SEED PRODUCTION IN RICE

Isolation requirement: Paddy is mainly a self-pollinated crop, though some cross-

pollination does occur. The extent of natural cross-pollination varies from 0 to 6.8%.
For both foundation and certified seed production, the seed fields must be isolated
from other fields of paddy by at least 3 m.
Land requirement: Land used for seed production should not have been used for
growing the same crop in the previous season unless the variety grown was the same
and the field approved by the certification agency for varietal purity. If the same crop
was grown in the previous season, the field should be irrigated much ahead to allow
the dropped seeds from the previous crop to germinate and the seedlings should be
destroyed by ploughing. The selected plots should be levelled and the soil preferably
clay loam.
Paddy crop can be grown by direct sowing or by transplanting. For seed
production, it is desirable to grow paddy under transplanting system.
Nursery management
 Select land on which paddy nursery or paddy crop was not grown in the previous
season. This is necessary to avoid varietal admixtures due to volunteer plants in the
nursery itself.
 Sowing of late maturing varieties in the nursery should be done from 25 th May to
10th June and that of early duration varieties from 10th to 25th June.
 The soil should be well pulverised by repeated ploughings. Then the nursery plot is
flooded, puddled and left for two days to set a thin layer of water. Raised beds
measuring 6.0 x 1.50 m are prepared with 0.5 m wide channels all around to
facilitate drainage.
 About 50–60 beds of 6.0 x 1.5 m are sufficient for raising seedlings to transplant
one hectare.
 For every 100 m2 area of seedbed, 0.5–1.0 kg N, 0.5 kg P 2O5 and 0.5 kg K2O are
applied, followed by levelling of the seedbed.
 Breeder / foundation seed should be obtained from a source approved by the
certification agency to raise the nursery.
 Seed rate for coarse varieties is 30–35 kg/acre and for fine varieties is 25–30
kg/acre.
 Soil moisture in nursery is maintained at saturation level at the time of sowing and
up to one week after sowing. Then the water level is raised to 2–5 cm until
uprooting of the seedlings from the nursery. Excess water due to heavy rains, if any,
should be drained out.
 The nursery is kept weed-free by hand weeding after 15 days of seedling emergence
or by applying herbicide. If iron chlorosis is observed in the seedlings, 2% FeSO 4
solution can be sprayed. In zinc deficient areas, 20–25 kg/ha ZnSO 4 is applied or
0.2% ZnSO4 is sprayed. On the occurrence of pests and diseases, control measures
 are to be taken as per recommendation.
 The seedlings should be uprooted at the right age, which depends on the duration of
the variety. In general,
for very early varieties:20 days
for short duration varieties: 20–25 days
for medium duration varieties: 25–30 days
for long duration varieties: 30–35 days
Transplanting of seedlings
 The main field is flooded 1–2 days before ploughing and the water allowed to soak
in. The surface of the field is kept covered with water. Green manure is applied @
6.25 t/ha. The land is ploughed 2–3 times with sufficient water and the field
levelled.
 Fertiliser application should be based on soil test report. The recommended
fertiliser dose is 80:40:40 kg/ha. The whole of P2O5 and K2O and 25% N are
applied as basal dose just before final puddling. 50% N is applied at mid-tillering
stage and the remaining 25% N at PI stage.
 Transplanting is done with 2–3 seedlings per hill, 2–3 cm deep and in erect
position.
 Spacing for low tillering varieties: 10 x 10 cm
long duration varieties:20 x 20 cm or 30 x 20 cm
other varieties: 20 x 15 cm
Crop management
 A water level of 2.5–5 cm is maintained throughout the growing season. Irrigation
should be given whenever necessary. Field to field irrigation should be avoided.
Before top dressing with N-fertiliser the water is drained out and 24 hours later the
water is let into the field. Depending on soil type, water is drained out 15–20 days
after 50% flowering. This ensures fast ripening of the grains.
 Effective weed control is a must for good seed production. Two hand weedings at
20 and 40 DAT should be done. Alternatively, herbicides may be used to check
weeds.
 The crop should be protected from pest and diseases by proper monitoring and
management.
Important diseases: Blast, BLB, sheath blight, sheath rot, brown spot, kernel smut,
false smut, tungro virus.
Important pests: BPH, stem borer, gall midge, leaf folder.
 Roguing of off-types should be done prior to flowering, at flowering and at
maturity. Wild rice plants, plants infested by stem borers, and diseased plants are
rogued out, as and when observed.
Field inspections
Field inspections are done by seed certification inspectors from State Seed
Certification Agency (SSCA) to examine the seed crop in the field and to determine
its suitability for certification. In rice, a minimum of 2 field inspections, anytime from
flowering to maturity, is done for both foundation and certified class of seed.
Harvesting and threshing
 Harvesting and threshing of a seed crop should be done with considerable care in
order to prevent mechanical mixture from other crop seeds or weed seeds.
 After approval of the seed certification inspectors from the SSCA, the crop is
harvested at maturity. The seed moisture content varies between 17% and 23% at
maturity.
 After harvesting, seeds are commonly threshed on a clean threshing floor or
tarpaulin to keep the contamination by inert matter to a minimum. If thresher is
used, it should be completely free from any other variety seed. Cattle threshed
paddy should not be used for seed purpose.
 The seeds are winnowed after threshing to remove chaff, dust, empty husks and
light grains.
 The seed crop can also be harvested with a combine harvester.
 After winnowing, the seed must be dried to 10–12% moisture content for storage.
 Yield: 3–8 tonnes/ha depending on variety and management.
HYBRID SEED PRODUCTION IN RICE

