Seed Maintenance and Propagation Research Program:

The seed is a crucial factor for crop establishment, implying the necessity for seed availability of improved crop varieties that contribute to good crop establishment and higher yields.  ARC breeds improved seeds of varieties of most domestically produced crops where a large number of such varieties have been released within the past ten years. Seeds of released varieties used to be propagated and distributed by the National Seed Administration. Recently, however, the seed industry has experienced important developments in which seeds can be produced by both the private and public sectors under government supervision.  Deterioration and sometimes loss in breeder seeds produced by ARC researchers have been encountered. This situation necessitated seed maintenance and preservation.  The program targets maintaining breeder seeds subject to their original traits at the time of release and producing adequate quantities of foundation seeds that can be marketed to seed companies for propagation and sale to producers in order to arrive at the main objectives of promoting crop yields and quality.

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