:: Research & Development ::




			MAHARASHTRA STATE SEEDS CORPORATION LTD.


	Research & Development

MSSCL is executing two turn key projects of setting up of 0.5 tones per hour capacity plants for RSSCL. Suratgarh & HSDCL, Hissar for delinting of improved & hybrid cotton seeds. Several reputed private seed companies dealing in cotton seed are coming up to setup these plants.
There is subsidy of 50% for setting up such delinting plants under Technology Mission on Cotton of Government of India.

MSSCL has carried out collaborative research project with Indian Institute of Technology, Powai to use CO₂ gas for fumigation of seeds in replacement of poisonous aluminium phosphide presently used. The practical application of CO₂ fumigation technology is under progress at MSSCL plant. Similarly, experiment on biological control of storage pests in collaboration with BARC, Mumbai are carried out and its practical application is inprogress.

Research & Development

MSSCL has entered into Research & Development activitiesfrom 1993 to carry out need based research in crops like Hybrid Cotton, Sorghum, Sunflower, Maize, Bajra &Vegetables. The R&D unit has expert team of Plant Breeders to carry out research in these crops alongwith infrastructural facilities like building, land, equipment etc.

To carry out multiplication of Nucleus & Breeder seed of R & D products, MSSCL is having its own R&D farm at Pailpada & Yeota for pdocution of Nucleus & Breeder seed, testing of products in the multilocational trials under AICCP (All India Co-ordinated Crops Prokect) ofICAR & MSSCL own trials.

In addition to our facilities for R&D activities, the products developed under In-house R&D of MSSCL are being tested in All India Co-ordinated Project Trials. Only after evaluating their performance in the above trials as well as in the farmer’s fields, the hybrids are identified for test marketing

Sr. No.	Crop	Hybrid under Marketing	Hybrids under test Marketing
1	Hy. Cotton	Mahabeej-203, DH-986	Mahabeej-123, DH-902
2	Hy. Jowar	Mahabeej-7, 171	Mahabeej-175
3	Hy. Sunflower	Mahabeej-933	Bhaskar
5	Hy. Bajra	-	Manik -
6	Hy. Tomato	Mahabeej-401
7	Hy. Brinjal	Jayant (Green) Yashwant (Purple)	-
8	Hy. Bhendi (Okra)	Tarjani, Tanvi	-
9	Hy. Bottle Gourd	Ishwar	-
10	Hy. Ridge Gourd	Aishwarya	-
11	Hy. Sponge Gourd	-	Divyanka

Research & Development in Seed Processing

MSSCL has designed, developed and commissioned 1 TPH (Ton Per Hour) capacity Cotton Seed Delinting Plant, which is pollution free certified by Maharashtra Pollution Control Board under Programme Aimed at Technological Self Reliance Scheme (PATSER) of Department of Scientific & Industrial Research, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India. This is first of its kind state-of-art plant available with MSSCL in Asia. This plant has been approved by the Project Review Committee of Government of India and the plant is functioning successfully at Cotton Delinting Plant, MSSCL, Akola.

Special features of new cotton seed delinting plant are as under:

Pollution free cotton seed delinting technology
No use of Sulphuric acid for Hydrocholoric gas generation
Possible to delint small size lots even upto 10 Kg.
All machines coated with Teflon and lined with FRP for corrosion resistance.
Comparatively low power consumption.
Economical price compared to imported and indigenous conventional plants.
No hazardous operations.
Maximum use of gravity flow of seeds.
Low annual repairs and maintenance cost.
The by-products like dilute HCL and linters are valuable inputs for industrial products being free from H₂So⁴
Recommended by the Commissioner (Agril.), Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India

Designed & Developed by : K. Asif Ahmed, System Manager, D.N. Kalbende, Computer Cell, Mahabeej , Akola