Traditional Methods of Seed Protection

Traditional seed protection relies on locally available materials rather than manufactured chemicals. Seeds have been coated with fine red soil, Guntur chilli powder, neem leaf powder, bitter gourd powder, drumstick extract and Pongamia leaf extract, and then stored for short periods. Paddy seed is immersed in salt water at a ratio of 1:10 to separate out floating, chaffy (empty) seed, then dried in the shade for one to two years of storage. Sorghum seed is treated with lime water (1 kg of lime in 10 litres of water) for 10 days before being dried and stored. Chickpea is treated with citronella leaf oil, cottonseed oil, soybean oil or castor seed oil, at a rate of about 500 ml of oil per 100 kg of seed. Sunflower seed is kept inside the dried fruit of sponge gourd, after the gourd's own seeds are removed, and the fruits are then stored in an airtight container. Across these methods, the common principl …