COMMUNITY SEED BANK
There are 600 farmers under project location who are exchanging their seeds through community seed banks. The farmers are quite happy to exchange the seeds as well as they are pleased to know that the pulse, millets and oil seeds are locally available. (data updated till December 2021)
Production of Good Quality Seed in CSB
The basic criteria of good quality seeds are- 1) They are genetically pure .2) Less infestation of land with weed seed/other crop seed.3) less disease and insect problem.3) Minimization of seed/seedling rate i.e, fast and uniform emergence of seedling. Considering these criteria farmers are selecting the healthiest plants in their field. The selected plants have to have good numbers of pods with good size. They are harvesting these plants quite lately to access matured seeds. Initially they are the plants with pods under sunlight and then farmers are drying the seeds under shadow and then grading it. They are storing top graded seeds for preservation in the clay or plastic pods. For better preservation they are frequently drying for 2/3 hours after every 20/25 days.
Steps towards effective seed storage (Field crops, cereals and pulses)
1. Ensure that the seeds are harvested at the right stage and initial sun drying completed to the desired level.
2. Seeds ideally should be cleaned and graded with inert matter taken out as much as possible from the seed lots.
How we can select the good quality of seed in CSB
We can select the good quality of seeds by ensuring the followings:
a) Higher genetically purity.
b) Higher physical purity for certification.
c) possession of good shape, size, colour etc. according to specifications of variety.
d) Higher physical soundness and weight
e) Higher germination (70 to 85% depending on the crop).
f) Higher physiological vigour and stamina etc.
Therefore, if the above characteristics are present in the seed, then farmers can easily select the good quality seed.
As discussed how farmers select the good seed like they use teeth and break the seed.
For checking the quality seeds, farmers used to break a few numbers of seeds from different location of storing bag by their teeth. If it is hard to crack/break and it makes cracking sound then farmers are realizing and considering as good quality seeds. If it is very easy to crack without any sounds then farmers considered them as bad and damped quality seeds. It is also discussed that if there is mixed quality of seeds then we need to put the seeds in the bucket of water. Then we will find there are bad qualities seeds will be floating and good quality will be deposited in the bottom of water bucked. The floating seeds will be removed from bucket and good quality seeds will by drying up in the shadow for storing.
Location of Community Seed Bank
Village-Badia; Post-Kenmankathi via Jasidih District-Deoghar, Jharkhand- 814142, India |
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Village-Basahara, Post Navadih, District-Jamui, Bihar-811303, India |
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Villlage - Mandalpara, Panchayat- Bhaisarjhar, Block-Kota, District-Bilaspur-495113, Chhattisgarh, India |
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Tarapur, District -Dhar- 454552, Madhya Pradesh, India |
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Village-Uttar Dhupjhora, Post -Batabari, P.S. -Matiali, District - Jalpaiguri-735206, West Bengal, India |
How farmers dry the seed and use specific traditional knowledge in this process
Traditionally farmers are preserving and ensuring good quality seeds in drying them in the morning sunlight (before11am) for two hours twice a month. After drying the seeds normally they are storing in jute bag if there is large quantity otherwise keeping it in plastic carry bags.
Multiplication of Seed during the project
Generally, multiplication and distribution of high quality seed of improved varieties is a crucial step in the agricultural production. The seed is the cheapest and basic input for sustained agricultural production. At the time of release of a seed variety, small quantity of seed normally known as nucleus seed is available with the plant breeder. Commercial quantity of seed is produced after a series of multiplication steps. The initial amount of pure seed which is limited in quantity is multiplied under following stages. These are-
2) Foundation seed
3) Registered seed
4) Certified seed
But in this project we are distributing the seeds to the interested farmers through seed bank located in the project area. The farmers are having seed saving account and passbook and CSB committee is maintain the registered book. The farmers is returning double than what they received from bank. In this process seed bank is trying to increase is capacity so that existing project farmers and new farmers can access seeds. Right now seed bank is having 600 account holders who are involved in pulse and oil seed cultivation for last 18 months.
:: UPDATES ::
Training Workshop on Quality and Quantity of Seed, West Bengal
