Lahore, Pakistan
July 1, 2008
Punjab University Seed Centre
has been producing hybrid seeds of various crops, plants and
vegetables with four times extra production abilities compared
to ordinary seeds. Moreover, the seeds being produced at PU Seed
Centre’s Tissue Culture Lab after experimentation are also free
from viral and fungal diseases.
These seeds including various types of potatoes like desiree,
cardinal, diamond and various types of sugarcane like HSF 240
and CP 7740, and medicinal and floral plants are being produced
through tissue culture technique are being produced in PU.
Seed Centre’s Research Officer Syed Tariq Mehmood said that in
their research lab, a new plant is developed by carrying out
experiments on a portion of that plant. He said formally these
seeds were imported from Germany and Holland but now these are
available in Pakistan. He said there is a dire need to create
awareness among farmers in this regard that by proper
utilization of these seeds, maximum yield could be get and money
could also be saved because of these seeds production capacity
is relatively high. Mr Mehmood said that sugarcane crop needs
maximum water but sugarcane which is being produced by tissue
culture technique give maximum production and it needs less
water. He said in Pakistan sugarcane crop is affected by two
diseases i.e. Rust and Redrot and these also affect its
production, however, sugarcane being produced by PU seeds is
free from these diseases. Sagwan is a tree giving maximum woods
and in Pakistan there is much low number of these trees and if
proper attention was not given the tree will become rare.
PU Department of Botany Research Officer Muhammad Akram has
developed thirty from a single Sagwan tree in PU Botanical
Gardens by using tissue culture technology and hence protected
its generation. He said the growth of Sagwan could be made
better with the help of tissue culture technology and it will
also helpful in saving money by selling its timber in the
market. PU Seed Centre gets the quality of its seeds testified
from the Punjab Seed Corporation and the Federal Seed
Corporation and then these are sold at low prices to farmers as
well as the Punjab Seed Corporation. The quality of these seeds
is better than that of foreign countries’ and their prices are
also low.
PU Resident Officer-II, who is responsible to look after the
agricultural lands of the varsity, said that the Seed Centre
will also develop hybrid seeds of cotton, vegetables and other
crops and more agriculture land will be allocated to the centre
for research.
PU Seed Centre was established in 2001 and earlier its name was
PU Potato Seed Centre as at that time only potatoes seeds were
developed in it and Dr Javed Iqbal was its founding director.
Later, in 2002 research was also started on developing seeds of
floral and other plants and it was named Punjab University Seed
Centre. It is mention worthy that PU researchers, teachers and
students work jointly at this Seed Centre.
Punjab University Seed Centre produces hybrid seed through
tissue culture
Source:
Pakistan Biotechnology
Information Center (PABIC)
The Punjab University Seed Centre
(PUSC) has been producing hybrid seeds of various crops, plants
and vegetables with four times extra production abilities
compared to ordinary seeds.
Moreover, the seeds being produced at the PUSC’s Tissue Culture
Lab after experimentation are also free from viral and fungal
diseases.
These seeds including various types of potatoes like desiree,
cardinal, diamond and various types of sugarcane like HSF 240
and CP 7740, and medicinal and floral plants are being produced
through tissue culture technique.
This was stated by PUSC research officer Syed Tariq Mehmood,
according to a news release issued by the PU here on Tuesday.
At the research lab, the research officer said, a new plant had
been developed by carrying out experiments on a portion of the
plant. Formerly, he said, these seeds were being imported from
Germany and Holland but now these were readily available in
Pakistan. He said there was a dire need to create awareness
among farmers that with proper utilisation of these seeds,
maximum yield could be obtained and financial resources could be
saved.
Mehmood said the sugarcane crop needed maximum water but the
crop, which was being produced by the tissue culture technique,
gave maximum production with relatively less water. In Pakistan,
he said, the sugarcane crop was affected by two diseases – Rust
and Redrot – which also affect its production. He claimed that
the sugarcane being produced through the PU seeds was free from
these diseases.
Meanwhile, PU botany department’s research officer Muhammad
Akram said that he had protected the generation of Sagwan tree
by developing 30 trees from one Sagwan tree at varsity’s
botanical gardens by using tissue culture technology.
He said Sagwan was a tree that gave maximum wood, but its number
was drastically decreasing in the country. “If the Sagwan tree
will not be given special attention, it may become a rare
specie,” he said.
He said the growth of Sagwan could be made better with the help
of tissue culture technology.
The PU Resident Officer-II, who is responsible to look after the
agricultural lands of the varsity, said the varsity’s seed
centre was getting the quality of its seeds testified from the
Punjab Seed Corporation and the Federal Seed Corporation. After
due certification, he said, the PU was selling these seeds at
low rates to farmers as well as the Punjab Seed Corporation.
“The quality of these seeds is better than the seeds being
imported from different countries,” he added.
He said the seed centre would also develop hybrid seeds of
cotton, vegetables and other crops and more agriculture land
would be allocated to the centre for research
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