) and MRG 66. It is better to avoid seed production of susceptible varieties in endemic plots for such diseases. In seed production effective and quick control of pests and diseases is essential.
Roguing: Rogue off types and diseased plants affected by Fusarium and Macrophomina wilt, sterility mosaic virus in seed field from time to time. Minimum number of 2 field inspections will be done by certification agency during flowering to harvest.
Red gram crop at flowering stage
Red gram flower
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Red Gram (Cajanus Cajan) Seed Production
Different varieties of Red gram at pod stage
Harvesting, threshing & cleaning:
Crop is to be harvested 40 days after 50% flowering in order to obtain seed possessing high germination, vigour and storability i.e. when most leaves are shed and 80% pods turned brown. www.efreshindia.com
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Red Gram (Cajanus Cajan) Seed Production
Harvested crop is left in the field to dry for about a week so that drying of pods to about 12 to 13% moisture content takes place. Later, threshing is to be done by threshers or manually. Then seed is cleaned and dried to 8-9% moisture. Use only highly germinable (90% and above) and normal coloured seed retained in wire mesh sieve, BSS 5 x 5 (aperture width 3.35 mm) for large seeded varieties and BSS 6 x 6 (2.8 mm) for small seeded varieties for storing. Reject those seed that pass through the sieve as well as discoloured and broken seed.
Yield: Yield varies from 8-10 q/Ac.
Storing: Graded seed should be further dried to 7 to 8% moisture. For storing seed in dry places up to six months, they should be packed in fresh thick cloth or gunny bags. For storing in humid areas and for long term (1-2 years) storage; they should be packed in moisture-vapour-proof container like polythene bags of 700 gauge. These bags should be filled with seed leaving only sufficient space to close their opening by perfectly heat-sealing to make it air tight. They should be stitched and closed. These bags may in turn be covered by gunny bags and closed before stocking to prevent slipping. Store seed bags on racks or wooden pallets in a dry storage room. Another method treating seed with halogen mixture (containing pure CaOC1, CaCO3 and arappu leaf powder in 5:5:1 ratio @ 3g/kg) and store in 700 gauge poly bags to maintain high germination for more than 10 months. Care must be taken to prevent mechanical admixture during sowing, harvesting, threshing, winnowing, drying, bagging, storing etc. End of Chapter 1.0
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Red Gram (Cajanus Cajan) Seed Production
2.0 While purchasing seed from Co-Farmers one has to observe:
Whether the seed crop is thoroughly rouged or not. What is the yielding capacity of the variety? Whether the variety is free from pests and diseases etc. If the farmer is fully satisfied then only that seed has to be procured. End of Chapter 2.0
3.0 Precaution to be taken while purchasing seed from the market: Purchase seed from reliable source only Purchase from authorized /licensed dealer. Take receipt. Check MRP (Maximum Retail Price) before purchase. It should not exceed. Check whether the seal of bag or container is intact or not If seal is broken don’t purchase, select another good one. Check germination percentage before sowing at the house/farm. It can be easily done. Count 100 seeds. Sow these seeds @ 10/line in 10 lines. Give light watering regularly every day till germination takes place in about a week’s time. Observe number of seedlings germinated , so that the germination percentage is known in advance of sowing If the germination percentage is less than 80% the extra seed has to be sown to compensate loss in germination percentage Preserve the bill, bag and Tag till the end of the season i.e., harvest of the crop. If there is poor germination it has to be reported to the local agriculture officer concerned in writing. The Director of Research of Agricultural University will nominate a scientist to visit the field along with Agricultural Departmental Officials, to check seed plots and ascertain whether there are defects in seed or not. If the seed is defective farmer has to file a case against the seed company in the consumer forum to get compensation. If defects are noticed in the middle of the season like no flowering in the crop; admixtures in the variety; even then farmer has to report to the local agricultural officer in writing about the defects in the variety supplied. He has to produce proof of purchase namely bill, bag or container. The
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Red Gram (Cajanus Cajan) Seed Production
team will give a report. Based on the report if the defect in the variety is confirmed farmer can go to consumer forum to get compensation. Where ever farmers produce seed on large scale it has to be sold to others. Production of red gram seed by farmers is mainly of two types: Seed production with out certification (for self consumption and local selling) and with certification (for selling in far away places to production centres i.e. for growing over a wide area. Uncertified seed is mainly meant for growing in nearby or local area. It may be in the same village or surrounding villages, or where popularity exists for such uncertified seed based on faith. End of Chapter 3.0
4.0 Uncertified seed: Uncertified seed is mainly meant for growing in nearby or local area. It may be in the same village or surrounding villages, or where popularity exists for such uncertified seed based on faith. Procurement of seed required for seed production can be from farmers own seed or procured from public or private organisations. Identify vigorously growing healthy plants, free from insect pests and diseases. Harvest seed from them and use for producing seed. Following Isolation requirement, periodical rouging before/during flowering and during pod development helps in improving quality and also market value of seed produced from it compared to not following all these practices. All cultivation practices are similar to certified seed. But there is neither registration with certifying agency nor buy back agreement with any private organisation. Seed produced in this manner will be sold to persons having faith on the producer. To such seed producers it is advised to procure foundation seed from organisations like Agricultural University/ICAR research stations for producing certified seed. Clean cultivation along with timely rouging and harvesting is to be done. Threshing and cleaning can be taken up by individually. Processing packing marketing etc can be done individually or through farmer’s societies. Registration with seed cortication agency of the state concerned like Andhra Pradesh State Seed Certification Agency (APSSCA) for AP can be done individually or as a group in a contiguous area. Thus farmers can get 20-50% more income in seed production compared to commercial cultivation of red gram.
