Bansalan rural center promotes on-farm seed production as seed prices climb

Farmers facing rising seed prices can lower their production costs by growing and saving their own planting materials, according to the Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC) in Kinuskusan, Bansalan, Davao del Sur, as reported by Edge Davao.

Seeds have become a growing share of farm budgets each planting season, eating into earnings before crops are even in the ground, the report said. MBRLC has for years demonstrated that quality seed production can be done on the farm, and says it helps farmers secure planting materials, keep preferred varieties and shield themselves from volatile market prices. Edge Davao noted that seed production is also emerging as a business opportunity as demand rises.

The process starts with choosing healthy, vigorous parent plants that are properly marked and labelled. "The quality of the seed depends greatly on the quality of the parent plant," said Ian Ogatis, the center's farm manager. To keep varieties true to type, seed plots should be isolated from fields of the same crop, with border trees or vegetative barriers to limit cross-pollination by wind or insects.

MBRLC advises harvesting only from the centre of the field on sunny mid-mornings or mid-afternoons, and not picking up seeds from the ground. After cleaning, seeds that float in water should be discarded. Drying takes two to five days depending on the seed coat, or about two days in a plastic-covered solar dryer.

Moisture is the key storage concern. Seeds should be kept at six to eight percent moisture for long-term storage, since fungi spread quickly above nine to 10 percent. "A seed's greatest enemy in storage is excess moisture," Ogatis said. The center treats seeds with Sevin or Captan powder at one teaspoon per three kilograms, then stores them in airtight containers such as clean, sun-dried glass jars with silica gel, charcoal or ash.

The report also cited traditional practices such as hanging seeds above kitchen fireplaces or storing them in ash or sand, and recommended germination tests before planting so farmers can adjust seeding rates or replace weak seed lots.