🍆 Brinjal Seed Production

Brinjal seed production focuses on floral biology, isolation, and repeated roguing because the crop is often cross-pollinated and highly sensitive to varietal mixtures.

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Botany and Flower Biology

Brinjal (Solanum melongena) is generally considered often cross-pollinated. Flower opening and anther dehiscence timing strongly influence natural cross-pollination.

Flower types based on style length:

• Long style
• Medium style
• Short style
• Pseudo-short style

Long and medium style flowers are preferred for better fruit set and seed yield.

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Field Standards and Crop Establishment

Maintain isolation of 200 m (foundation) and 100 m (certified) for varietal seed production. Select fields free from volunteer plants and previous-season admixtures.

Management highlights:

• Seed rate: around 400-500 g/ha for varieties.
• Transplanting age: 30-35 days seedlings.
• Spacing: 75 × 60 cm or 90 × 60 cm based on plant spread.
• Use systematic roguing at vegetative, flowering, and fruiting stages.

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Plant Protection and Seed Recovery

Major concerns include shoot and fruit borer, mites, damping-off, and leaf diseases. Integrated control is essential to protect seed set and quality.

Harvesting and extraction:

• Harvest fully ripe fruits (yellowing stage) for seed extraction.
• Ferment crushed pulp briefly, then wash and separate seed.
• Shade dry seed to safe moisture before cleaning and storage.

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Hybrid Seed Production Basics

Hybrid seed production follows emasculation and hand pollination procedures similar to tomato, with strict labeling and isolation discipline.

Typical crossing management:

• Female:male row ratio commonly 5:1 or 6:1.
• Evening emasculation, morning pollination sequence is preferred.
• Remove off-types in both parents before crossing starts.

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Summary Cheat Sheet

Topic	Exam-Ready Value
Pollination nature	Often cross-pollinated
Key flower types	Long, medium, short, pseudo-short style
Isolation (varieties)	200 m foundation, 100 m certified
Preferred seedlings	30-35 days old
Hybrid ratio	5:1 or 6:1
Core crossing method	Emasculation + hand pollination

References

2 sources • [1] [2]

[1]

Standard BSc Agriculture Seed Technology notes (GPBR112)

Book

[2]

Brinjal seed production package of practices (SAU/ICAR)

Book