Seed Unit
About Seed Unit
Seed Unit At A Glance
Good quality seeds of improved varieties ensure higher yield of at least 15 to 20 per cent. Continuous supply of good quality seeds of improved varieties suitable to these areas is one of the important requirement to secure higher crop yields and is essential for maintaining the tempo of green revolution in agriculture. An efficient seed production, distribution and quality assurance system would help the farmers to fully benefit from the advantages of using quality seeds.
Keladi Shivappa Nayaka University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga has a crucial role to play in terms of production and supply of quality Breeder, Foundation and Certified seeds of Agricultural and Horticultural crops of this region for the benefit of the local farmers. KSNUAHS, Shivamogga is endowed with diverse agro-climatic zones suitable for cultivation and seed production of many Agricultural and Horticultural crops.
Realizing the importance of quality seed KSNUAHS, Shivamogga started the Seed Unit during 2013 headed by Special Officer (Seeds), with the following broad objectives
- Production and Supply of Nucleus, Breeder, Foundation, Certified/Truthfully Labeled seeds of Agricultural and Horticultural crops of the region.
- Human Resource Development for quality seed production through training programme, demonstration and field days.
- Popularization of new Varieties/ Hybrids to encourage varietal replacement.
- Maintenance breeding of released varieties/parents of hybrids.
- Research on seed quality maintenance and enhancement.
Seed Officer
Dr. S.U. Patil
Special officer (seeds),
Seed Unit, KSNUAHS, Shivamogga
M. No. 9480838991
Email: soseed@uahs.edu.in
Programs
Mandates of seed unit:
- To produce adequate quantity of nucleus, breeder, foundation and certified/TL seeds with assured quality as per national and state requirement.
- To maintain the seed quality and genetic purity of crops varieties/parental lines, hybrids and planting materials under maintenance breeding.
- To popularize new high yielding varieties through large scale demonstration and seed production and distribution.
- To augment seed research/production programme to make it relevant to the need of farming community.
- To disseminate information on new varieties/crop production and protection/technologies through trainings on seed production, processing, storage and packaging, quality control, seed health and field days/seed melas.
Major Activities and Engagements of Seed Unit
- Coordination with Public seed agencies: Representing the University Seed Unit at the Karnataka State Department of Agriculture, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) meetings, All India Coordinated Research Project on Seeds (Crops) workshops and meetings and Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare seed division meetings
- Advising National Seed Network: Co-ordination with Karnataka State Seed Corporations, National Seeds Corporation (NSC) and Karnataka State Seed and Organic Certification Agencies to meet regional and national seed indents
- Institutional Supervision: Planing for university seed production programme, variety release meets alongside Directors of Research and Vice-Chancellors
- Public-Private Stakeholder Forums: Engaging with private seed industries, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) for technology licensing and multi-location seed marketing collaborations.
Key Responsibilities of Seed unit:
- Overall Seed Production Supervision: Monitoring multi-tier crop seed production (Nucleus, Breeder, Foundation, and Certified seeds) across institutional farms and Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and private foundation seed production plots with university jurisdiction.
- Quality Assurance: Ensuring all produced seed batches meet minimum seed certification standards and quality benchmarks, genetic purity standards, and statutory requirements of national Seed Acts.
- SATHI Module Implementation: On boarding, co-ordination and implementation of SATHI portal of both State (Certified and Foundation seeds) and central (Sathi N2B for Breeder seed)
- Farmer Participatory Seed Production: Involving and encouraging farmers in seed production and Scaling up “Scientists-Farmers Participatory Mode” seed programs and Seed Village Schemes.
- Seed Technology Research Direction: Spearheading scientific research on seed physiology, processing upgrades, storage shelf-life, and advanced seed health testing.
- Infrastructure Management: Overseeing the operations, upgrades, and structural upkeep of specialized seed processing plants, seed godowns and state-of-the-art testing laboratories accreditation and notification.
Important Recurring Activities of Seed Unit
- Seasonal Indent & Demand Allocation: Reviewing seasonal seed requirements received from government departments to allocate breeder, foundation and certified seed targets across regional research farms.
- Field Inspections & Purity Maintenance: Planning recurring field monitoring visits for standing seed crops to ensure isolation distances, rouging (removing off-types) activities and genetic purity.
- Post-Harvest Processing Monitoring: Directly checking seed processing lots, drying procedures, grading machines, cleaning practices, seed treatments, and seed sampling workflows.
- Human Resource Management and Capacity Building : Conducting training seminars, field days, and specialized workshops on advanced seed production practices for farm scientists, seed analysts, and local seed growers.
- Financial Auditing & Statutory Reporting (Annual): Compiling comprehensive annual seed production progress reports, financial statements and balance sheets.
