Trends of Seeds in the Era of Climate Change – An Issue of Concern towards Sustainability

Background/Objectives: India is an agro-based country where seed is the heart of agriculture. Agood quality seed makes a good crop resulting in high yield and better quality for better economic growth. The objective of the study is to explore the seed trends and critically assess the trends with the changing climatic conditions of Indian agriculture. Methods/Statistical Analysis: The paper has undergone an exhaustive literature to find out the changing policies of agriculture seeds. The paper clearly shows that Seed can make agriculture sustainable. With time National Seeds Corporation have come up with several policies which has made promotion of agriculture convenient. The paper is based on secondary data obtained from ministry of agriculture and national seeds corporation. The study shows the trends in seed development since 1740 till 2014. Findings: The paper undergoes to concern issues of several research papers for making seeds sustainable in the era of climate change. The paper shows how the seeds policies have tried to adopt the seeds to climate change. Since 1740 till 2014 India’s climate has shown a drastic change. The paper shows how the seeds policies have tried to adopt the seeds to climate change. These seeds policies have not only tried to improve the productivity of plants but also have tried to move the seeds towards the path of being sustainable. Applications/Improvements: This has been an issue of concern in modern era in terms of economic, environmental and social perspective leading to sustainability.


Introduction
India is an agro-based country where seed is the heart of agriculture. A good quality seed makes a good crop resulting in high yield and better quality for better economic growth. Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India acts as a nodal agency for agricultural activities all across India and is making significant contribution in Indian agriculture since long time. With the development of crops people realized the importance of the quality of seeds with time and save it from deterioration 1 . With this National Seeds Corporation came into existence which undertook the function of production, processing and marketing of agriculture seeds.
National seeds corporation is indulged in protection of all varieties of seeds of all kinds of agricultural crops. The storage, grading and packaging is done by technical machines which gives fine results. The seeds are then tested in laboratories located at New Delhi, Secunderabad, Pune, Bhopal and Kolkata. The seeds are tested in such a way that the quality and viability of the seeds are estimated with changing climate. The objectives of the study are to enlist the trends of the seeds policy in India and how the upcoming trends have led the seeds to survive in the unpredictable climatic conditions of India. The paper also comes out with some limitations in every seed policy which has led it to come with new trends. The current seed policy also has some limitations and needs some improvements in the era of climate change. The present paper explores the seedtrends and critically assess the trends with the changing climatic conditions of Indian agriculture. The paper is based on secondary data and comes up with some limitations in the present seed policy in regards to climate change. The Indian seed industry comprises of a large number of private and public seed sectors. The public seed sectors comprises of a nodal agency National seeds corporation, State Farm Corporation and thirteen state seed corporations. All private and public seed sectors are responsible for storage of the seeds, seed multiplication and marketing of the seeds. All the public seed sectors work under the guidance of Indian Council of Agriculture Research and State Agriculture Universities 2 .

National Seeds Corporation
National Seeds Corporation was established in 1963 and acts as a nodal agency for seed multiplication. Since time N.S.C has been working effectively for seed multiplication. It has produced numerous foundation seeds and certified seeds. It is responsible for proper storage of the seeds. The stored seeds undergo proper certification by crop inspection and labelling. Finally if the seeds are found unfit under proper testing such seeds are separated from the good seeds. The quality of seeds is maintained efficientlyandthe good quality seeds are graded and sorted properly through effective machines. The seeds are processed with proper handling and then packed for marketing. The seeds are distributed under proper sales promotion and communication. In order to make the seeds climate adapted, the seeds are tested for it's genotypes and it's resistance against drought and heat.

Seed Production System in India
The seed development process in India is involved with multiplications of seeds giving rise to three types of seeds namely Breeder seeds, Foundation seeds and Certified seeds as presented in Table 1.

Role of Seed Development Programmes and Policies
One that is directly affected by the changing seeds policies is the farmer 6 . Framers are the ultimate victims of these seed policies. It was found that large farmers had an access to hybrid or breeder seeds while small farmers were restricted to low quality seeds since the price of high quality seeds was too high and the subsidies received was also very low. With time seeds policies began to change every year which acted as a supporting yardstick for the farmers. These seeds policies also acted as a beneficiary for the breeders. The seed policies which evolved since 1740 has been shown in the Table 2.

Seeds Type Characteristics Tag
Breeder Seeds It is also called as nucleus seed because the seed is genetically pure produced by the breeder under I.C.A.R, State agriculture universities, state seed corporation, non-government organizations and KrishiVigyan Kendra. The production of breeder seed is evaluated by I.C.A.R-D.A.C in the seed review meeting held every year. These seeds are lifted directly for production of foundation seeds 3 .

Golden Yellow
Foundation Seeds It is the progeny of breeders' seed entrusted by agriculture departments, private seed producers, state seed corporation, S.F.C.I and N.S.C. It must meet the standards of seed certification. This seed is tested at field and laboratory 4 .

White
Certified Seeds It is the progeny of foundation seeds produced by state governments, S.S.C, Department of agriculture farms, cooperatives etc. This seed is then distributed to a number of channels at block and private agencies, village level, cooperatives and state seed corporations. The production of certified seed is done by farmers rowing under contract agreements in N.S.C. and S.S.C 5 .

Azar blue
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2867313 Breeder seed known as the pure seed came into existence.
The climate was far better than today's so there was very little concern given to the climate.  The Private sector has increased it's role since last few years and the number of companies engaged in private companies has also increased tremendously The Public sector still has a major role in the production of high quality seeds of cereals, pulses and oilseeds.
This sector focus on production of hybrid seeds It is dominant in the production of seeds of oilseeds, cereals and pulses for many years It has a major share in the production of seeds of maize, sunflower and cotton 8 .
The public seed sector has 15 state seed corporation and 2 national level seed corporations namely national seeds corporation and state farm corporation Such firms are heterogenous 9 . Such firms are homogenous Private seed sector is dominant in production of vegetables and horticulture Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2867313

Role of Public and Private Seed Sector
Private and public seed sectors play a major role in seed development. The Table 3 gives a comparative picture of private and public seed sectors. The seed sectors in private and public sectors have encouraged seeds viability. Private sector has a major share in seed production and has improved the trends of the upcoming seeds.

Variety Registration
The registration of a new variety undergoes three steps for seed evaluation: • The reaction of the varieties to several diseases is studied by pathologists through testing in Initial Yield Evaluation Trial.
• Then the samples are tested in large locations in large zones fordisease, pests and the traits are studied. This type of test is known as uniform regional trials. • A number of scientists are accumulated in a workshop and the proposal to release a variety is discussed on the basis of the tests.

Protection of Variety in India
Plant protection variety and farmer's right came in existence in 2001 with the objective to encourage high quality seeds, protecting the farmers who try to make available all kinds of resources for development of a new variety leading to development of agriculture. Many intellectual property rights like patents and copyrights are provided to the breeders to protect the novelty, distinctness and stability of their seeds. Such rights are provided to persons who are breeders or assigned to be a breeder, any university and farmers who claim as a breeder of any particular variety of a crop.

Seed Certification System
In seed multiplication and production it is very necessary to have a check on the quality control. For this a legal sanctioned system came into existence known as the seed certification system. The seed certification started in the 20 th century. The Table 4 given below shows the evolution of seed certification. It were the Swedish workers who first initiated seed testing. With time scientists started working and then field testing came into evolution. The seed certification system consists of some minimum certification standards under which seeds are evaluated and their acceptance as well as rejection depends upon these standards. The seeds are tested for their texture, size, texture, moisture percentage, germination percentage, viability and other parameters. Since seeds are very sensitive creature of nature and has to be handled with great care as the yield of a crop is largely dependent on the seeds from which it has been generated.
The seed certification came up with the minimum standards of seed regarding quality and purity. The objectives of seed certification are develop genetically pure seeds and to develop viable seeds. Seed certification requires general, field standards and seed certification agencies. The seed certification involves six phases and involved field inspection, seed processing, seed labelling, seed testing and seed control. In the first phase of the seed certise of the seed cer dependent on the seeds from which it has been generated. great care as the yield oisture percentage, germinfication seeds are verified on the basis of it's texture, size and type. Then in the second phase seeds are sent for application where the seeds are grown for testing their quality. After that the seeds are inspected regarding the minimum seed certification standards evolved by breeders. After the inspection of seeds they are sent for sample analysis. After successful results these seeds are processed and packed. Lastly a certificate is issued with a tag to the seeds which consist of the characteristics of the seeds 11 as shown in Figure 1.