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Red Gram (Cajanus Cajan) Seed Production
Certified seed is mainly meant for growing over a wide area even throughout globe. Certified seed production details are given here. End of Chapter 4.0
.
5.0
Do’s: 1.
Red gram cultivation should be done only in well drained black cotton soils or red sandy loam soils. Take up deep summer ploughing up to 8 inches depth. It destroys and reduces gram caterpillar (Red gram pod borer Helicoverpa armigera) pupae hibernating in soil.
2. Use quality higher grade seed to produce quality lower grade seed. 3. Use optimum seed rate and sow in time. 4. Follow effective control measures in pest and disease control. 5. Avoid moisture stress before flowering and seed development stage. 6. Take up soil and moisture conservation measures for rain fed crop. 7. Foliar spray @ 10-15 g urea/litre water at the initial reproductive stage is beneficial for increasing yield in rain fed drought condition.
Don’ts: 1. Don’t take up red gram (RG) seed production in saline soils as they are not suitable for its cultivation. 2. Don’t cultivate RG crop in soils with poor drainage. 3. Don’t sow RG crop after 15th Aug in any case. Avoid late sowing. 4. Don’t mix bio agents like Trichoderma viridae or Rhizobium with chemical pesticides 5. Don’t take up topping.
End of Chapter 5.0
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Red Gram (Cajanus Cajan) Seed Production
6.0 Seed certification procedures are given in annexure ANNXURE
Seed Certification Procedures Phases of Seed Certification Certification shall be completed in six broad phases listed under • Receipt and scrutiny of application. • Verification of seed source, class and other requirements of the seed used for raising the seed crop. • Field inspections to verify conformity of the standing crop to the prescribed field standards. Supervision at post harvest stages including processing and packing. • Supervision of post-harvest stages including processing and packaging; • Seed sampling and analysis, including genetic purity test and / or seed health test, if any, in order to verify conformity to the prescribed standards and • Grant of certificate and certification tags, bagging and sealing.
Seed Certification Procedures All the seed material to be used for seed production programme is subject to verification by the Agency. The seed producer should submit to the Agency relevant evidence such as certification tags, seals, labels, seed containers, purchase records, sales records etc, as may be demanded by the Agency during scrutiny of the application and/or during the first inspection of the seed crop in order to confirm that the seed used for raising the crop has been obtained from a source approved by the Agency and conforms to the class of seed required for seed production. A sourceverification register containing relevant information as prescribed should be maintained by the seed producer for verification by Agency staff. After source verification application for certification should be submitted in the prescribed FORM-1 in triplicate to the concerned Assistant Director of Seed Certification. FORM-1 is available with the divisional and zonal offices of the Agency._ FORM-1 should be submitted within 30 days from the date of sowing or 15 days from the date of transplanting as the case may be.
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Red Gram (Cajanus Cajan) Seed Production
The relevant seed certification charges such as Registration fee, inspection fee grow out test charges (wherever necessary), seed testing charges, etc. should be remitted along with FORM-1, Separate FORM-1 should be submitted for certification of each variety. The FORM-1 should contain complete details of the name and address of the seed producer; season of production; name and address of the grower; location of the seed plot; crop/ variety and class of seed to be produced; area under seed production; details of parental seed materials used with lot number; date of sowing and the particulars of seed certification charges remitted. • In a single application, the maximum area that can be offered for certification is 25 acres. Additional area will require separate application. • No refund of inspection and registration fee will be made once the seed plot has been visited / inspected by the Seed Certification Officer. • The seed producer should assist the Agency staff in locating the seed plots during the first inspection. • Seed producers should guide their growers in agronomic practices, pest/disease control etc., for seed production. • Only seed from plots meeting all the prescribed field standards for certification is accepted for processing at the recognised seed processing plants. • All the necessary care should be taken to avoid admixture during harvesting, threshing and transportation. • Harvested seed produce from the approved fields should be brought to the seed processing unit and seeds are certified within 2 ½ months from the date of harvest. • Certification of a seed lot will be taken up only if the seed lots have met the prescribed field and seed standards.
