Present Status of Pre & Post Harvest Research & Extension Activities of Vegetable Seeds in

BRAC

Presented ByDr. S. C. Biswas

Target crops We are dealing with 30 different vegetable crops

including fruiting vegetables, leafy & salad vegetables, podded vegetables, stem & bulb vegetables, cruciferous veg. crops, root vegetables etc.Fruiting vegetables

Leafy & salad vegetables

Podded vegetables

Stem & bulb vegetables

Crucife-rous veg. crops

Root vegetables

Okra, pumpkin,cucumber, bitter gourd,bottle gourd,ridge gourd, ash gourd, snake gourd etc.

Spinach,pechay, red amaranth, leaf mustard,kang kong,prince shak, red bethua etc.

Yard long bean, country bean, mung bean, ground nut etc.

Stem amaranth, onion etc.

Cauliflower & cabbage etc.

Radish, carrot etc.

Current Situation of the Vegetable Seed in Bangladesh

o The present requirement of good quality vegetable seed is around 3,500 MT.

o Only 36% quality vegetable seeds are available from public and private sectors.

o Seed is a perishable item and vast majority of farmers use their own low quality seeds.

o The present incapability is related to inadequate infrastructure, insufficient trained manpower, inadequate suitable plant material, lack of appropriate research and development opportunities etc.

Why Post Harvest Management is important in Vegetable Seeds ?

Post harvest management includes:

1. Good harvesting method at proper maturity.2. Curing

3. Grading and sorting of fruits/pods for seed extraction.

4. Extraction of seeds from good quality fruits /pods.

5. Cleaning & grading.

6. Drying to maintain optimum moisture.

7. Treatment.

8. Packing &

9. Storing.

Okra1. Malformed and deformed fruits are removed earlier and only

healthy fruits are selected for seeds.

2. Healthy and straight type fruits are selected from plants free from disease and insect attack.

3. Pods are harvested as soon as they become mature and before shattering.

4. Pods are harvested by hand individually & thereafter fruits are dried in the sun.

5. Threshing is also done by hand after the pods are sufficiently dry.

6. Light seeds are then removed by cleaning and winnowing.

7. Collected seeds are sun dried to moisture level not exceeding 12% for open storage and up to 9% for sealed packets.

8. During rainy day there is every possibility of damaging seeds if fruits are not harvested at proper stage.

9. In rainy day if there is no sun, seeds are dried keeping them under electric fan.

 

Okra Fruits

Tomato1. Larger size healthy properly ripened fruits are harvested from 1st and 2nd tier fruits and kept in room temperature for 2-3 days before extraction of seeds.

2. Tomato seeds are extracted mainly by fermentation methods.

3. After cutting the tomato fruits seeds along with pulp are fermented for 12 hours.

4. The pulp is stirred several times to maintain a uniform rate of fermentation and to avoid discoloration of the seed.

5. Seeds are then cleaned with clean water and dried thereafter.

 

Tomato Fruits

Brinjal

1. Ripened fruits are handpicked and usually seeds are collected from fruits formed at early and mid fruiting stage.

2. Good quality fruits are harvested from plants free from disease and insect attack.

3. Seeds are collected through wet extraction method.

4. Harvested fruits are stored for 5-7 days at room temperature until they become soft.

5. Fruits are cut into thin slices and these are then softened by soaking till the seeds are separated from the pulp.

6. After extracting and washing, the seeds are cleaned and dried.

7. Drying is done by spreading the seeds in the partial sunlight for few hours for one or two days up to a moisture content of 8% or below.

Ripened Fruits of Egg plant

Pumpkin1. Full matured fruits are harvested when the

peduncle becomes straw coloured and vines starts drying.

2. Before seed extraction fruits are stored in room temperature for 3 to 4 weeks spreading them in one single layer.

3. Fruits are cut into half and the seeds are scooped out by hand.

4. Placenta with the seeds is usually separated by rolling.

5. Seeds are then washed with water in troughs.

6. Seeds are dried quickly. At first seeds are spread on trays and placed in the shade and gradually to sun to dry and seeds are dried up to a moisture level of 7%.

Ripened Fruits of Pumpkin

Cucumber

1. Malformed and deformed fruits are removed earlier and only healthy fruits are selected for seeds.

2. Yellow or brown coloured straight type fruits are allowed to ripen fully.

3. Fruits are collected from vines when fruit stalk adjacent to the fruit withers.

4. After full maturity fruits are harvested and kept 5-7 days for post harvest maturity.

5. For this purpose harvested fruits are kept spreading in one single layer with a space between the fruits in a shade dry place under ordinary condition.

