Seed processing involves cleaning, drying, grading, treating, testing and other operations, which will improve the physical and physiological quality of seeds.  By seed processing the quality is upgraded by eliminating unwanted materials like weed seeds, small seeds, damaged seeds, broken and shriveled seeds, straw, chaff, leaves, twigs, stones, soil particles, other crop seeds and seeds affected by insects and fungi etc.,   

Pre-requisites for processing

1. Seed lots from the Seed Farms possessing required field standards should only be brought to the processing plant for carrying out processing, as soon as possible.

2. Processing report should accompany the seed lot.   

3. Other distinguishable variety (ODV):

One of the pre-requisite for paddy processing is ODV test.  This can be done either at the time of sealing and issue of processing report (or) before processing.  If the ODV exceeds 1% the producer may be advised to withdraw such seed lot from further certification work.  In the event of denial by the producer a pre sample shall be drawn and sent to Seed Testing Laboratory for confirming the same. If the ODV. exceeds 1 percent as per STL results then the Seed Lot shall be rejected from Seed Certification work by the SCO concerned.  

4.In case the Seed Lots fail to comply with required standards for OCS. then the concerned producer shall be advised to remove the OCS before taking processing. In the event of denial by the producer a pre sample shall be drawn by SCO and sent to Seed Testing Laboratory for confirming the same. If the OCS. is found to exceed by double the prescribed standards in the STL results then the Seed Lot shall be rejected from Seed Certification work by the SCO concerned.  

5. The size of the seed lot should correlate with the Estimated yield. 

6. The seed lot should be properly Sealed.  

7. Seed lot should conform to the prescribed moisture level.  

8. Field run seeds should be brought to the processing unit in new containers.  

9. The seed lots should be processed only in approved processing units.  

10. Field run seeds should be brought to the processing unit within THREE months from the date of final field inspection.  Processing and sampling should be completed within THREE months from the date of receipt in the processing unit.

In the event of delay in movement of Seed lot to the processing unit and in the event of delay in processing, the concerned ADSCN shall issue special permission for continuing the seed certification works further based on the merit of the case. Under such circumstances the validity of the seed lot shall be calculated based on the date of final field inspection. The date of expiry may be calculated such that it shall not exceed   15 months from the date of final field inspection and in any case it shall not be less than 6 months from date of test.

Processing

1. The processing should be done in the approved seed processing units.

2. Check the proper working of the Processing plant.

3. Check whether the processing plant is cleaned properly. 

4. Select the appropriate sieve size for the crop vide Annexure XI. 

5. However, the ADSCN is authorised to deviate under exigencies to use the screen of appropriate size than specified.  This can be done after personal verification. 

6. Processed seed shall not have seed of the size lower than the aperture of the bottom screen used beyond 5% by weight.

7. The seed lot to be processed should be checked and identified with the processing report.  Before commencing the processing relevant entries should be made in the processing register. 

8. While processing, inflow of the seed and air adjustments should be regulated by checking the processed seed periodically. 

9. Verify whether stenciling has been done on the containers as advised by the Seed Certification department.

10. Assign the next lot number. 

11.Float test: While under taking processing of paddy, the quality of processing has to be evaluated at regular intervals.

Take 400 numbers of seeds from the processed seed and put into a tumbler of water.  Count the floating paddy seeds.  Maximum float admissible is 5%.  If the floating seeds exceed the limit, adjust the airflow or feeding to perfect the processing.  

12. Verify weighing of the processed Seed.  

13. Check the working of the bag-closer.

14. Verify stitching of bags, sealing, labeling and stocking.  

15. The lot No., SC No. has to be written legibly on the containers after processing. A stake label or processing label shall be affixed in each bag in order to have the lot identity. (Annexure XII)

16. The seed lots may be treated with seed treating chemicals especially when the seeds carry seed born pathogens. 

17. The SCO should send the seed Samples to the office of Assistant Director of Seed Certification within 24 hours after sampling. 

18. Make entries in the processing register (Annexure XIII) then and there. 

19. Make entries in the processing report immediately.

20. Have a look into the instruction register kept at the processing center to follow the latest guidance from superior officers.

