Seed multiplication ratio (SMR) revision and its significance in seed planning

Quality seed production system of India has got great opportunities and scope in future seed planning and forecasting from improved Seed Replacement Rate (SRR) and Seed Multiplication Rate (SMR). This is possible through use of improved varieties and hybrids with respect to yield, other genetic potential concerning to climate, soil and geographic adaptation and also in response to improved management using advanced technology adoption. Regarding farmers’ adoption of quality seed production and use of quality seed per se, major constraints are coming from lack of awareness on use of quality seed, supply shortage of quality seeds at right time. The report on state of agriculture (State of Indian agriculture-2012-13, DAC, GOI) stated that seed multiplication ratio from breeder seed to foundation seed and from foundation seed to certified seed needs to be addressed by all the seed producing agencies, both in public and private sectors. Comprehensive database on seed production and distribution in India by public and private sectors needs to be built for the benefit of all the stakeholders. In this regard this study analyses the SMR of various crops using data compiled from ICAR Seed project, which clearly depicts the improvement in productivity of various crops through advances in technology. The SMR data, which was already in use for various crops, was compared with the data obtained from varied centres of ICAR Seed Project. The comparison shows a need to revise the old / obsolete SMR, which is currently used for estimating demand and supply requirement of quality seed in the country and more importantly an essential cog in seed certification for seed yield realization from unit area.