AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION

SEED SUPPLY

The value of pure seed of good quality is immeasurable but very often the farmer is either not careful enough in selecting his seed or fails to get the best variety of it. Use of improved seeds is one of the important and quick measures for increasing agricultural production. The quality of seeds counts considerably in stepping up yield. In respect of some crops, it has been found that the yield could be increased by about 8 to 20 per cent by the use of improved varieties of seeds. It is comparatively a recent innovation to step up production by using better seeds. The cultivators use the same type of seeds which they have been growing for decades. They generally reserve certain portion of their field produce and use that as seed. But as they are technically not considered cent per cent pure and are apt to be of poorer quality, they do not give as much yield as is expected from a better variety of seeds. The task of supplying the best variety of seed, therefore, falls, on the Government which by intensive research has to 'find it out in respect of yield per acre, quality, ability to resist disease, and suitability to local condition. During recent times several improved varieties of seeds have been obtained by the Department of ' Agriculture either by selection or by acclimatisation.

Evolution of improved strains of important crops is, therefore, of foremost significance. In view of this, the principal food crops have been considered for systematic multiplication under the technical supervision of the Agriculture Department. After evolving suitable varieties of principal food crops acceptable to consumers and cultivators production of " Breeder's Seed" is undertaken at Agricultural Research Stations. It is then multiplied on Taluka Seed Multiplication Farms and the resultant,, produce known as " Foundation Seed " is further multiplied so as to produce " Certified Seed" in " Seed Villages" or on the farms of Registered Seed Growers for eventual general distribution through the Zilla Parishads with the help of Apex Marketing Co-operative Federation. The effect of improved seeds of important foodgrain crops lasts for nearly five years. Hence the produce of improved seeds once distributed could be used for five years. The Agriculture Department had introduced the following improved varieties or strains of crops for the district as shown below: —

There are eight seed multiplication centres at Sakoli, Deori, Karanja, Amgaon, Dongargaon, Pahela, Salora and Navegaon in the district.

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