Hand processing

Hand processing is a practise to improve the quality of the seed in the absence of the required machineries.  Hand processing may be done with appropriate sieve size.  

It is allowed when the quantity of seed lot is below 1000 kg. in pulses and sunflower, 500 kg. in gingelly under single S.C. No. 

For certain vegetables like tomato, chillies, brinjal etc.  and for groundnut, hand processing is allowed irrespective of quantity since required equipments are not available. 

Seed sampling and tagging shall be done in approved seed processing units only.   

Groundnut Pod Verification

On receipt of groundnut pods at the unit, the SCO should examine physical purity of the lot.  For this purpose SCO will take a sample of one Kg pods by adopting the sampling procedures.  From this one Kg of pods, find out the percentage of ill-filled pods by number.  The ill-filled pods should not exceed 4%

Further certification works to be followed are as discussed earlier. 

Assigning Lot Number

The lot number will have four parts. Each part will signify and conform to the details given as under:   

1.First part

This shall be called the “Month-Year Code” and will indicate the month and year in which the concerned seed crop was harvested.  The month will be represented by its abbreviated form and the year will be represented by the last two digits of the calender year, such as 02 for 2002 A.D., and 03 for 2003 A.D. The abbreviated form to be used for each month is, the first three letters of the month.  For example. 

Month Abbreviated form

 January                JAN

 May                    MAY

 December           DEC  

2.      Second part

This shall be called the “Production Location Code” and will indicate the State or Union Territory where the concerned seed field(s) was/were located. 

For this purpose, each State and Union Territory is allotted a permanent numerical as shown below.

        Numerical    State/Union Territory

            01                Andhra Pradesh

            02                Arunachal Pradesh

03                Assam

04                Bihar

05                Goa

06                Gujarat

07                Haryana

08                Himachal Pradesh

09                Jammu & Kashmir

10                Karnataka

11                Kerala

12                Madhya pradesh

13                Maharashtra

14                Manipur

15                Meghalaya

16                Mizoram

17                Nagaland

18                Orissa

19                Punjab

20                Rajasthan

21                Sikkim

22                Tamilnadu

23                Tripura

24                Uttarpradesh

25                West Bengal

26                Andaman& Nicobar islands

27                Chandigarh

28                Dadra & Nagar Haveli

29                Delhi

30                Daman & Diu

31                Lakshadweep

32                Pondicherry

       3.   Third part

This shall be called the “Processing Plant Code” and will indicate the seed processing plant where the relevant lot was processed.  For this purpose, the certification department shall allot a number to each approved seed processing unit. 

4. Fourth part 

This shall be called the “Seed Produce Code”.  It will indicate ultimate serial number of an individual lot.  The procedure for assigning this code will be based on unit of certification.  For this purpose, the Certification department shall allot a number commencing from 01 to each unit of certification.  However, if seeds of more than one unit are bulked together then bulked unit will be treated as one unit.  If the quantity of the seed from one unit of certification exceeds the maximum limit of lot size, it will be further sub-divided into a separate lot, in such cases Roman numerical commencing from (i) will be suffixed with seed produce code within brackets.  For example if 586 quintals of paddy seed is obtained from one unit of certification, it will necessitate the sub-division of the produce into three separate lots (200, 200 and 186 qtls).  If 01 is allotted to “Seed Produce Code”, then sub-divided lots will be represented as 01 (i), 01(ii) and 01(iii).  

The seed produce code shall be commenced from 01 with effect from 01-04-2002 and it shall be continued for THREE financial years.

5.All the four parts of the lot number shall be written in series with a “dash (-)” between first, second, third and fourth parts to distinctly indicate the code number of each part.

An example is shown below: 

Lot No: MAR02 – 22 – 10 – 01

MAR 02 Seed harvested in Mar.2002

22-Seed crop raised in Tamil Nadu  

10- Seed processed in a processing plant identified as number 10 by the Tamil Nadu State Certification Department.

01- Seed Produce Code that will trace to the particular unit of certification.  

Each seed lot under Certification shall be assigned a distinct number so as to facilitate in:

a. Maintaining its identity

b. Tracing back to its origin

c. Handling in stores, transit etc.

d. Accounting and inventory maintenance

e. Refering / communicating about a certain quantity of seed.