PROBLEMS OF HYBRID SEED CULTIIVATION IN NEPAL

INTRODUCTION:
Hybrid seed production is predominant in modern agriculture and home gardening. In agriculture and gardening, hybrid seed is produced by cross-pollinated plants. is one of the main contributors to the dramatic rise in agricultural output during the last half of the 20th century. The alternatives to hybridization are open pollination and clonal propagation.

All of the hybrid seeds planted by the farmer will produce similar plants, while the seeds of the next generation from those hybrids will not consistently have the desired characteristics. Controlled hybrids provide very uniform characteristics because they are produced by crossing two inbred strains. Elite inbred strains are used that express well-documented and consistent phenotypes (such as high crop yield) that are relatively good for inbred plants. Hybrids are chosen to improve the characteristics of the resulting plants, such as better yield, greater uniformity, improved color, disease resistance . Crossing any particular pair of inbred strains may or may not result in superior offspring. The parent strains used are therefore carefully chosen so as to achieve the uniformity that comes from the uniformity of the parents, and the superior performance that comes from heterosis.

PROBLEMS:
High price of hybrid seed, a wide gap in anthesis-silking interval, poor seed set, difficulties in early generation lines untimely availability of inputs (irri-gation, fertilizer, pesticides etc.), requirement for seed replacement in every season and high irrigation are the major problems associated with hybrid maize . They are briefly described as follows :

1.High Cost of Seed.
Most of the farmers of Nepal are under the line of poverty . They don’t have enough money to take a new type of hybrid seed of high price . Due to the subsistence type of farming and the lack of secondary economical source , they don’t afford for paying more in hybrid seed .

2.Untimely Available of Inputs.
Hybrid seeds require more input application than common and local seeds and on time. In the context of our country , Farmer don’t get the fertilizer in time and in enough amount . On the other hand ,maximum farming system is rainfed farming system. Only when rainfall occurs , sufficient moisture is maintain in the field. So , This being a great problem in hybrid seed in Nepal, reduces the total yield. Reduction in yield decreases the farmers wiliness towards hybrid seed.

3. Seed Replacement in Every Season.
Hybrid seed must be purchased every year. We can’t use the yield as a seed purpose . If such is done, it don’t give the result of that seed. So , hybrid seed must replace in every season which is not enough affordable to the Nepalese farmers . This problem will be the major problem for the village farmers because there is no access of small agrovet also, in village. So, they don’t get the seed timely season to season for replacement.

4. Lack of fidelity on seed distribution.
Lack of fairness causes people to face different problem in hybrid seed. Some groups sale off seed in the name of hybrid seed. Due to the absence of strict rule in seed distribution and selling , anyone can sale the seed and they don’t do fairness. This causes, great problem on the field of Nepalese farmer in the name of hybrid seed.

5. Inadequate technical knowledge.
Technical knowledge determines the yield of the crop. Fertilizer requirement, Irrigation scheduling , Management of diseases-pest , Crop spacing , etc have a great role in the optimum production of hybrid seed. Lack of knowledge on such points, creates great reduction on the yield of hybrid seed. Nepalese farmer faced technical problem on the production due to lack of complete knowledge . So , this problem is also a major problem for hybrid seed production in the context of our country .

CONCLUSIONS.
Hybrid seed cultivation is the requirement for fulfilling the need of increasing population. So, Awareness of these seed about their cultivation method, maintenance should be given for all Nepalese farmer. If hybrid seed are cultivated based on their requirement they needed , it supports greatly the self- suffiency nation plan on agricultural production.

Writer: Tilak Ram Bhusal (Student, Bsc Ag 4th Sem, Pakhlihawa Krishi Campus)