Hybrid seed in rice can be commercially produced by various methods in

which a male sterile line (either genetically-controlled or environment-controlled or
induced) is taken as the seed parent and a genetically diverse line taken as the
pollinator parent. The male sterile line is grown side by side with the pollen parent in
an isolated plot to produce a bulk quantity of hybrid seed because of cross pollination
with the adjoining fertile pollen parent. The seed set on male sterile plants is the
hybrid seed that is used to grow the commercial hybrid crop.
1. Three-line system: Cytoplasmic-genetic male sterility system is used and it
involves three lines viz.,
 CMS or A line (msms)- Male sterile parent. So used as Female parent or Seed
parent
 Maintainer or B line (Msms)- Male fertile line. So used as Male parent or
Pollen parent. This is iso-genic line of A line but differ in male sterility. A line
is male sterile line but B line is male fertile line. As this line is male fertile line
so it is used to maintain the sterility of A line which is a male sterile line. So,
it is called as Maintainer line.
 Restorer or R line (MsMs)- Male Fertile line. So used as Male parent or Pollen
parent. As both the alleles having dominant gene, it restores the fertility of the
seed when crossed with female parent. So, it is called as restorer line.
The steps involved in the system are –
(i) Maintenance of CMS line (A x B),
(ii) Multiplication of B and R lines, and
(iii) Production of hybrid seeds (A x R).
The three-line system is commonly used for hybrid seed production in rice.
2. Two-line system:
A. By using EGMS (Environment sensitive Genetic Male Sterility): The
hybrid seed production involves the use of photoperiod-sensitive genetic male
sterile (PGMS) or Thermo-sensitive genetic male sterile (TGMS) lines. So, in
the bisexual flower, the male part converted to sterile one and that flower will
be considered as female parent and it will be crossed with the male one to
produce the hybrid seed using 2 lines only
B. By using chemical emasculators or Chemical Hybridising Agent (CHA):
Chemicals that can sterilise the stamen, with little or no effect on the normal
functioning of the pistil, can be used to emasculate female parents for hybrid
rice production. e.g. Maleic Hydrazide, Monosodium methane arsenate,
Sodium methyl arsenate, Zinc methyl arsenate, etc.
3. One-Line System:
Though One line system of hybrid seed production is not much widely used but we
 can produce the seed apomictically.

Hybrid Seed Production Technology (Three-Line System)

