Foundation and Certified Seed Production in Tomato (Varieties, Hybrids)

Foundation and Certified Seed Production in Tomato (Varieties, Hybrids)

Notified Varieties of Tomato:

1) Pusa Rabi
2) Dhanshri
3) Bhagyshri

i) Land Requirement:

The land selected for tomato seed production should be fertile, well drained and having good texture. It should be free from volunteer plants. The PH of soil should be between 6 to 7.

ii) Sowing:

The breeder / foundation seed should be obtained from approved source by seed certification agency. Seeds should be sown on raised beds in nursery in rows 3 to 4 cms apart. The size of raised bed should be 2 to 3 meter long. 1 to 1.25 meter wide with 15 to 20 cms height. The tomato, seedlings raised on such 25 beds will be sufficient for an area of one hectare.

iii) Seed Rate:

500 gm/ha.

iv) Transplanting:

The seedlings with 7.5 to 10.0 cms height are selected and transplanted in the field preferably during evening and given irrigation immediately.

v) Spacing:

1) Winter crop 75 X 60 cm 2) Spring, summer crop 75X 40 cm.

vi) Roguing:

Plants with off types foliage should be removed before they start flowering in order to reduce the possibility of cross pollination, similarly, diseased plants affected by early blight, leaf spot and mosaic should be removed as and when noticed.

Vii) Harvesting and Extraction of Seed:

The ripe fruits of proper size are harvested/ picked. The seeds can be separated from pulp by following methods.

i) Juice and seed extraction.
ii) Ordinary seed extraction.
iii) Separation by fermentation.

Viii) Washing:

After extraction, seeds are washed with water to remove the pulp etc. until they are clean.

ix) Drying:

After washing seeds are dried immediately. Seeds may be spread on screen bottom trays or cloth and placed in open where maximum exposure to sun and dry air is attained. The moisture level should be 8 % before storing.

x) Seed Yield:

The average yield is about 100 to 120 kg/ha.
Hybrid seed production. There are number of hybrid combination which give good yields. For hybrid seed production hand pollination carried out with or without emasculation. Where emasculation is used bunds are first emasculated and then enclosed in butter paper bags, fastened with pins or threads the day before flowering. Flowers are hand-pollinated with camel hair brush, then flowers are rebagged, four or five days later, the bags are removed where fertilizable is assured. The time taken for hand pollinating each flower is about fifty to sixty seconds.

In hybrid seed production of tomato foundation class seed shall consist of an approved male sterile line to be used as female parent and an approved parental line to be used as a male parent for the purpose of producing hybrid seed. Certified class seed shall be the hybrid seed to be planted for any use except seed product.