Abstract
Seeds are the basic input for crop production. Infected or contaminated seed is the primary source of inoculum for a large number of destructive diseases of important food, fodder and fibre crops. In this context, seed health tests have become a major component towards sustainable crop production and crop productivity. Apart from seed health testing, the seed certification for a crop comprises legal norms to be qualified for ensuring genetic identity, physical purity, germinability and freedom from seed-transmitted pathogens and weeds. Mainly different types of conventional methods followed by molecular methods are employed for seed health testing. Conventional methods include visual inspection of seeds, washing test, seed soak method and incubation methods, while serological assay and nucleic acid-based techniques are the most accurate and least time-consuming which comes under molecular method of seed health testing. The conventional methods are mostly based on interpretation of visual symptoms, culturing and laboratory identification. Thus, it is almost difficult to interpret results with hidden symptoms. However, among all techniques available, nucleic acid-based techniques are the most accurate and least time-consuming.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Agarwal VK, Sinclair JB (1997) Seed treatment. Principles of seed pathology. CRC Press Inc/Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, pp 423–460
Agarwal VK, Srivastava AK (1985) NaOH seed soak method for routine examination of rice seed lots for rice bunt. Seed Res 13:159
Brinkman A (1931) Thesis, University of Amsterdam, NV Hollandia-Drukkerij, Baarn, p 86
Clark MF, Adams AN (1977) Characteristics of the microplate method of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. J Gen Virol 34:475–483
Dadlani M, Tonapi VA, Prasad R et al (2013) Seed Quality Assurance Book, p 185
Dastur JF (1932) Foot rot and black point disease of wheat in central provinces. Agric Live Stk India 3:275–282
Doyer LC (1938) International seed testing Association Veenman H, Zonen Wageningen, Holland, p 58
Guar YD, Khetrapal RK (1994) Diagnostic tests for seed borne microbes with special emphasis on immunological with special molecular approaches. In: Singh TB, Trivedi PC (eds) Vistas in seed biology, vol II. Printwell Publishers, Jaipur, pp 337–356
Halfon-Meiri A (1970) Infection of chickpea seeds by Ascochyta rabiei in Israel. Plant Dis Rep 54(5):442–445
Johnson HW, Jones JP (1962) Purple stain of guar. Phytopathology 52(1):269–271
Johnson HW, Lefebvre CL (1942) Downy mildew of soybean seeds. Plant Dis Rep 26:49–50
Jones FR, Torrie JH (1946) Systemic infection of downy mildew in soybean and Allalfa. Phytopathology 36(12):1057–1059
Khandzada AK, Rennie WJ, Mathur SB, Neergaard P (1980) Evaluation of two routine embryo test procedures for assessing the incidence of loose smut infection in seed samples of wheat (Triticum aestivum) (No. 81–645687. CIMMYT)
Khetrapal RK (2004) A critical appraisal of seed health certification and transboundary movement of seed under WTO regime. Indian Phytopathol 57(4):408–421
Khetrapal RK, Chalam VC (2012) Training manual on seed quality assurance. In: Prasad M, Yadav SK, Arum Kumar MB, Lal SK, Tonapi VA (eds) Division of seed science and technology. IARI, New Delhi, pp 191–200
Khetrapal RK, Kumar CA (1995) ELISA methodology. In: Singh RP, Singh US (eds) Molecular methods in plant pathology. CRC Press. Inc, Boca Raton, pp 329–341
Kilpatrick K (1957) Fungi associated with the flowers, pods, and seeds of soybeans. Phytopathology 47(3):131–135
Kondo M, Okamura T (1927) Untersuchungen der versachiedenen Reiskorner geringerer qualitat. I. Die brarun gefarbten enthulsten Reiskorner. Ischamai Ber Ohara Inst Landw Forsch 3:406–419
Kulik MM (1973) Comparison of blotters and guaiacol agar for detection of Helminthosporium oryzae and Trichoconis padwickii in rice seeds. Phytopathology 65:1325–1326. https://doi.org/10.1094/Phyto-65-1325
Laviolette FA, Athow KL (1972) Cercospora kikuchii infection of soybean as affected by stage of plant development. Phytopathology 62(7):771
Limonard T (1966) A modified blotter test for seed health. Neth J Plant Pathol 72(3–6):319–321
Mangan A (1971) A new method of the detection of Pleospora bjoerlingii infection of sugar-beet seed. Trans Br Mycol Soc 57:169–172
Marcinkowska JZ (2002) Methods of finding and identification of pathogens in seeds. Plant Breed Seed Sci 46(1):31–48
Maury Y, Duby C, Bossennec JM et al (1985) Group analysis using ELISA: determination of the level of transmission of Soybean mosaic virus in soybean seed: seed group size and seed decotication. Agronomie 7:225–230
Maury Y, Duby C, Khetarpal RK (1998) Seed certification for viruses. In: Hadidi A, Khetarpal RK, Koganezawa H (eds) Plant virus disease control. APS Press, Saint Paul, pp 237–248
Muskett AE, Malone JP (1941) The ulster method for the examination of flax seed for the presence of seed-borne parasites. Ann Appl Biol 28:8–13
Nath R, Neergaard P, Mathur SB (1970) Identification of Fusarium species on seeds as they occur in the blotter test. Proc Int Seed Test Assoc 35:121–144
Neergaard P (1977) Seed pathology. Volume I and II. Macmillan, London, p 1187
Ou SH (1963) FAO (Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance) Rep. 1673, p 28
Popp W (1958) An improved method of detecting loose-smut mycelium in whole embryos of wheat and barley. Phytopathology 48(12):641–643
Rice WN (1939) The hemocytometer method for detecting fungus spore load carried by wheat. Proc Assoc Off Seed Anal N Am 31:124–127
Russel RC (1950) The whole embryo method for testing barley for loose smut as a routine test. Sci Agric 30:361–366
Simmonds PM (1946) Detection of the loose smut fungus in embryos of barley and wheat. Sci Agric 26:51–58
Skvortzov SS (1937) A simple method for detecting hyphae of loose smut in wheat grains. Plant Protect Leningr 15:90–91, 36: 51–58
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kumar, A., Gaur, A., Gurjar, M.S., Kumari, P., Kiran, R. (2020). Seed Health Testing and Seed Certification. In: Kumar, R., Gupta, A. (eds) Seed-Borne Diseases of Agricultural Crops: Detection, Diagnosis & Management. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9046-4_27
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9046-4_27
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-32-9045-7
Online ISBN: 978-981-32-9046-4
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)