Chapter 1.

Introduction

Seed science and production technology (Plag606) and

Vegetable Seed Production Technology (Hort628)

Semagn Asredie (sekol2009@gmail.com)

 What is seed?
• In broad sense -Seed is a material which is used for planting or
regeneration purpose.
• Scientifically - Seed is a fertilized matured ovule covered with seed coat.
• Technological point of view -Seed is a fertilized ripened ovule consisting of
three main parts namely seed coat, endosperm and embryo, which gives
rise to a new plant.
• It also refers to - Propagating materials of healthy seedlings, tuber, bulbs,
rhizome, roots, cuttings, setts, all types of grafts and vegetatively
propagating materials used for production purpose.
 Importance of Seed in Crop Production
• Seed is crucial and basic input to increase crop yields per unit area.

• History of agriculture progress from early days is also the history of seed of new crops and
varieties.

• The green revolution was only possible with production of generally pure seeds possessing other
qualities namely high generation, high vigours, high physical purity, and sound health.

• Hence green revolution is in fact seed revolution.

• Only seeds of assured quality can be expected to respond to fertilizer and other inputs in
expected manner, otherwise seed of hope may turn into seed of frustration.

• The good seed also increase the efficiency of the factor of crop production.
The difference between seeds and grains
No. Seed
1 Any plant part used for propagation
is seed. It includes seeds category,
rhizome , grafts etc.
2 Can be treated with fungicide,
pesticide
3 Embryo is important
4 Viability is important
5 Genetic purity must
6 Comes under preview of seed acts
Grain
It is final produce of grain crops
used for consumption
Not treated with fungicide and
Pesticide
Endosperm is important
Viability never considered
Genetic purity not necessary
Comes under preview of food acts
 Seed structure
• Seeds are grouped under dicots or monocots.

• They refer to the number of seed leaves, or cotyledons,

present in the seed.

• Dicot seeds

• These seeds usually have two cotyledons that are

attached to and enclose the embryonic plant.

• The cotyledons occupy the greatest part of the dicot

seed and have absorbed the nutrients from the
endosperm.

• Thus, the endosperm in many dicot seeds either is

lacking entirely or is very much reduced.
 Seed structure..
• Monocot seeds

• They have a single thin cotyledon that

functions to transfer food from the
endosperm to the embryo.

• In several monocot families, large amounts of

endosperm are apparent.

• Because of these stored nutrient reserves

(either in the cotyledons or the endosperm),
many seeds, like many fruits, are valuable
foods for humans and other animals.
 General operation steps of the seed industry
1. Seed development. This is the plant breeding stage where improved seed is developed. It is very
capital intensive and occurs in both the private and public sectors.
2. Seed production. Once a cultivar with potential has been developed, certain steps are followed to
increase the seed to make it available to farmers.
3. Seed conditioning. Seed conditioning is the process of readying the seed for market, whereby the
certified seed is properly dried, cleaned, sorted, treated (where applicable), and packaged for sale.
Tests for quality standards are conducted.
4. Seed marketing and distribution. Seeds are marketed at different levels, including direct
marketing by the seed companies, or through licensed distributors. Local distribution may involve
farmer dealers, farmers’ associations, sales persons of the seed companies, private wholesalers,
and retailers.
 Seed development

• Seed development represents a critical stage in the plant life

cycle and is of prime economic and agronomic importance,
affecting both crop yield and nutritional quality.

• It is a complex process that involves the interplay of a network

of many developmental processes and metabolic pathways
together with their interactions with the environment
 Structure of the flower
• Genetic manipulation of flowering plants by conventional tools is accomplished using
the technique of crossing, which involves flowers.

• To be successful, the plant breeder should be familiar with the flower structure,
regarding the parts and their arrangement.

• The function of a flower is to produce the reproductive cells of the plant (eggs and
pollen) and then produce seeds, the dormant young plant of the next generation.

