Integrating Seed Systems for Annual Food Crops

摘要

Seed is an essential element of any crop production system. For most plant species, it is the means by which crops are regenerated. It is also the vehicle through which genetic improvement is introduced and crop performance can be maintained. Until recent times farmers were basically self sufficient for seed. Apart from occasional calamities and infrequent seed exchange with other farmers, they produced their own seed by selecting part of their harvest to plant their next crop. By selecting seeds andseed parents, they were also involved in crop improvement. The domestication of many wild species, and the existence of a large number of traditional varieties testifies to the ability of ancient farmers to model crops to their specific requirements. There is ample evidence that they did so by selecting desirable individuals as parents for the next generation.