Vegetable Seed Production: Principles

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Tillage

Convention Tilled Seed Productin Site

The preparation of a field for vegetable seed production differs little from that for vegetable production. Soils should have a high water holding capacity to encourage uniform vegetative growth. Depending on the crop and water availability, planting is done on raised, shaped, or flat planting surfaces which require appropriate soil preparation. In all cases, the seed bed must be uniform because most vegetable seed crops are precision planted and uniform emergence and seedling development necessary for optimum performance. Conservation tillage practices can be used for seed production as well. Generally, conservation tillage practices are not as widely used as for vegetable crop seed production because they may lead to later and less uniform emergence.