An overview of national and international seed quality assurance systems and strategies for energizing seed production chain of field crops in India

Abstract

Quality seeds are inevitable to meet the challenges of ever increasing population and food security. Being the carrier of technology, seed over the period of time evolved as the trade commodity. India being the 5th largest player in global seed market and a wide range of crop seed being produced under varied agro-climatic condition, there is a scope for up-scaling revenues through seed export. Seed quality assurance in India comes under the jurisdiction of the Seeds Act 1966, wherein quality seed must satisfy the requirements of Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards (IMSCS), but under global scenario seed quality assurance system for seed export comes under the scope of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) standards and International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) methodology of seed testing. The present paper reviews the major discrepancies in standard operating procedures/methodologies of seed quality assurance system under IMSCS vis-Ã -vis ISTA international rules for seed testing and OECD seed scheme. Critical analysis of discrepancies suggests there is need to harmonize existing quality assurance system in India with OECD and ISTA standards for carving a special niche for Indian seed in international seed domain and to facilitate international seed trade. An attempt has also been made in the present paper to elucidate the issues prevalent in seed production with special emphasis on breeder seed production, regular erratic spans due to disruptive climate and strategies for energizing the quality seed production in field crops through production in off-season / alternate areas.