6. Fruits are cut into half and scoop out the seeds by hand.

7. Bold size, fully filled and better looking seeds are extracted, cleaned and stored.

Fig. Ripened Fruits of Cucumber

Fig. Seed Production Plot of Cucumber

Spinach1. Spinach seeds mature in sequence even in the same

plant and first formed inflorescence seeds mature first.

2. When the seed stalks and seeds turn yellow (brownish red in red spinach) and dry, harvesting is done by cutting.

3. Usually 2-3 harvests are done for quality seed production.

4. Harvested branches are dried in the sun over drying floor.

5. Threshing is done by hand beating with a stick after being seed stalks are properly dried.

6. Seeds are cleaned by winnowing and dried to 8-9% moisture content.

Figs. Seed Bearing Plants of Red Spinach

Kang kong

1. Larger and heavier seeds are selected.

2. Seeds are sown on seed beds and healthy seedlings are raised.

3. Robust plants having high vigor are selected for cloning.

4. Pre foundation seeds (1st generation) are produced from the selected clones growing them in the main field.

5. Again healthy plants are produced on seed bed from pre foundation seeds and superior clones are developed from cuttings of these plant through the same method.

6. Foundation seeds are produced from these superior clones.

7. Seeds are harvested when the capsules turn brown.

8. Hand picking is generally done.

9. Capsules are dried and seeds are extracted by beating lightly with sticks.

10. Seeds are then cleaned and dried properly for storage.

Clones Reddish Kang kong

Fig. Fenu greek (Methi).

Characteristics•It can be used both as vegetable (leaves are used as vegetable) and spice crop.•Moderately short duration crop and it is also a profitable crop as well.• It is tolerant to major diseases and pests.•It has got medicinal value and found to be very much effective in controlling dandruff problem and loss of hair.•Yield per acre 500 Kg.

Radish

1. Seed plants are allowed to mature fully before harvesting.

2. Plants are cut when most of the pod turns brown.

3. The crop is cut by sickle and brought to threshing floor for thoroughly drying.

4. Threshing is done by beating with sticks.

5. Seed after sifting is dried to 6-8% moisture content before storage.

Seed Production Plot of Radish

Few Techniques for Imrpoving Seed or Propagule Quality (Pre Harvesting Operations)

1. Disbudding technique in okra.

2. Growing pumpkin on trellis.

3. Stopping through snapping of the apical portion of cucurbits.

4. Thinning in cauliflower, radish, broccoli etc.

5. Cloning in kangkong, jute mallow, Brahmi shak (Bacopa monieri), Gandhabhadali (Pterida foetida).

6. Selection of large size seeds for increasing bulb size in onion.

7. Application of micronutrients in the production of fruits in country bean and other crops.

8. Staking.

9. Pruning.

10. Transplanting

Fig. Disbudding technique in red okra.

Fig. Compare between trellis –grown sweet gourd and pumpkin grown on beds.

Thinning in cauliflower

Thinning in broccoli

Cloning in F1 hybrid Kang kong

Cloning of Prince Shak (Jute mallow)

Cloning in Pumpkin

Contd.

Contd.

Cloning in Brahmi shak & Gandhabhadali

Fig. Pruning in BRAC developed summer country bean (2nd phase of harvesting in the month of January)

Figs. Transplanted Bothua (both red and green)

Water caltrop (Panifal) , Trapa natans

•It is an aquatic plant and its raw fruits are delicious.•Very easy to grow and requires small amount of investment and labour.•Since it is a profitable crop can be cultivated commercially in the ‘haor’ areas.•Children’s like it very much and sometimes flour is produced from its fruits.•It is harvested when the farmers have no work.•Fish and fruits can be cultivated in the same water body.

Characteristics

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES (BRAC-AVRDC/USAID)

Home gardens – Barishal & Jessore.• Upazilla covered- 2 (Uzirpur at

Barishal & Chougacha at Jessore).• Total No of Gardens: 301 (251 in

Uzirpur & 50 in Chougacha).

Market gardens - Barishal • Location : Uzirpur only.• Area: 14.28 ha.• No. of farmers: 100

Design, pilot and promote locally adapted home and market gardens including year-

long and adapted cropping sequences.