Accomplishments
Brief achievement in seed and planting materials production for last ten years
Seed Production
SEED PRODUCTION ACHIEVEMENT (2016-2026)
| Crops | Quantity of BS/FS/CS/TL seed produced (q.) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | |
| Cereals | 5502 | 7338 | 10017 | 4300 | 4741 | 4579 | 5296 | 5249 | 5668 | 5580 |
| Pulses | 1413 | 2403 | 87 | 50 | 51 | 85 | 59 | 50 | 183 | 439 |
| Oil Seeds | 133 | 333 | 169 | 150 | 95 | 56 | 76 | 198 | 95 | 72 |
| Others | 5502 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12 | 47 | 21 |
Planting Material
PLANTING MATERIAL PRODUCTION ACHIEVEMENT IN HORTICULTURAL CROPS (2016-2026)
| Planting materials (No.s) | Planting material production (No.s) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | |
| 697926 | 903659 | 446744 | 557665 | 868825 | 732362 | 578542 | 826403 | 804589 | 647729 |
Farmers Participatory Program
Seed production under farmers’ participatory programme
| Year | No. of Farmers Involved | Seeds produced (q) |
|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 243 | 4397 |
| 2017-18 | 104 | 5258.25 |
| 2018-19 | 53 | 3066.65 |
| 2019-20 | 38 | 1281.85 |
| 2020-21 | 17 | 741 |
| 2021-22 | – | – |
| 2022-23 | 27 | 1465.50 |
| 2023-24 | 29 | 1602.85 |
| 2024-25 | 44 | 1496.95 |
| 2025-26 | 35 | 1574.05 |
Facilities
Seed infrastructure facility created by Seed Unit under various central and state Government Schemes/projects
| Sl.No | Year | Infrastructure Facility | Location | Funding Agency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2015 | Seed Godown | AHRS Ponnampet | Swabeejabhivriddhi Yojane, GOK |
| 2 | 2015 | Seed Godown | AHRS Bavikere | Swabeejabhivriddhi Yojane, GOK |
| 3 | 2015 | Seed Godown | AHRS Honnavile | Swabeejabhivriddhi Yojane, GOK |
| 4 | 2015 | Seed Godown | AHRS Kademakal | Swabeejabhivriddhi Yojane, GOK |
| 5 | 2015 | Seed Godown | AHRS Kathalagere | Swabeejabhivriddhi Yojane, GOK |
| 6 | 2015 | Seed Godown | ZAHRS Brahmavar | Swabeejabhivriddhi Yojane, GOK |
| 7 | 2015 | Seed Godown | ZAHRS Shivamogga | Swabeejabhivriddhi Yojane, GOK |
| 8 | 2016 | Seed Godown | AHRS Madikeri | Sub -Mission on Seed and Planting material (SMSP) |
| 9 | 2017 | Seed Godown | ZAHRS Mudigere | Sub -Mission on Seed and Planting material (SMSP) |
| 10 | 2017 | Seed Godown | ZAHRS Hiriyur | Pulse Seed Hub |
| 11 | 2017 | Seed Testing Laboratory | Seed Unit, Shivamogga | RKVY funded |
| 12 | 2017 | Seed Processing Unit | AHRS Kathalagere | University Funded |
| 13 | 2017 | Mobile Seed Grading Unit | AHRS, Ponnampet | University Funded |
| 14 | 2017 | Mobile Seed Grading Unit | ZAHRS Brahmavar | University Funded |
| 15 | 2019 | Mobile Seed Processing Unit | AHRS Kathalgere | RKVY funded |
| 16 | 2022 | Seed Godown | ZAHRS Hiriyur | Millet Seed Hub |
| 17 | 2024 | Seed Godown | ZAHRS Shivamogga | RKVY Funded |
Other Activities
Seed Unit is a voluntary STR centre under AICRP on seeds (Crops) undertakes seed research activities through the Centre of Seed Technology Research to address the problems encountered in seed production and post harvest handling of seeds. The unit has a well establish field and laboratory facilities to undertake research on issues that need immediate action.
