Easy Steps to Produce Your Own Vegetable Seeds; A Information Guide for Beginners

Before you plan to start producing your vegetable seed, you need to think about major considerations.

Vegetable Seed Production

Seeds are the protectors and propagators of their kind. The seed may be defined as “a fertilized ovule consisting of an intact embryo, stored food, and a seed coat that is viable and can germinate.”

Characteristics of Good Seed

1) The recommended varieties from which seeds are to be extracted are grown at an isolation distance of 25 to 60 meters, depending upon the type of seed to be produced.
2) Fully ripe fruits are harvested from the selected varieties. The seed along with the pulp is left in a wooden container to ferment for two to three days before extraction.
3) The seed is then extracted by vigorous stirring and washing. The acid and alkali method is now used to avoid handling the fermented material.
4) The acid method is more common. 100 ml of commercial hydrochloric acid (HCl) is thoroughly mixed and stirred for every 11 kg of the pulp and left for about 30 minutes.
5) The pulp is then again stirred and the seed is washed.
6) The quantity of fruit required to produce 1 kg of tomato seed varies from 160 – 210 kg depending on the variety.
7) On average, 100-150 kg/ha of tomato seed can be obtained.

C) Steps Required for Chilli and Capsicum Seed Production. 

1) Chilies and capsicum are cross-pollinated to some extent. It is essential to keep an isolation distance of 200 meters between the two varieties. 

2) The fully ripe fruits are harvested and dried in the sun for 10 to 12 days, depending on the variety and intensity of the sun. It can also be dried in an oven at a temperature of 54 degrees Celsius for 2 to 3 days

3)The dried fruits are stored in an airtight container. The fruits are removed from them, broken, and then the seeds are extracted before sowing. 

4) On average, about 200-300 kg/ha of seeds in chili and about 100-150 kg/ha of seeds in capsicum can be obtained.

D) Steps Required for Okra Seed Production. 

1)The okra fruits are harvested when they become dry on the plant. 

2) Care should be taken to harvest the fruits before splitting starts at the ridges on the pods. If splitting takes place, the seeds become exposed, which affects their quality. 

3) The seeds are taken out from the pods by opening the dried pods. 

4) The seeds are dried to a specified moisture level, cleaned, treated, and stored. For one-year storage, 21oC temperature and 12% humidity should be maintained.

5) A hectare of okra crop gives about 1000–1200 kg of seeds/ha.

2. Seed production of root vegetables

A) Steps Required for Radish Seeds Production

1) Radish is a cross-pollinated crop, and honey bees are the major source of pollination. The seed is produced in situ or by the transplanting method.

2) The best roots that are true to the type are selected from the main crop in November and transplanted after cutting away about three-fourths of the lower portion. 

3)The top leaves are then trimmed without injuring the crown. These are planted in fertile soil in December at 90 cm row to row and 15-20 cm plant to plant. 

4) The field is then irrigated after planting and subsequent irrigations are given at an interval of 7 to 10 days, till the seeds are formed in the fruits. 

5) The seeds are ready in April. 

6) The crop is harvested before the pod gets dried completely and the plants are dried in the open. 

7) When they are completely dried, seeds are then separated from them, sieved, graded, and stored for the next sowing in the next session though plants in situ yield less than the transplanted ones, yet they flower early in the former case than in the later.

8) A hectare of radish seed crop yields 600-1000 kg of seed.

B) Steps Required for Turnip Seeds Production

1)The seed is sown from August to September for seed production. 

2)The fully developed roots are uprooted and retransplanted after removing the tops in autumn at a distance of 60 x 60 cm. 3)The land is irrigated at regular intervals.

4)The plants are harvested when 60 to 70 percent of them turn yellowish-brown in color. 

5)The plants are dried in sum and the seeds are then separated from them. The seeds are stored in an airtight container after drying them for four to five days in the sun.

6) About 500-600 kg seeds/ha can be obtained from a turnip. While about  400 -500 kg of seeds can be obtained from a one-hectare crop
Note; The seed production of carrots and beets is the same as that for radish.

3. Seed production of Bulb Crops;

A) Steps Required for Onion Seed Production

1) The onion is mainly a cross-pollinated crop.

2) The seed is produced by the bulb-to-seed method and the seed-to-seed method. 

3) Medium-sized bulbs are selected for planting for seed production.

4) The bulbs are planted by the first fortnight of October at a spacing of 45 x 30 cm. 

5) In the case of the seed-to-seed method. Seeds are sown in August in the nursery bed, and the seedlings are transplanted in September in the main field. 

6) During harvesting and curing of the seed fairly high temperatures and low humidity is desirable.

7) The seed head, in which seeds are just ready to shatter, is harvested and dried in the sun and then threshed by hand. 

sieved, graded, and stored for the next sowing in the next session.

8) The moisture  content should not be more than 6-8 %

9) Seed yield is 850 kg/ha.

4. Seed production of legume vegetables

1) Legumes are self-pollinated crop seeds.

2) Once collected from pure varieties, will breed true to type. For stock seed production, 

3)roughing is a compulsory operation. 

4)The fully ripe and dried fruits are harvested and dried in the sun for four to five days. 

5)Then the seeds are separated from the fruits and dried in the sun, and stored in an airtight container. 

6) On average, from a hectare of seed crop, about 1000–1500 kg of pea, 800–1000 kg of French bean, 600–800 kg cowpea, Dolichos bean, and 700 kg of cluster bean seeds can be obtained.

5. Seed production of cucurbits vegetables;

1)The cucurbits are a cross-pollinated crop. The fully ripe fruits are harvested and kept for some days.

2) In watermelon, pumpkin, etc., seeds are embedded in the pulp, and these different methods are applied for seed extraction. 

a) Mechanical methods: In this method, machines like Axial Flow Vegetable Seed Extractor are used to separate out the pulp from the seeds.

b) Chemical methods – In this method, commercial HCl is used to separate the pulp from seeds within 15-20 minutes.

Thereafter, the seeds are washed in water and dried to the prescribed moisture levels.

3)The seeds are collected from the fruits and -dried in the sun. Then the seeds are stored in an airtight container.

4) From a hectare of seed crop, 300-500 kg bottle gourd seeds, 100-300 kg bitter gourd seeds, 300-400 kg Luffa, pumpkin, cucumber, and round melon seeds, 200-300 kg muskmelon seeds, and 400-500 kg watermelon seeds can be obtained.

6. Seed production of Cole Crops Vegetables;

1) Cole crop vegetables produce seeds freely. The plants are allowed to grow freely for seed production.

2) The plants are harvested when the fruits are fully ripening and dried in the sun. 

3) The seeds are collected by hand threshing the plant with a hand.

4)The seeds are stored in an airtight container after drying in the sun for four to five days.

5) On average, seed yields of 300-400 kg/ha from cauliflower, 400-500 kg/ha from cabbage, and about 400 kg/ha of knol- khol can be obtained.

Explore Further:

Vegetable Planting Guide PDF