What is seed: Seed is the main ingredient of agriculture. Seed is the bearer and carrier of the plant world. Seeds play a major role in crop production. Usually farmers in our country use a relatively good portion of their crops as seeds for the next crop. But repeated cultivation from the same seed greatly reduces the yield of the crop. Therefore, seed replacement after 2-3 years is very important.
Definition of Seed: Seed means a lot. Any part, grain or organ of a crop that is capable of reproducing a similar crop can be called a seed. Seeds serve as a means of propagation of plants. Seeds can be defined according to their botanical characteristics and their varied uses in agriculture. First, according to botany, a mature egg is called a seed after the egg has been fertilized by the pollen of the flower. Such as: rice, wheat, papaya seeds. Second, according to agronomy, the part of a tree that is used for propagation is called a seed. Such as- potato tuber, sweet potato vine, banana sakar, kul bud, stone crushed leaves, branches of various flowering plants etc.
Seed Rules Based Class Sections: According to the Seed Rules 1998 (The Seed Rules, 1998) of Bangladesh, 4 (four) classes of seeds have been divided. These are: Breeder Seed: In the laboratory, under the special supervision of the Seed Breeder, the seed of the selected variety (Nucleus Seeds) is collected and propagated from the Germplasm Bank of the Research Center. These seeds are produced in very small quantities and are very time consuming. From these seeds the base seed can be produced.
Foundation Seed: The next stage of breeding seed is foundation seed which is produced under the direct supervision of seed technicians. In our country basically Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation produces base seeds in their designated farms through strict quality control management. However, over the last few years, some private seed companies and firms have been allowed to produce base seeds subject to government regulations. They are also collecting seeds from breeders from research centers and producing base seeds under the supervision of seed theorists. The base seed must be certified by the National Seed Approval Agency.
Certified Seed: Certified Seed is produced from the base seed. Certified seeds are produced on BADC's own farms and in contract grower zones. According to the National Seed Policy, certification of seeds by government seed approval body is not mandatory. However, the private sector seed traders can get the certificate by checking the seeds produced by the seed approval agency to control the quality of the seeds.
Truthfully Labeled Seed: Standard declared seed is produced from base seed or certified seed. The huge amount of seeds that BADC produces for marketing at the farmer level is in this category. Small and large private sector companies nowadays produce and market standardized seeds. Certification from the Seed Certification Agency is not mandatory for the production of these seeds. However, in order to ensure the quality of the seeds and to safeguard the interests of the farmers, the inspectors of the Seed Certification Agency can inspect the seeds at any stage of seed production, storage and marketing. There are provisions of fines and punishments as per the government law for violating the prescribed standards.
Characteristics of improved quality seeds: The most common slogan of our country's seed industry is 'good seeds, good harvest'. Good seed means good quality seed. Quality seeds can be of different classes such as basic seeds, base seeds, high quality seeds, hybrid seeds etc.
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