New varieties in different crops with good yield and quality attributes have been released by the University to replace the old varieties. These varieties have been introduced to the farmers through demonstrations and large scale seeds in the farmers field. This exercise helps in enhancing the varietal replacement ratio (VRR)
| Districts | Crop | Varieties Recommended/Cultivated |
|---|---|---|
| Hassan | Paddy | Hassan Paddy Tunga, KHP-10, KHP-5, KHP-2 |
| Chikkamagaluru | Paddy | Tunga, Sahyadri Jalamukhti KHP-10, KHP-5, Intan, IET-7191 etc |
| Madikeri | Paddy | Tunga,KHP-9, KHP-10 |
| Madikeri | Paddy | Tunga,KHP-9, KHP-10 |
| Davanagere, Chitradurga & Shivamogga | Paddy | JGL-1798, Jyothi, Sahyadri Mega, Sahyadri Kempumukti, Sahyadri Jalamukhti,KHP-11,MO-4 |
| Davanagere, Chitradurga & Shivamogga | Maize | MAH-14-5 |
| Davanagere, Chitradurga & Shivamogga | Ragi | MR-1 & 6, GPU-28 & 48, ML-365, PR-202,KMR-630 & 301 |
| Davanagere, Chitradurga & Shivamogga | Red gram | BRG-1, 2,3,4&5,TS-3R,GRG-811 |
| Davanagere, Chitradurga & Shivamogga | Black gram | Rashmi (LBG-625) |
| Davanagere, Chitradurga & Shivamogga | Green gram | KKM-3 |
| Davanagere, Chitradurga & Shivamogga | Field bean | HA-3,HA-4,HA-5 |
| Davanagere, Chitradurga & Shivamogga | Cowpea | UAHS-28,GP-1 |
| Davanagere, Chitradurga & Shivamogga | Bengalgram | BGD-111-1,JG-11,JAKI |
| Davanagere, Chitradurga & Shivamogga | Groundnut | TMV-2, GPBD-4, ICGV-11,Dh-256,Sahyadri durga |
| Davanagere, Chitradurga & Shivamogga | Sunflower | KBSH-1, 44 & 53 |
| Udupi and Dakshina Kannada | Rice | MO-4, Sahyadri Panchamuki, Sahyadri Brahma,MO-21 |
| Udupi and Dakshina Kannada | Groundnut | TMV-2, GPBD-4,G2-52 |
| Udupi and Dakshina Kannada | Cowpea | UAHS-28 |
| Udupi and Dakshina Kannada | Black gram | Rashmi |
| Udupi and Dakshina Kannada | Green gram | KKM-3 |
The Seed Unit has mandates to disseminate information through trainings on seed production, processing, storage and packaging, quality control and seed health and conducting demonstrations and field day
Trainings and Field days
Seed Unit is organizing the trainings either on campus or off campus regularly on various aspects of seed production techniques, seed crop management, pest and disease management, seed quality, post- harvest handling, seed storage etc of different crops and t o popularize the released varieties/ hybrids and seed production technologies, number of field days and demonstrations were organized in farmer’s field to get higher seed yield with better quality.
| Year | No. of trainings/Field day organized | No. of farmers trained |
|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 2 | 80 |
| 2017-18 | 2 | 78 |
| 2018-19 | 1 | 55 |
| 2019-20 | 5 | 260 |
| 2020-21 | 2 | 100 |
| 2021-22 | 3 | 155 |
| 2022-23 | 3 | 155 |
| 2021-22 | 2 | 115 |
| 2023-24 | 5 | 355 |
| 2024-25 | 4 | 235 |
| 2025-26 | 5 | 379 |
Externally Funded Projects
| Sl. No. | Project/Scheme | Funding Agency |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AICRP on Seeds (Crops) | ICAR-NISST |
| 2 | Seed Revolving Fund | University |
| 3 | Pulse Seed Hub | Government of India |
| 4 | NFSNM (National Food Security and Nutrition Mission) | Government of India |
| 5 | NMEO-OS (National Mission on Edible Oils – Oilseeds) | Government of India |
| 6 | MAP (Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses) | Government of India |
Staff Profile
DR. S.U.Patil
M.Sc. (Agri.), Ph. D
Special officer (seeds),
Seed Unit, KSNUAHS, Shivamogga
M. No. 9480838991
Email: soseed@uahs.edu.in
DR. Srinivasalu G
M. Sc. (Hort.), Ph. D
Associate Professor (Hort.)
Seed Unit, ZAHRS,
Hiriyur
M. No. 7259631277
Email: gbsflori@gmail.com
Dr. Manjunath B
M.Sc. (Agri.), Ph. D
Associate Professor (GPB),
Seed Processing Unit, AHRS, Kathalgere
M. No. 9483695477
Email: manjunathab@uahs.edu.in
Email: manjunathab@uahs.edu.in
DR. Dinesha H B
M.Sc. (Agri.), Ph. D (GPB)
Assistant Professor (GPB),
In-charge of Seed Testing Laboratory Shivamogga
M. No. 9480838991
Email: soseed@uahs.edu.in
Mr. Rajappa, K.,
Senior Lab Assitant,
Seed Testing Laboratory,
Seed Unit, KSNUAHS, Shivamogga
M. No. 9739503871
