Seed breeding is a branch of agriculture engaged in the preparation of selected, certified, region-specific crop seeds meeting certain standards to ensure varietal turnover. It supplies raw materials for private and industrial crop production. The importance of this area cannot be overestimated because yield, taste, storage potential and other crop properties directly depend on the quality of its products. Selected seed production allows farmers and major farms to make their fields produce crops even under unfavorable conditions. At the same time, the constant use of high-quality region-specific crop seeds from a reliable manufacturer strengthens grading factors and increases seed reliability.
Contents:
- History of development
- Basic principles
- Seed breeding products
- Current requirements for seed enterprises
- Varietal turnover and variety update
- Possible factors of variety deterioration
- Prerequisites for the development of commercial seed breeding
- Benefits of switching to seed grains from specialized manufacturers
- Industry-specific issues
History of Development
Less than a century has passed since the establishment of the Russian seed breeding system. The Decree of the Council of People's Commissars of 1921 set the goals of mass reproduction of authentic crop seeds, development of selection, and the organization of parent seeds nurseries. In the 1930s, a network of experimental stations was set up, the State Certified Seed Fund was established, and GOSTs for grain crops were approved. In the end of the 1940s, a strict seed breeding system was established and then functioned successfully in the USSR. The only thing that changed was allocation of superquality stock seeds, elite seeds and primary seeds growing function among the elite farms, research stations, experimental stations and other entities.
In 1991, with the collapse of the USSR, the industry went into crisis due to a lack of funding and control. Domestic crop seeds were replaced by seeds of foreign selection and became uncompetitive. In 1997, the country started a campaign to restore the system of domestic seed breeding. By 2025, the level of import dependence is expected to decrease with the share of local original and elite seeds making at least 30%.
Basic Principles
The industry involves seed production by specialized enterprises based on modern plants using new technologies and professional equipment. Unlike the cultivation of marketable grain or fruits, seed breeding closely works with breeding processes and variety testing, and bases on the high farming standards.
Enterprises produce elite and superquality stock seeds, consistently reproducing the original seed grains. Mature cultivation system helps to maintain varietal purity, sowing qualities and productiveness. The main subjects of the industry are the breeders and licensed elite seed farms led by them. The batches to be sold must have certificates of conformity, while enterprises are required to go through an approbation procedure.
A developed system of seed production provides agricultural enterprises with high-quality seed grains in sufficient quantities. It also enables rapid varietal turnover. Yield enhances under the condition of strict governmental or external control of seed quality and purity.
Seed Breeding Products
Such production yields seeds of cereals and legumes, tubers, vegetables and cucurbits, fodder crops, as well as trees and shrubs. Depending on their purity, varieties are divided into the following groups.
Original, or elite (OS) – first-degree seeds, fully meeting the GOST standards. They are characterized by varietal purity, good sowing qualities and resistance to abiotic stressors, to diseases and to pests. Elite stock is homogeneous, has heavy thousand seed weight and good yield. The production is led by breeders, research institutes of agriculture and licensed organizations.
Reproduction is the afterculture of the elite. During the initial sowing, the first reproduction is obtained, the reseeding results in the second reproduction, and so on. Each subsequent indicator degrades varietal characteristics due to different seed quality.
The seed grain quality is determined on the basis of varietal characteristics, purity, sowing performance, germinating power, absence of diseases, weight, and other criteria. In quantitative terms, the following values correspond to the categories: category I – variety purity of 99.5%, category II – not less than 98%, category III – 95% and more.
Current Requirements for Seed-Breeding Enterprises
To develop the seed breeding system and, as a result, increase crop yields by 15–20% and enhance economic efficiency, seed farms must fulfill the following conditions:
- Use high-quality certified grain seeds from approved originators.
- Consistently introduce hybrids and varieties with increased yields, replacing weaker ones with them.
- Sow lands with pure-grade material of the first germination class.
- Exercise strict control and discard of seeds affected by pathogens or pests.
- Apply scientific approach, modern breeding methods and variety testing when producing superquality and elite seeds.
- Use region-specific varieties that meet the climatic and soil conditions of a particular area.
