Abstract

Commercial crops cover about a fifth of the area under cultivation and form the bulk of our country's exports. They are oilseeds, jute, tea and tobacco. Among these, oilseeds, occupy the foremost place. In the Madras State, oilseed crops viz., ground- nut, gingelly, castor and coconut are grown over a total area of about 28 lakhs acres, representing nearly 16 per cent of the total cropped area. Of these, groundnut is the most important one as it covers nearly 78 per cent of the total area under oilseed crops and earns the much needed foreign dollars for the country. In oilseed crops, yield and oil content are the most important factors which determine the merits of a strain. The different improved strains of groundnut, gingelly and castor evolved by the State Department of Agriculture combine the above economic attri- butes and they are acclaimed as superior to the local varieties. Seed purity is one of the fundamental principles in Agriculture. To maintain this purity, the farmer, the plant breeder, the seed organi- sations and the Government strive hard alike. The production of nucleus seeds of improved strains marks the beginning of the seed multiplication programme.

Keywords: