Examining historical rates of leafcutting bee cell pathogens to establish baseline infectivity rates for alfalfa seed growers

The alfalfa leafcutting bee (Megachile rotundata) is one of the primary pollinators for the alfalfa seed industry. The alfalfa leafcutting bee is a solitary cavity nesting bee. Female Megachile rotundata bees will construct and provision individual brood cells lined with cut leaves (cocoon) and will gather nectar and pollen to place within the constructed cocoon. The female bee will lay a single egg within the constructed cocoon and leave the egg to undergo larval stage development and pupation into the adult stage. During this time multiple pathogens and parasitoids can prey on the developing larvae, resulting in the loss of the future adult bee. A major concern for commercial alfalfa seed growers is the presence of invertebrate pests and fugal pathogens. In the present study, we used historical data from the Parma Cocoon Diagnostic Laboratory to determine baseline rates of pathogen and parasite infection of Megachile rotundata cells and used this analysis to determine historical infection rates and cutoffs for management practices. Additionally, using a Faxitron (X-ray) analysis for Megachile rotundata cell obtained in 2020, we compared the presence of chalkbrood, pathogens, and parasitoids in samples collected from both growers stocks and newly purchased Canada bees. The results of the investigation demonstrate historical averages of the presence of chalkbrood, pathogens, and parasitoids. We also show a significant increase in chalkbrood and predators in 2007-2011 and a significant difference in chalkbrood and predators between bee samples obtained from Canada and grower stocks.

Quality requirement for seed production in the Nigerian seed industry

Greater attention is always being given to quantity of seeds produced rather than the inherent quality when issues related to seed requirements are discussed. However, seed production should not be limited to production of crops with high yielding potential, but also of high quality seeds with good economic potential that can give good crop establishment and yields in a wide range of production environments. This requires good knowledge of seed production and the establishment of an economically functional seed system with serviceable strategies. This underscores the importance of seed quality assurance systems strengthened with seed law enforcement strategies to assure production of good quality seeds of preferred varieties. This paper discusses those strategies put in place to ensure a successful production of quality seeds in the Nigerian seed industry and how the setups operate to achieve this objective.

Development and Application of the Intelligent Seed Processing Technology and Equipment

Seed processing is an important link in the seed industry chain. Crop seed industry is a national strategic and basic core of industry. Drying, cleaning, selecting, grading, coating, packaging and storage of crop seeds are the main measures to realize the precision sowing of crops and the increase of grain yield and income. Continuously improving the intelligence and fi ne level of seed processing equipment is of great signifi cance to ensure the production and supply of excellent seeds and the stability of agricultural production. This paper describes the development status of modern seed processing equipment technology in China, introduces the establishment of seed processing equipment engineering technology research center, taking maize, rice, wheat and cotton seed processing technology and machinery as an example, describes the key technologies and technological process of the breakthrough in the major crop seed processing, analyzes the existing problems of seed processing equipment in China at this stage as well as the development trend in the future, provides a reference for government decision makers in resolving the problem of mechanical damage in the process of seed processing and further improving the intellectualization level of seed processing, promotes the common progress of the global seed processing equipment technology.

Opportunities and Challenges for Field Experiment Equipment

Modern seed industry development could contribute up to 40 percent to increase agricultural production and effi ciency. Mechanization of fi eld experiments is an important means to improve the effi ciency and precision of fi eld breeding experiments. There is a big gap in the mechanization level and development of fi eld experiments in diff erent countries of the world. The International Association on Mechanization of Field Experiments established in 1964 has played a great role in promoting the development of fi eld experiment mechanization in the world. At present, the advanced fi eld experiment equipment is mainly concentrated in international manufacturers such as Wintersteiger in Austria, Almaco in the United States, Haldrup and Zürn in Germany. As a great agricultural country, China’s demand for rice and maize seeds, the major food crops in the last 10 years, is about 250 million kilograms and 1.15 billion kilograms, respectively. A large amount of demand for seeds prompted China’s fi eld experiment mechanization that has made great progress. The research team of Qingdao Agricultural University has developed 16 types of new plot planters and plot harvesters which have been popularized and applied in China. But diff erent crops, planting patterns and regional characteristics put forward higher requirements for adaptability of fi eld experiment equipment. The precision of the seeder, the cleaning performance of the seeding and harvesting equipment and the intelligent technology of the equipment need to be further improved. In future development, more attention should be paid to the integration of modern information technology and intelligent technology into fi eld test equipment, to improve operational effi ciency and accuracy.

Economic Analysis of Cluster Bean [Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub] Entrepreneurs in Karnataka

Background: Karnataka is predominantly known for cluster bean production. The evidences claims that the cluster bean production is not a profitable option and has many constraints, which hinders farmers to take up this enterprise. The current study aims to analyze the growth in area, to forecast seed demand and to work out the economics of cluster bean production in Karnataka. Methods: The current study was based on the field survey conducted in Karnataka during 2019-20, to collect the primary data from cluster bean entrepreneurs. The study has also used secondary data for analysis. Four major districts in Karnataka were selected for the study, based on the maximum area and highest production. From each district, 30 farmers were randomly selected for collection of primary data, constituting a total of 120 farmers. The Compound Annual Growth Rate and cost-returns techniques were employed for data analysis. Result: The study indicated that Karnataka has registered a declined trend of 3.12 per cent per annum and the total estimated area under cluster bean would be 2,720 ha during 2021-22. Hence, the seed industry should cater seed demand to the tune of 544 quintals for the said period. Total cost of cultivation was worked out to be ₹ 35,176 per acre. The study emphasize that this enterprise provides higher gross and net returns to the tune of ₹ 70,851 and ₹ 35,675 per acre, respectively, with the Benefit-cost ratio of 2.01, indicating its profitability. Lack of availability of High Yielding Varieties/hybrid seeds and high wage rate were the major constraints notified in cluster bean enterprise.

Non-Destructive Identification of Naturally Aged Alfalfa Seeds via Multispectral Imaging Analysis

Seed aging detection and viable seed prediction are of great significance in alfalfa seed production, but traditional methods are disposable and destructive. Therefore, the establishment of a rapid and non-destructive seed screening method is necessary in seed industry and research. In this study, we used multispectral imaging technology to collect morphological features and spectral traits of aging alfalfa seeds with different storage years. Then, we employed five multivariate analysis methods, i.e., principal component analysis (PCA), linear discrimination analysis (LDA), support vector machines (SVM), random forest (RF) and normalized canonical discriminant analysis (nCDA) to predict aged and viable seeds. The results revealed that the mean light reflectance was significantly different at 450~690 nm between non-aged and aged seeds. LDA model held high accuracy (99.8~100.0%) in distinguishing aged seeds from non-aged seeds, higher than those of SVM (87.4~99.3%) and RF (84.6~99.3%). Furthermore, dead seeds could be distinguished from the aged seeds, with accuracies of 69.7%, 72.0% and 97.6% in RF, SVM and LDA, respectively. The accuracy of nCDA in predicting the germination of aged seeds ranged from 75.0% to 100.0%. In summary, we described a nondestructive, rapid and high-throughput approach to screen aged seeds with various viabilities in alfalfa.

Possible Overestimation of Seed Transmission in the Spread of Pospiviroids in Commercial Pepper and Tomato Crops Based on Large-Scale Grow-Out Trials and Systematic Literature Review

Several outbreaks of pospiviroids have been reported in pepper and tomato crops worldwide. Tracing back the origin of the infections has led to different sources. In some cases, the infections were considered to result from seed transmission. Other outbreaks were related to transmission from ornamental crops and weeds. Pospiviroids, in particular potato spindle tuber viroid, are regulated by many countries because they can be harmful to potatoes and tomatoes. Seed transmission has been considered an important pathway of introduction and spread. However, the importance of this pathway can be questioned. This paper presents data on seed transmission from large-scale grow-out trials of infested pepper and tomato seed lots produced under standard seed-industry conditions. In addition, it presents the results of a systematic review of published data on seed transmission and outbreaks in commercial pepper and tomato crops. Based on the results of the grow-out trials and review of the literature, it was concluded that the role of seed transmission in the spread of pospiviroids in practice is possibly overestimated.