• Flower structure affects the way flowers are emasculated (prepared for crossing by
removing the male parts to make the flower female).

• The size of the flower affects the kinds of tools and techniques that can be used for
crossing.
 Fruit types
• The seeds of flowering plants are surrounded by a tissue called the fruit

• Fruits function in protecting the seeds inside

• Protection may be afforded by hardening of the fruit to make accessing the seeds more difficult, or by
accumulation of acids or other toxins.

• Fruits aid in seed dispersal

• Fleshy colored fruit attract birds and animals; seeds pass through the gut unharmed.

• Many fruits promote wind dispersal.

• Some types of seeds cannot germinate unless they have first passed through the digestive tract of an animal.

• Other fruits have hooks, spines, and bristles that readily cling to fur and clothing.

• Fruits are widely utilized as significant food sources.

 Fruit types
• The fruit wall that develops from the ovary wall is known as the pericarp and
• Composed of three layers: the outer exocarp, the middle mesocarp, and the inner endocarp

• The fruit may be fleshy or dry.

• Some fruits may be dry when mature, although we may be more familiar with an
immature pericarp (such as bean pods), which we eat before ripening.

• The pericarp of some foods may be removed before marketing (such as for
walnuts and coconuts).
 Fleshy fruits…
• A berry has a thin exocarp, a soft fleshy mesocarp, and an endocarp enclosing one to many seeds.
Tomatoes, grapes, and blueberries are familiar berries.

• A hesperidium is a berry with a tough leathery rind such as oranges, lemons, and other citrus fruits.

• A drupe has a thin exocarp, a fleshy mesocarp, and a hard stony endocarp that encases the seed;
cherries, peaches, and plums are examples.

• Apples and pears are pomes; most of the fleshy part of pomes develops the outer tissue arises from
the receptacle and is usually discernible from the inner tissue of the pericarp.

• A pepo is a specialized berry with a tough outer rind (consisting of both receptacle tissue and
exocarp); the mesocarp and endocarp are fleshy. All members of the squash family, including
pumpkins, melons, and cucumbers, form pepos.
 Dry fruits
• The pericarp of dry fruits may be tough and woody or thin and papery;

• Dry fruits fall into two categories, dehiscent and indehiscent.

• Dry dehiscent fruits

• They split open at maturity and so release their seeds.
• These fruits usually contain more than one seed and often many seeds.
• When the fruit wall opens, the seeds can be dispersed individually rather than in
masse.
• Wind often aids the dispersal of seeds from dehiscent fruits.
• Three common types of dehiscent fruit— follicles, legumes, and capsules—are
characterized by the way in which they open.
 Dry dehiscent fruits

• Follicles, as found in magnolia and

milkweed, split open along one seam

• Legumes such as bean pods and pea pods

split along two seams.

• The most common dehiscent fruit is a

capsule that may open along many pores
or slits; cotton and poppy are
representative capsules.
 Dry indehiscent fruits
• Dry indehiscent fruits do not split open. Instead, they use other means of dispersing the seeds.

• Grains, and nuts are examples of indehiscent fruits.

• Carried by the wind, the winged fruits of maple, elm, and ash trees.

• The fruits of all our cereal grasses are grains, single-seeded fruits in which the pericarp is fused to
the seed coat.

• Also called a caryopsis, this type of fruit is found in wheat, rice, corn, and barley.

• Botanically, nuts are one-seeded fruits with hard stony pericarps such as hazelnuts, chestnuts,
and acorns.
Figure 4 Different types of dry indehiscent fruits (left) and hazelnut (right)
 Aggregate and Multiple Fruits

• Aggregate fruits develop from a single flower with many separate carpels,
all of which ripen at the same time as in raspberries and blackberries.

• Strawberries, another aggregate fruit, also contain accessory tissue.

• Multiple fruits result from the fusion of ovaries from many separate flowers
on an inflorescence. Figs and pineapples are examples of multiple fruits.