FIELD INSPECTION: Inspection of the standing crop is an essential step in verifying conformity of seed crop to prescribed minimum seed-certification standards. All the registered seed production fields will be inspected by qualified, trained and experienced officers of the Agency. Verification of all factors affecting seed quality in the field may not normally be possible in a single inspection as all the factors in the field may not be apparent or may not occur at the same time or all of them may not affect seed quality at the same stage of crop growth. Hence two or more inspections phased to cover all the important stages of crop growth are required for most crops. The number of inspections and the stages of crop growth at which they should be conducted vary
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Red Gram (Cajanus Cajan) Seed Production
from crop to crop depending on the crop duration, pollination behavior, susceptibility to contamination, disease-susceptible stages, nature of the contaminating factors, etc. Accordingly field inspection of seed certification plots is conducted at vegetative or pre-flowering stage; flowering stage, post-flowering and pre-harvest stage. Field Inspections at vegetative or pre flowering stages are done to confirm the actual acreage planted and compare it with the acreage allotted or for which the application was submitted and to record the excess area if any and to confirm actual date of sowing/planting verify, for seed crops involving two different parents, whether the grower has followed the recommended planting ratios and border rows and has marked" the end of each male row: verify the presence of any contaminant within the prescribed isolation distance, guide the grower in solving the isolation if any and advise the grower to remove the same before flowering. * advise the removal of all off types on the basis of vegetative characters. * detect occurrence of any contamination within the isolation distance and to determine the area to be rejected due to inadequate isolation. * guide the grower in solving nicking problems wherever applicable. * verify morphological characters of the crop. * Inspection at post-flowering and pre harvest stages is done to confirm that the observations on planting ratios, planting of border rows, off types, de tasseling of maize crosses, removal of pollen shedders in bajra, sorghum, sunflower etc. during previous inspections are reasonably accurate and the defects in these factors had not escaped attention in earlier inspections. * Confirm that the grower had done through roguing after the inspection at flowering. verify the removal of contaminating factors, objectionable weed plants and diseased plants/heads. * educate the grower about harvesting technology, give guidance regarding the care to be taken during harvesting, threshing and transportation, and assess the expected yield (approximate) from the seed crop.
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Red Gram (Cajanus Cajan) Seed Production
PRESCRIBED FIELD STANDARDS FOR RED GRAM UNDER CERTIFICATION: Maximum permissible level off types in Foundation seed 0.10 % Certified seed 0.20 %
FIELD COUNTS: For all crops five counts are taken for an area up to 5 acres, and an additional count taken for each additional five acres as given below.
Area of the field crop, Acres 0-5 5-10 10-15 15-20 20-25
No. of counts to be taken 5 6 7 8 9
In any inspection if the first set of counts shows that the seed crop does not confirm to the prescribed standards for any factor, 'a second set of counts should be taken for that factor. However, when the first set of counts shows a factor is more than twice the maximum permitted it is not necessary to take a second set of counts. Two sets of counts are called double counts. Some cops tiller others do not, some are planted narrow. Others wide, thus the number of plants/heads comprising a single count differs from crop to crop. No. of plants/head per count in red gram is 100. Seed crops meeting the prescribed field standards for certification will be harvested, threshed and transported to seed processing plants authorised by STATE SEED CERTIFICATION AGENCY along with Final Filed Inspection Report issued by the concerned Seed Certification Officer.
REJECTION OF SEED PLOTS: The agency has the authority to reject seed plots offered for certification on the following grounds. The isolation distance is inadequate. The seed crop does not conform to the prescribed field standards for any factor or contaminant. One-third or more of a self-pollinated crop is so heavily lodged as to render it impossible to take the field counts. One-third or more is lodged just prior to or during flowering so that inspection during flowering is difficult / not possible. The application in www.efreshindia.com
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Form-1 has been submitted late viz., when the crop has crossed the flowering stage by the time of the first inspection.
RE-INSPECTION: In case of seed fields rejected due to nonconformity to the prescribed field standards at a certain inspection, the Agency shall, at the producer's request and after removal of source of contamination or contaminant plants in the seed field by the grower, undertake one re-inspection over and above the number of inspections prescribed for the crop provided the removal of the source of contamination can ensure conformity of the seed crop to the standards prescribed and provided further that no irreversible damage has been caused to the quality of the seed by the contaminant(s)
HARVESTING, THRESHING AND TRANSPORTATION: A seed crop meeting the field standards for certification shall be properly harvested, threshed, dried and transported to the registered seed processing unit and certified within 2+ months from the date of harvest. During these operations seed producers/growers should take all necessary precautions to safeguard seed quality by preventing seed admixture and other causes of contamination at any stage not supervised by the Agency.
SPOT SORTING, SHELLING AND CERTIFICATION OF SEED PRODUCE: For crops like maize, potato and groundnut, on the request of the seed producer, permission shall be granted to take up certification work at the field level, provided the seed processing unit is located far away from the seed field, transportation of the bulk seed produce may not be economical and there is lack of adequate 'storage space at the seed processing unit or any other' reasons to the satisfaction of the divisional head of seed certification. Work in .respect of the above crops shall be taken up in presence of the representative of the Seed Certification Agency and upon remitting the prescribed fees. End of Chapter 6.0
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