Varietal Turnover and Variety Update
Implementation of these processes is a primary objective of seed production. Varietal turnover involves replacing current varieties with more productive ones. The ideal situation is a qualitative improvement in characteristics with the possibility of replacing the current variety during a period of pronounced deterioration in its qualities. However, the current development of breeding technologies is not enough to replace varieties every 5 years.
In this case, varieties are being updated. The process involves the replacement of lower-grade reproductions of current varieties with higher grades (not lower than the second reproduction). As a result, the purity of the original characteristics is maintained without compromising the yield.
Possible Factors of Variety Deterioration
- Simultaneous cultivation of several varieties of the same crop or related crops in adjacent areas can make variety less pure and even make it lose its original characteristics. Cross-pollination of different plants leads to the production of hybrid seeds with unpredictable characteristics. To avoid a possible problem, it is important to prevent the transfer of foreign pollen.
- Grain seeds of heterogenous quality (different maturity, size, weight) provokes serious problems. These include uneven germination, poor germinating power, heterogeneous growth or ripening of vegetable or grain crops, low yields, small fruits, insufficient sugar and nutrient content. Control of crop growth, timely removal of weak, late blooming, bad parts is the key to the production of elite seeds without low-quality inclusions.
- Harvesting seeds before full maturity also has negative consequences, e. g. poor germinating power, low yield, and low nutritional value of the fruit.
- Variety reproduction under the wrong conditions. These include unfavorable climate, foreign soil deficient in essential nutrients, non-compliance with the requirements of the crop rotation system, insufficient or excessive watering, etc. As a result, a plant produces weak seeds or adapts to new conditions with a partial loss of the original characteristics.
Growing high-quality seeds on your own farm can be difficult due to the lack of necessary conditions for different crops. In addition, seed breeding requires special skills and agricultural equipment helping to preserve varieties and achieve the necessary quality characteristics. Therefore, most plant-growing farms are advised to purchase selected seed grains from a trusted manufacturer.
Prerequisites for the Development of Commercial Seed Breeding
The cost-efficient development of seed production system at specialized enterprises is possible under the following conditions:
- high percentage of sowing for the seeds below the second reproduction causing the loss of the variety purity and reducing the reliability of demonstration of specified characteristics,
- less than 30% of enterprises use the classical system of sowing elite seeds,
- insufficient equipping of farms with drying and sorting equipment, as well as a shortage of qualified personnel to fix a know-how seed production process.
Small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises lacking professional agronomic personnel and equipment are interested in the products of seed breeders’ labor the most. However, large-scale farms focused on increasing crop yields and not interested in training or hiring their own breeding team are also active consumers of elite seeds.
Benefits of Switching to Seed Grains from Specialized Manufacturers
How does an agricultural enterprise benefit when using elite seeds and first reproductions?
- The average increase in yield is 15% or more (3-4 centners per hectare).
- Revenue grows due to an increase in the commercial quality of grain or fruit and vegetable crops and, accordingly, a proportional increase in the selling price.
- The enterprise receives targeted information support on the proper field preparation, sowing and plant care from the agricultural experts of a seed breeding company.
- No need to pay for seed storage and preparation: drying, sorting, keeping in optimal conditions until sowing.
- No need to buy and maintain expensive equipment that is not related to the core business of the company being intended solely for seed storage and preparation.
- Rational use of storage facilities – only to store marketable grain, without the need to allocate space for seed grains. As a result, it is more possible to sell products at the right time at the highest price.
- Access to standard seeds of region-specific varieties of not worse than the second reproduction without the risk of penalties for violating the originator's copyrights.
Industry-Specific Issues
Today, the state of the sphere is regulated by the 1997 Federal Law “On Seed Production”. The absence of relevant methods for monitoring the quality of seed stock, the lack of state support and other external factors hinder the healthy development of the sphere.
The abovementioned problems lead to insufficient elite seed production in Russia and, as a result, the need to purchase imported raw materials for crop production. However, the use of imported rather than region-specific varieties may pose risks of soil contamination and deterioration in the yield of local crops that are not resistant to alien pathogens.
The dependence of the domestic agro-industrial complex on imported seeds is mainly obvious in terms of corn, sunflower, sugar beet, and vegetable crops. The lack of official support does not allow state-owned enterprises to carry out a full-scale import substitution with region-specific varieties and supply the manufacturers’ need for a variety of reliable first-class seed stock.