Seeds towards Sustainability in the Era of Climate Change
In the era of climate change there are policies for adopting the seeds to retain the diversity of the seeds. The collection of seeds must include a number of genotypes for each species. National Seeds Corporation stores seeds as buffer stock for supplying the seeds during uncertainties of climate change. Irrespective of the climate change, the population of the country is increasing day to day while the foods are inadequate. Therefore, seeds must be provided with proper care in order to protect them from climate change. New crop varieties and seed banks must be introduced to fulfil the demands for food in the coming future. The diversity of seeds must be encouraged by providing several opportunities to the farmers to face the challenges of climatic change. Due to population rise, pollution control has also become a major cause of concern.
The increase population has resulted into global warming and drastic climate change.
According to meteorology, the year 2014 has been the hottest year of the earth. Now the problem arises how to save the seeds from such high temperatures. Taking this as a major issue, Indian Council of Agriculture Research has been trying to convey the message to the farmers for growing crops which are resistant to drought and heat. National Seeds Corporation has been trying to store such seeds to make it easily available to the farmers. Plant breeders have adopted management practices for their seeds to increase the self-life of the seed. According to state seeds corporation, the approximate life of the seed is 6 months to 2 years. Government has been providing irrigation facilities to the farmers to reduce the dependency on rainfall. In the era of climate change, breeders are trying hard to produce such seeds which can face the threats of climate change. Today the major problem lies in the management of such seeds to have a better crop. Many practices such as tillage, contouring, terracing, bands, green house and many others have been adopted to protectthe crops from erosion and retain the moisture level.
Several policies regarding climate adaptation are encouraged. A variety of crops and seed banks must be introduced. Management practices should be developed, seeds which are resistant to drought and heat must be promoted. Many workshops has been introduced to develop a model of climate on the seeds. The impact of climate on the seeds must be introduced in the seed policy itself 12 . Storing seeds are done by all the seed banks but the genotypes become infeasible. Seed banks are found to beinsufficient to retain the genotypes 13 . According to ISU seed testing laboratory before variety releases seed has to undergo several tests like germination tests which determines the germination capacity of seed during cold or hot temperatures. Accelerated Aging: This is done for estimating the seedlings in the field. Tetrazolium test: Under this test a seeds are placed in the tetrazolium solutions to detect the damages or problems of the seed lot due to flood, frost or other calamities. There are several other tests like herbicides bioassay, fast green, polymerase chain reaction and immunoassay for seed testing in order to make the seeds adopted to climate change 14 .
The seeds of Kharif crops are sown in the month of July which requires a good rainfall. Due to climate change there is spatial and temporal variations in rainfall which ultimately affects the crops. Lack of erratic rainfall results in lower underground water table which leads to reduce the carbon content of the soil making it easier for the pests to survive. Delay in the monsoon season results in low rainfall, less water storage and availability of water for irrigation. This has resulted into shift in the sowing dates of the kharif crops and rescheduling of water and nutrients. Delay in sowing of kharif crops results in late Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2867313 harvesting of crops and again late sowing of rabi crops 15 . The unpredictable rainfall in rabi season leaves an impact on critical grain crops. Low availability of water and high temperatures results in low productivity of crops. In the era of climate change water shortage has become problematic for agriculture 16 . Blue water is the indicator of rivers, lakes, ponds and aquifers which is the main source of irrigation for crops. Rain water constitutes of oxides of nitrous and sulphur (acid rain) or constituents of salt with some trace elements of pollutants which again deteriorates the seeds or affects the nutritional content of the crops. The salinity can be destroyed by irrigation which maintains the fertility of the soil 16 .
Today the major issue of concern is the evil impacts of climate change on agriculture and the evil impacts of agricultural and water practices to climate change. This must be dealt through in order to attain sustainability. The reason for increasing global warming is not just pollution but also the agricultural practices which though increases the yield but is leaving an adverse impact on climate. According to Richard M. Adam et al. climate changes strongly affects the yield of the agricultural crops. High temperatures leads to low yield and high yield variances while high precipitation leads to high yield and reduces the variability.

Conclusion
The changing trends in seed policy have done a great job in the seed industry. The seed policies have led to the development of genetically pure seeds. These policies have led the seed to undergo several tests before being registered as a variety. With time breeders are now provided with intellectual property rights which have led to maintain the novelty, stability, distinctness and uniformity of the seed. Seed is the most critical part of the crop and for developing a sustainable agriculture it is very important to develop a good seed. Seed leads to a sustainable agriculture 17 . Seed must be protected from pests, diseases and weeds. The seed policy leads to variety development and improvement of seeds. This has resulted into increase in the production of breeder seeds. The national seeds corporation came up in 1963 with the aim to protect the seeds from deterioration. It is responsible for seed marketing, promotion and distribution. Indian agriculture has a huge amount of crops and several researches are still going on to improve the agriculture scenario. The seed certification has an important role in seed industry. It has led to minimum seed standards which have resulted into pure and viable seeds. With time seeds have been found efficient to adapt themselves in the climate change 18 .
Seed policy must be implemented effectively because ineffective implementation of seed policy results in low production of pure seeds, poor seed certification standards and poor distribution of seeds. Private seed companies have promoted seed sector to a high level but has certain limitations. They have high risks with high costs. There is lack of credit facilities in seed sector which has resulted into poor demand of seeds. The variety control system has resulted into the limitations of new varieties 19 which is again a matter of concern for the climate adaptation. Comparing private sector with public, the government provides subsidies which leads to poor promotion of private seeds. The agencies have poorly implemented the seed certification standards.
Based on the findingsfrom secondary data, an effective implementation of seed policy must be there regarding climate change 20 . The production of breeder seeds must be increased. Measures should be developed to encourage private seed companies. Sustainability of seeds should be given major concern. There should be further research for determining demand and supply of seeds. Seed farmer groups should be formulated for marketing at state levels.