BRINJAL (Solanum melongene L.) HYBRIDS
I. Application and Amplification of General Seed Certification Standards
A. The General Seed Certification Standards are basic and together with the following specific standards constitute the standards for certification of hybrid brinjal seed.
B. The General standards are amplified as follows to apply specifically to the hybrids of brinjal:
1. Eligibility requirements for certification
(a) A parental line to be eligible for certification shall be from a source such that its identity may be assured and approved by the Certification Agency.
(b) Hybrid seed to be eligible for certification shall be the progeny of two approved parental lines.
2. Classes and sources of seed
(a) A parental line shall be a relatively true breeding strain.
(b) The Certified class seed shall be the hybrid seed to be planted for any use except seed production.
II. Land requirements
Land to be used for seed production of hybrid brinjal shall be free of volunteer plants.
III. Field Inspection
A. Foundation seed
A minimum of four inspections shall be made as follows:
1. the first inspection shall be made before flowering in order to determine isolation, volunteer plants and other relevant factors;
2. the second inspections shall be made during flowering and fruiting stage to cheek isolation, offtypes, and other relevant factors;
3. the third inspection shall be made at mature fruit stage and prior to harvesting in order to determine the true characteristics of the fruits.
B. Certified seed
A minimum of four inspections shall be made as follows:
1. the first inspection shall be made before flowering in order to determine isolation, volunteer plants, out crosses demarcation between seed parent and pollinator blocks or planting ratio and errors in planting as the case may be, and other relevant factors;
2. the second and third inspections shall be made during flowering and fruiting stage to cheek isolation, offtypes, accuracy in emasculation or effectiveness of CHAs' (Chemical Hybridising Agents' or gametocide) if used for inducing male sterility, and other relevant factors;
3. the fourth inspection shall be made at mature fruit stage and prior to harvesting in order to determine the true characteristics of the fruits, and other relevant factors.
IV. Field Standards
A. General requirements
1. Isolation
Seed fields shall be isolated from the contaminants shown in the column 1 of the Table below by the distances specified in columns 2 and 3 of the said Table:
Contaminants Minimum distance (meters)
Foundation Certified
1 2 3
Fields of other varieties including commercial
hybrid of the same variety 200 200
Fields of the same hybrid (code designation) not conforming
to varietal purity requirements for certification 200 200
Between blocks of the parental lines incase seed parent
and pollinator are planted in separate blocks and hand
pollination is to be adopted - 5
B. Specific requirements
Factor Maximum permitted (%)*
Foundation Certified
Offtypes in seed parent 0.010 0.050
Offtypes in pollinator - 0.050
** Plants affected by seed borne disease 0.10 0.50
* Standards for offtypes shall be met at and after flowering and for seed borne disease at final inspection.
** Seed borne disease shall be: Phomopsis blight (Phomopsis vexans (Sacc.&Syd.) Harter).
V. Seed standards
Factor Standards for each class
Foundation Certified
Pure seed (minimum) 98.0% 98.0%
Inert matter (maximum) 2.0% 2.0%
Other crop seeds (maximum) None None
Weed seeds (maximum) None None
Germination (minimum) 70% 70%
Moisture (maximum) 8.0% 8.0%
For vapour-proof containers (maximum) 6.0% 6.0%
(a) All certified seed lots shall be subjected to grow-out test and shall conform to the following minimum genetic purity requirements.
Class Genetic purity (%)
(minimum) *
Certified 90.0
* During grow-out test, the offtypes plants (other than selfed plants) such as segregants, outcrosses and plants
of other varieties should not exceed more than 1.50% out of the 10.0%plants earmarked for selfed plants.
(b) The minimum population size of 400 plants shall be maintained in two replicates of 200 each or four 100 each throughout the test and each plant shall be examined individually. The reject number shall be as follows:
Factor Genetic purity (%) Reject number
minimum
Certified 90.0 (10 in 100) 44