1. A perusal of the area covered under hybrids indicates that hybrids have not made a dent in the southern region.

2. It is because of the fact that people in southern India prefer medium slender grained premium quality rice like BPT 5204 but the existing hybrids are long grained and sticky.

3. Recently, Directorate of Rice Research, Hyderabad has developed a hybrid DRRH-3 and it is superior to BPT 5204 (the most popular variety with medium slender grain quality) both in terms of yield and grain quality traits.

 
1. Using the Basmati quality parental lines (CMS and restorer lines) developed at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, (IARI), New Delhi, the hybrid Pusa RH 10 was developed and it was released by CSCCSN&RV in July 2001 for commercial cultivation in the irrigated eco-systems of Haryana, Delhi and Uttaranchal.

1. The cooking quality preferences vary from region to region. The quality in rice will have to be considered from the view point of milling qualit, grain size, shape, appearance and cooking characteristics.

2. A hybrid should possess high turnout of whole grain (head) rice and total milled rice, with varying length: breadth ratio (L/B) ranging from 2.5 to 3 mm and medium (5.5 – 6.6 mm) to long slender (> 6.6 mm) translucent grain, intermediate gelatinization temperature (GT) and amylose content (AC).

Seed yield during Kharif and Rabi seasons could be achieved as mentioned below.

Type of Seed         Kharif (ha-1)                            Rabi (ha-1)

1. Pack your seed in clean, preferably new, jute bags.

2. If you store your seeds in used bags, you should disinfect the bags to protect the seeds from insects that could attack the seed during storage.

3. Follow these steps to disinfect used bags. Turn the bags inside out and shake them thoroughly so no seeds of any kind stick to the inside of the bag. Soak the bags for 10 minutes in a 0.15% solution of malathion. (Make the solution by mixing 1 part malathion 50 EC in 300 parts water.)

4.Dry the bags under shade before filling them with seed.

1. Before seeds can be packed and sold as hybrid seed, they must be tested for germination rate and purity. Public seed testing agencies normally do the testing and certification.

2. The germination rate must be at least 85% in order for seed to be certified. Before taking your seed for testing, you can do your own germination test at home by following the instructions.

3. Spread 200 seeds evenly over new or clean jute sacks that have been soaked in water. Cover the seeds with another wet jute sack.

1. Before seeds can be packed and sold as hybrid seed, they must be tested for germination rate and purity. Public seed testing agencies normally do the testing and certification.

2. The germination rate must be at least 85% in order for seed to be certified. Before taking your seed for testing, you can do your own germination test at home by following the instructions.

3. Spread 200 seeds evenly over new or clean jute sacks that have been soaked in water. Cover the seeds with another wet jute sack.

1. Before seeds can be packed and sold as hybrid seed, they must be tested for germination rate and purity. Public seed testing agencies normally do the testing and certification.

2. The germination rate must be at least 85% in order for seed to be certified. Before taking your seed for testing, you can do your own germination test at home by following the instructions.

3. Spread 200 seeds evenly over new or clean jute sacks that have been soaked in water. Cover the seeds with another wet jute sack.

1. Before seeds can be packed and sold as hybrid seed, they must be tested for germination rate and purity. Public seed testing agencies normally do the testing and certification.

2. The germination rate must be at least 85% in order for seed to be certified. Before taking your seed for testing, you can do your own germination test at home by following the instructions.

3. Spread 200 seeds evenly over new or clean jute sacks that have been soaked in water. Cover the seeds with another wet jute sack.

1. Before seeds can be packed and sold as hybrid seed, they must be tested for germination rate and purity. Public seed testing agencies normally do the testing and certification.

2. The germination rate must be at least 85% in order for seed to be certified. Before taking your seed for testing, you can do your own germination test at home by following the instructions.

3. Spread 200 seeds evenly over new or clean jute sacks that have been soaked in water. Cover the seeds with another wet jute sack.

1. Seeds can be sun-dried on a threshing floor.

2. Do not dry the seeds directly on the concrete threshing floor.

3. Place them on jute bags or on a tarpaulin.

4. Stir the seeds occasionally to ensure uniform drying.

1. Seeds can be dried in a batch-type dryer by forced air heated to 40- 450C

2. Do not dry the seeds abruptly to 13% moisture content if the beginning seed moisture is higher than 20%.

3. The seed layer in a batch-type dryer should not be more than 45 cm deep.

1. Seed Processing has to be done to remove impurities like trash, leaves, broken seeds sand etc., weed seeds and to remove immature, shrivelled, unfilled and empty spikelets.

2 .Seed processing usually done by public and private seed agencies by using Air screen machines.

3. Air screen machines in addition to cleaning the seeds, grading also will be done by separating the seeds of uniform size from over size and under size seeds.

Seeds can be dried by two methods

1. Sun-drying

2. Forced air-drying.

1. Seeds can be safely stored when they have been dried to a moisture content of 13%.

2. Drying helps seeds to maintain their ability to germinate and their vigour for a longer period.

3. Drying controls mold growth and the activity of other organisms that reduce the quality of stored grain.

4.Drying reduces seed discoloration, which lowers the market value of the seed

1. Seed drying helps seeds to reduce the excess moisture to required level and maintain their ability to germinate and their vigour for a longer period.

2. Drying controls mold growth and the activity of the other organisms, that reduce the quality of stored grain

3. Drying reduces seed discoloration

4. Seeds can be safely stored when they have been dried to a moisture content of less than 13 %.

1. During threshing, the `A' line parent and `R' line parent harvests must be kept separate from each other.

2. The A and R lines should be threshed separately.

3. Before starting threshing, all the threshing equipment, threshing floor and tarpaulin to be thoroughly cleaned.

Rogue the A line rows one more time before harvest.

1. Remove plants with normal seed set.

2. Remove any other plants that appear to be off-types

3.The A line can be harvested manually or with a mechanical combine.

4. If a combine is used, it should have adjustable field speed and clearance to prevent field loss or grain damage.