1. Selection of seed production field: Fertile soil, adequate irrigation water and
drainage, sufficient sunlight, management of insect and disease is required for high
seed yield. Preferably select a site where previous crop was not rice to avoid the
voluntary plants. Seed production plot must be well separated or isolated from other
rice fields to ensure genetic purity of the seed so that the seed parent (A line) is only
pollinated by the male parent chosen (R line).
2. Ideal season and weather condition: Rabi season is better for seed production
than kharif season. Daily mean temperature of 25-300C, relative humidity of 70-80%,
day/night temperature difference of 8-100C, clear sunny days and no rains during
flowering with wind velocity of 2-3 m/sec are ideal.
3. Isolation: The hybrid paddy fields should be isolated from the other paddy fields,
including commercial hybrid of same variety; and same hybrid not conforming to
varietal purity requirements for certification at least by 200 m for FS class (A, B and
R line production) and by 100 m for hybrid seed production (A x R multiplication).
4. Nursery raising: The nursery bed is prepared with basal manure. Seed at 20-25
kg/ha for the female parent and 10 kg/ha for the male parent is sown in the raised
nursery beds. It is more appropriate to raise seedlings in the nursery under plastic film
in the field or in green house.
5. Transplanting: Seedlings with healthy tillers are the basis for increased panicle
size. For hybrid seed production, the seedling age of both parents should be
standardised. Seedlings for short duration varieties should be 20-30 days old and for
long duration varieties 30-35 days old.
6. Planting ratio: The ratio of female and male lines is generally kept at 6:2 or 8:2.
7. Spacing: Usually the plant-plant spacing in both female and male lines is
maintained at 15 cm. The row-row spacing between two male lines is kept at 30 cm,
between two female lines 15 cm, and between the male line and female line 20 cm.
8. Row direction: Row direction should be nearly perpendicular to the prevailing
winds at flowering to ensure more cross-pollination. Usually the row direction is
maintained in North-South direction.
9. Fertilisation: Adequate fertilisation is necessary. In general, a seed field with
moderate fertility should be treated with 120:60:60 kg/ha N, P 2O5 and K2O. It has been
observed that application of higher quantity of organic manures makes the flag leaves
short and narrow, which helps in easy pollen movement.
10. Synchronisation of flowering: Synchronising the flowering of both parents is the
key to increased yields. Technical measures such as staggering seeding dates of the
male and female parents, sowing the male parents three times to extend the time of
pollen availability, and predicting and adjusting flowering dates may be adopted.
a) Adjusting of sowing time: Seeding dates of the parents are adjusted in the
 seedbed so that they flower at the same time in the field. This is called differential
seeding. The seeds of the female parent are sown once while seeds of male parent
are sown three times at 3 days interval in such a way that the 2 nd sowing of male
parent seeds coincide with the sowing of female parent seeds.
Case – 1: Female and male parents are of same duration
Sow one-third seeds of male parent on 1st day of the sowing schedule. Sow one-
third seeds of male parent and all the seeds of female parent on 4th day of the
sowing schedule. Sow the rest one-third seeds of the male parent on 7th day of the
sowing schedule.
Case – 2: Female is shorter in duration by 10 days than the male parent
Sow one-third seeds of male parent on 1 st day of the sowing schedule. Sow one-
third seeds of the male parent on 4th day of the sowing schedule. Sow rest one-third
seeds of the male parent on the 7 th day of the sowing schedule. Sow all the seeds of
the female parent on 14th day of the sowing schedule.
Case – 3: Female is longer in duration by 10 days than the male parent
Sow all the seeds of the female parent on the 1 st day of the sowing schedule. Sow
one-third seeds of male parent on 8th day of the sowing schedule. Sow one-third
seeds of male parent on 11th day of the sowing schedule. Sow rest one-third seeds
of male parent on 14th day of the sowing schedule.
b) Adjusting of flowering dates by fertiliser application: Beginning about 30 days
before heading, 3 or 4 random samples of the main culm of both parents are taken
every 3 days. Young panicle development is compared under magnification.
During the first three stages of panicle differentiation, treat the earlier developing
parent with quick releasing N fertiliser, and spray the later developing parent with
potassium dihydrogen phosphate. This adjusts development differences of 4-5
days.
c) Adjusting of flowering dates by water management: During later stages of
panicle differentiation, draining water from the field will delay male parent panicle
development, while higher standing water will hasten panicle development.
11. Methods of improving seed setting
a) Supplementary pollination (rope pulling): On calm days during anthesis,
supplementary pollination can be carried out. Panicles of the restorer lines are
shaken by pulling a long nylon rope (5mm diameter) back and forth every 30
minutes until no pollen remains on the restorer line. This method is often used on
even topography and regularly shaped plots. In hilly areas and uneven topography
with small, irregular plots, a bamboo pole may be used.
b) Leaf clipping: Leaves taller than the panicles are the main obstacles to cross-
pollination. Clipping leaves 1-2 days before initial heading increases the
probability of pollination and out-crossing rate. The blade of flag leaf is cut back
1/2 to 1/3 from the top.
c) GA3 spray: Gibberellic acid is sprayed for the following reasons –
 i) To adjust plant height of both parents.
ii) To increase the growth rate of secondary and tertiary tillers so that they can
bear panicles.
iii) To enhance panicle exertion from the flag leaf (in pollen parent).
iv) To increase the duration of the floret opening.
v) To increase the rate of stigma exertion and to lengthen the duration of stigma
receptivity.
Spraying seed parent with 75 g/ha GA3 @60 ppm concentration or more, 2
to 3 times increases panicle exsertion and helps in increased seed setting.
12. Roguing: The seed field should be free of rogues. Remove off-type plants in both
the parents first before the onset of flowering stage and then soon after emergence of
the panicle. Rogue out the plants of maintainer line, if any, and the semi-sterile plants
in the seed parent as often as necessary.
13. Harvesting of seed crop: Harvest male rows first to avoid chances of mechanical
admixture. Combines should not be used for harvesting.
14. Yield: 1.5 to 2.0 t/ha.
Field Standards:
Factor Maximum Permitted (%)
Foundation Certified
Off types 0.05 0.2
Objectionable weed plants (Wild Rice) (Oryza 0.01 0.02
sativa var. fatua)
Off-types in pollinator parent 0.05 0.2
Pollen shedding ear-heads in seed parent 0.05 0.1

Seed Standards:
Factor Foundation Certified
Pure Seed (Min.) 98% 98%
Inert matter (Max.) 2% 2%
Huskless seed (Max.) 2% 2%
Other Crop Seed (Max.) 10 nos./Kg 20 nos/Kg
Other Distinguishable varieties (Max.) 0.05% 0.02%
Total Weed Seeds (Max.) 10 nos./Kg 20 nos/Kg
Objectionable Weed Seeds (Max.) 2 nos./Kg 5 nos/Kg
(Wild Rice) (Oryza sativa var. fatua)
Seeds infected by paddy bunt (Neovossia horrida) 0.1% 0.5%
(Max.) (By number) (By number)
Germination (Min.) 80% 80%
Seed Moisture (Max.)
- Ordinary Container 13% 13%
- Vapour Proof Container 8% 8%