The seeds which are varietally pure with a high germination percentage,free from diseases and disease organisms ,proper moisture content,and weight are known as seed quality.and quality seeds aids in food security and food self-sufficiency as they can produce high yields and fulfill the necessary demand of the present populations.
The quality seeds have high germination capacity.and using quality seeds desire crop stand can be attained.using seed of low germination will reduce field establishment and thus the yield will be reduced.also, the genetic purity of the seeds governs the yield potential of the variety.the quality seeds are genetically pure and using that high yield can be obtained.Breeders seeds ,Nucleus seeds,Foundations seeds and certified seeds have high genetic purity.using those seed food security can be achieved.The moisture content of seed should not be too high or low.seeds with high moisture content will lose its germinations vigour and viability soon.Similarly,if seeds are too dry,it may shatter in the field and reduces the yield.Thus, to attain food self-sufficiency and security,Quality seeds must be used.
To address the issues of self-sufficiency and food security ,producing quality seed ia aneffective tool. If quality seeds are available to farmers,it is advantageous for them for many perspectives like having a uniform plant populations and higher yields.they are found to be profitable interms of monetary as farmers can get high rate of returns per units area ,as the genetic potentiality of the crop can be fully exploited with increased nutrient use efficiency.
By using quality seeds, the productions can be increased and fulfill the demand of the increasing populations.for food security, The food should be available at any time to all the people,for that quality seeds must be used as they can produce high yield and aids in getting high return per unit area to farmers.If the productions is high then the high demand can be easily fulfilled.so it is possible only with the use of quality seeds.
Besides,farmers of our country are not fully literate about the use of quality seeds.They just perform the sowing activities with the available seeds.They donot care about the purity, germination percentages of seeds which ultimately results in lower yield,And if the yield is low the high demand of the people cannot be fulfilled and results in food insecurity.So if the quality seeds are provided to the farmers,knowingly or unknowingly they will sow the seeds but will gain high yield that will solve the problems of food insecurity.And helps in food self-sufficiency as well.
Thus,quality seeds have significant role in attaining food security and food self sufficiency.
Nabina Adhikari ,IAAS Lamjung Campus, TU
